Warfighter Protection Lab, Redstone Arsenal, United States

Intergraph and the Warfighter Protection Lab Support Hurricane Relief Efforts

To provide for areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the Warfighter Protection Lab, supported by Intergraph Corporation as part of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) in Redstone Arsenal, deployed two individuals to aid the Fifth U.S. Army, an organization responsible for disaster relief assistance, and Joint Task Force (JTF) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Dan Belk, Director of the Lab, and Mike Melton of Intergraph, provided assistance by offering geographic information system (GIS) support to the region.

After Hurricane Katrina, Intergraph’s Mike Melton traveled to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, with the JTF and an additional team of WPL members and Intergraph employees in support of Hurricane Rita recovery/clean-up operations. The WPL team was tasked with expanding map coverage of the affected area, as well as providing a mobile mapmaking capability. Both missions were successful. In particular – one of the maps generated was used to brief President George W. Bush and others were shown during CNN’s coverage of the hurricane.

Offering a real-time operating simulation environment for force protection research, development, and training, the WPL provides cost-effective lessons learned on first-response plans, procedures, and technologies. The relationship between the WPL and Fifth Army recently began in preparation for an exercise in November.

The Fifth Army, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, plans for security and key assets protection of the central, western, and southwestern United States and provides assistance to civilian authorities during peacetime crises by mobilizing and deploying Reserve Component units. Within the Fifth Army, more than 2,200 dedicated soldiers and civilians work to accomplish this mission. By utilizing two training support divisions, the Fifth Army offers assistance to designated units in its 21-state area of responsibility west of the Mississippi River.

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