Weathering the Storm with Real‑Time Insight

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)

FDACS faced a critical lag in hurricane response, relying on manual, hours‑long data analysis that couldn’t keep pace with rapidly changing storm forecasts. The delays not only increased the risk of human error in population-based calculations, they tied up experts in spreadsheets, and limited real‑time coordination when faster, more accurate decisions mattered most.

EPIC solutions delivered:

98% Reduction in Processing Time: Reducing the analysis window from 4 hours per report to under 4 minutes allowed for near-instantaneous updates as new storm data arrived.

Real-Time Data Refresh Rate: By automating the ingestion of NOAA hurricane path data, the system moved from static, snapshot reporting to a continuous, real-time data stream, ensuring projections were never based on stale information.

Increased Frequency of Analysis: By reducing report generation time from hours to minutes, FDACS was able to run multiple daily analyses without adding staff workload—sharpening visibility into evolving needs.

100% Consistency in Modeling: By replacing manual spreadsheets with a centralized GIS-based algorithm, the project eliminated human calculation errors and ensured that demographic thresholds and demand formulas were applied consistently across all Areas of Concern (AOCs).

Optimization of Human Capital: The automation successfully redirected approximately 12–16 man-hours per day (based on four daily storm updates) from data entry to high-level emergency coordination and logistics execution.

Successful Field Deployment: The system achieved 100% availability and reliability during the 2020 hurricane season, validating its performance under real-world emergency conditions.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is responsible for Emergency Support Function 11 (ESF 11), which coordinates the delivery of essential commodities—including food, water, and ice—to residents impacted by natural disasters across the State of Florida.