Case Studies

Assessment, Design, and Implementation

Epic Group is partnering with communities in the Carolinas to recover from disasters and build resilience.

Introductuion

Epic Group, in partnership with Florida’s Department of Agriculture, developed a GIS-based portal—Florida’s Roadmap to Healthy Living helping residents explore the link between nutrition, demographics, and location for smarter health decisions through an interactive, mobile-friendly map.

Epic Group provided immediate assistance to several affected communities by assessing and documenting damages, facilitating understanding of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance (FEMA PA) grant funding process, and seeking other sources of federal recovery funding to maximize assistance.

Challenge

When a community is eligible to receive FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funding for disaster recovery, it must accurately document all damage to ensure maximum reimbursement from FEMA. It is also essential to conduct damage assessments quickly so the community can get back on its feet swiftly and meet FEMA’s time requirements for full reimbursement. To expedite the damage assessment process in the Carolinas, we deployed drones to collect high-resolution imagery of disaster-related damage.

Within weeks, we documented debris and damage across 110 square miles–nearly five times the size of Manhattan–and an additional 80 linear miles of critical infrastructure in the Carolinas. Given that Western South Carolina’s rugged terrain is difficult to traverse on foot, using drones significantly accelerated the data collection process. This data will help us move onto the next phase of recovery: recommending recovery and mitigation projects to restore infrastructure and public services and support community revitalization.

Solution

When a community is eligible to receive FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funding for disaster recovery, it must accurately document all damage to ensure maximum reimbursement from FEMA. It is also essential to conduct damage assessments quickly so the community can get back on its feet swiftly and meet FEMA’s time requirements for full reimbursement. To expedite the damage assessment process in the Carolinas, we deployed drones to collect high-resolution imagery of disaster-related damage.

Within weeks, we documented debris and damage across 110 square miles–nearly five times the size of Manhattan–and an additional 80 linear miles of critical infrastructure in the Carolinas. Given that Western South Carolina’s rugged terrain is difficult to traverse on foot, using drones significantly accelerated the data collection process. This data will help us move onto the next phase of recovery: recommending recovery and mitigation projects to restore infrastructure and public services and support community revitalization.

Solution highlights

Insights

96%

Participants give The Great Energy Escape four or five stars out of five

93%

Said they learned something new about energy efficiency from the escape room

90%

Said they planned to implement energy efficiency strategies they learned in the game at home

Results

This project sets a new standard for mobile activations by gamifying energy efficiency. The Great Energy Escape has already made a significant impact in raising awareness about energy efficiency in a highly engaging way. And it’s working: 96% of participants give The Great Energy Escape four or five stars out of five. 93% of players said they learned something new about energy efficiency, while 90% of players said they planned to implement energy efficiency strategies they learned in the game at home. These results are key to PSE&G’s goal of educating and engaging customers.

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