Photo By Travis England | Maj. Brittany Hine, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, speaks with Justin Gibson, a member...... read more read more
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As recovery efforts continue in western North Carolina, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are aiding emergency responders by providing debris pile modeling and estimations.
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, emergency response teams are focused on ensuring safety, controlling hazards and meeting the needs of those affected. In cases of extreme events, such as the Maui wildfires in 2023 and the recent flash flooding in western North Carolina caused by Hurricane Helene, debris fields can hinder that response.
After the Maui wildfires, responders were faced with charred houses, boats and automobiles, along with ash, soot and charred vegetation, while in western North Carolina, fallen trees, demolished homes and automobiles clogged damaged roads caked with mud, posing substantial risks and challenges.
To help mitigate those challenges, ERDC researchers are using 2D and 3D machine learning methods to help find damage and then estimate the volume of that damage.
“With the Maui wildfires, we were able to assist with how much debris was on the ground, and we felt that we could also help with the situation here in North Carolina,” said Dr. William Reckling, a researcher with ERDC’s Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL).
Reckling and his team are providing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wilmington District with a comprehensive 2D debris estimation assessment covering the entire Blue Ridge Region, spanning three USACE districts, while the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is seeking help with debris estimation — similar to the support provided in Maui — beginning in Asheville and expanding outward.
“We're taking aerial photography, and we're finding the damage or the debris piles,” said Reckling. “We're estimating the quantity of debris.”
For emergency responders, having that information is multifaceted. During the initial rescue and recovery phase, “hot spots” can be identified allowing for more focused resource allocations, while in the cleanup phase, the data can be used for quality control like determining how many trucks are needed to clear the debris or how much debris was moved during a certain time period.
This collaboration exemplifies ERDC’s critical role in supporting disaster recovery efforts and showcases the practical applications of its advanced methodologies in real-world emergencies.
“We're an R&D organization, and these tools were not necessarily developed for these situations,” said Reckling. “However, we have this capability and want to help. There's that spirit within our group. Everybody in GRL wants to help. Now that we have a good workflow in place, we’re ready to go wherever we’re needed.”
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2024 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 484946 |
| Location: | VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ERDC researchers use 2D, 3D modeling to aid in hurricane debris assessment, by Carol Coleman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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