Wildfires & Drought Analysis for the Capital Area Council of Governments
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An analysis of available national data on droughts and wildfires indicate that Texas has encompassed a fluctuating drought for over a decade. The central and western portions of the state have been affected particularly severely. In 2011 for example, the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) endured drastic drought and wildfire conditions. Counties such as Bastrop, made major news headlines as the Bastrop County Complex Fire consumed more than 30,000 acres. Not all the local and rural governmental authorities may have the necessary data or technology to analyze the challenging threats posed by drought or to effectively plan for the wildfire threats that have slowly developed to become part of the CAPGOC community. Therefore, the purpose of research is to muster the data of the enduring wildfire and drought conditions over the decade spanning 2002 to 2012 across the CAPCOG. This project formulated visual data of the historical archived conditions for the fire services, emergency managers, and community leaders within the CAPCOG jurisdiction in order to help enhance their mitigation efforts in relation to future drought and wildfire events.