Organizational Resilience

Case Study

New Hanover

Building Resilience to Natural Disasters in New Hanover County

Key Highlights

Addressed the unpredictability of natural disasters by testing emergency planning in real-world conditions and optimizing plans

Improved scenario planning and resource allocation for natural disasters

Enhanced emergency response through AI-driven insights

Equitable planning for vulnerable communities

Background

New Hanover County, located in North Carolina, USA, is susceptible to a variety of natural disasters, including coastal and riverine flooding. The county is dedicated to protecting its communities through effective emergency planning and resource allocation. Following historic coastal and riverine flooding, emergency managers realized that critical planning assumptions were incorrect as flooding occurred in unanticipated locations. To address these challenges, New Hanover County turned to 4Cast to improve their operational capability and create adaptive plans for the changing environment.

Challenge

Planning for natural disasters in New Hanover County was complex and dynamic, especially with ever-changing climate conditions and the multitude of planning needed – encompassing operations, infrastructure, services, personnel, and more. The county needed to ensure that their planning and resilience initiatives effectively served the most vulnerable communities.

4Cast Solution

4Cast provided New Hanover County with a comprehensive solution to enhance their preparedness and emergency response to natural disasters. The planning systems, lifelines doctrine, and additional capabilities were modeled into 4Cast platform and connected to relevant data sources, including GIS information, providing a visual understanding of disaster-prone areas and vulnerable populations.
Scenario-based simulations allowed county officials to see different courses of action and evaluate the potential performance of their plans.

Key components of the solution included:

Decision Models

Modeling of local conditions, protocols, and processes to identify the gaps created when disaster strikes. The models Incorporated the FEMA community lifelines doctrine to prioritize critical infrastructure and services during planning and response.

Scenario-Based Simulations

Running scenario-based simulations to understand how plans perform in real-world conditions.

Decision Intelligence Recommendations

Providing actionable insights and strategic recommendations, rigorously testing assumptions about evacuation, route accessibility, medical care, shelter availability and more.

Course of Action Analysis

Presenting emergency managers with multiple options, enabling them to compare different approaches and select the best course of action based on potential outcomes.

Results and Impact

The implementation of 4Cast platform led to significant improvements in New Hanover County’s disaster preparedness and resilience:

Impact Identification

Assessed the impact of various natural disaster scenarios on the region, identifying the effects on populations and critical services. This enabled the creation of comprehensive response plans that addressed potential disruptions and vulnerabilities.

Actionable Recommendations

Provided county officials with actionable recommendations derived from AI-driven scenarios. These included innovative solutions for evacuation procedures, first responder teams compositions, and backup plans such as field hospitals and marine evacuations, ensuring timely and effective responses.

Equitable Insights

Delivered insights that prioritized areas and considerations before a disaster struck. This ensured that vulnerable communities received the necessary attention and adjustments, ultimately saving lives and addressing their specific needs.

Enhanced Coordination and Resource Allocation

Improved coordination and resource allocation for critical community lifelines, such as safety and security, food and water, health and medical services, communications, hazardous materials management, and more. This ensured rapid recovery and minimized disruption by optimizing the distribution of resources and enhancing interagency cooperation.