The ability to provide immediate assistance proved invaluable to local utility workers. In one instance, Duncan described how the team helped a worker responsible for identifying downed power poles, a task that normally would take days. “We had a map ready for him in an hour,” Duncan said. “It was amazing to see how much faster we could help these workers pinpoint the damage and get to work restoring power.”
ORNL’s efforts didn’t stop with data collection on the ground. In the background, DOE’s Environment for Analysis of Geo-Located Energy Information, or EAGLE-ITM, platform played an essential role in monitoring utility outages throughout both hurricanes. EAGLE-I was used extensively by state, local and federal agencies throughout their responses to Helene and Milton. ORNL has managed and maintained the platform since 2016.
“EAGLE-I helps us track where the biggest utility outages are, especially in rural areas where smaller counties might not get as much attention,” said Aaron Myers, who leads the platform’s development at ORNL.
During the response to Hurricane Helene, EAGLE-I saw a notable increase in users — including FEMA responders, decision-makers in DOE’s Energy Response Center, and local emergency management officials — reflecting the platform’s growing relevance in disaster management.
“We’ve built a lot of trust within the response community,” Myers said. “This time, the focus wasn’t on teaching responders how to use the tool. They were asking us how to interpret the data and deconflict information from field reporting to ensure a consistent assessment of impacts on the ground.”
This Oak Ridge National Laboratory news article "A new kind of first responder: The role of technology in hurricane aftermath" was originally found on https://www.ornl.gov/news
