City of Sugar Land – Cane Room, August 20, 2024 – Ms. Caroline Egan, Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator of the City of Sugar Land (COSL), presented to the Fort Bend GIS Consortium and lead a round table discussion on emergency management planning and response. Members were lead through “blue skies¹” preparation phases, the unique roles of GIS (as a tool and a group) during a “grey skies²” event phase, and a case study related to Hurricane Beryl. Additionally, Ms. Egan showcased several COSL dashboards and introduced members to their ‘Link Tree³‘. Ms. Egan’s presentation, coupled with her vast experience, engaged members and encouraged meaningful discussions that improved understanding and approach tactics to our members internal emergency management plans. The presentation can be viewed by clicking here.

1. “Blue sky” refers to non-disaster periods. General emergency management activities include preparedness initiatives such as writing and exercising plans, educating the community about disasters, and engaging in mitigation actions that reduce a disasters impact on people and property. _(source)
2. “Grey sky” refers to the period immediately before, during and after an incident has occurred. It includes a response phase where priorities are protecting lives and property. It also encompasses recovery actions that begin once the incident is stabilized to rebuild the community. _(source)
3. A “Link Tree” refers to a specific type of tool or service that allows individuals to create a landing page containing multiple links. The purpose of a link tree is to provide a convenient way to share various links with an audience.