Project Goal
The goal of this project was to document and communicate the history and impacts of the Kelly Flood through an interactive geospatial story. Using ArcGIS StoryMaps, Teton County Emergency Management created an engaging digital narrative that combines maps, historical imagery, and geographic analysis to explain how the 1925 Gros Ventre landslide and the subsequent 1927 flood transformed the community of Kelly, Wyoming. The project translates complex geological and historical events into an accessible format that helps residents and visitors understand the region’s hazard history and the role geography plays in natural disasters.Business Problem Solved
Historical disaster information is often fragmented across reports, archives, and local knowledge, making it difficult for communities to understand past hazards and apply those lessons to current risk awareness. Teton County Emergency Management needed a way to communicate the history of the Kelly Flood in a way that was engaging, geographically accurate, and accessible to the public. By using ArcGIS StoryMaps and interactive mapping, the project consolidated historical data, geographic context, and visual storytelling into a single platform that helps educate the public about landslides, flooding, and the long-term impacts of natural hazards in the region.
Technology Implemented
The project was developed using ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS StoryMaps to create an interactive geospatial narrative. Web maps and hosted layers were used to visualize the Gros Ventre landslide, the formation and failure of Lower Slide Lake, and the resulting flood impacts on the town of Kelly. Historical imagery, geographic data, and modern basemaps were integrated to provide spatial context and enhance storytelling. ArcGIS Online enabled the story to be easily shared with the public, providing an accessible platform for combining mapping, multimedia, and narrative content.
Development Team Biography
Rich Ochs serves as the Emergency Manager for Teton County, Wyoming and the Town of Jackson, a role he has held since 2010 after previously serving as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator beginning in 2007. Prior to joining Emergency Management, Rich worked as an emergency dispatcher with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office and volunteered with Teton County EMS.
Rich currently serves as Chair of the Teton County Local Emergency Planning Committee and is a Past President of the Wyoming All Hazards Association. He has completed FEMA’s Emergency Management Professional Program Advanced and Executive Academies and is a FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner. Rich is also a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers and a Wyoming Emergency Manager (WEM) through the Wyoming All Hazards Association.
Company Overview
Teton County Emergency Management works to protect the community by coordinating preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts for natural and human-caused disasters. The agency collaborates with local, state, and federal partners to support emergency planning and public safety. By leveraging modern GIS technology, the department improves situational awareness, communicates risk information, and provides accessible tools that help residents and visitors better understand hazards in the region.
Return on Investment
Using ArcGIS StoryMaps allowed Teton County Emergency Management to transform historical hazard information into a widely accessible educational resource without requiring complex infrastructure or specialized software for users. The project enhances public awareness of landslide and flood hazards while preserving an important piece of regional history. By presenting this information through an interactive geospatial platform, the agency is able to reach a broader audience, support community preparedness efforts, and provide a long-lasting digital resource that can be shared with residents, educators, and visitors.