Natural disasters are known to have devastating impacts on local, national, and international economies. With natural disasters estimated to affect 218 million people on average per year, it is crucial that municipalities and their partners source quality data to help implement post-disaster economic recovery plans. These plans ensure a speedy recovery for communities and economies affected by these events.

Location intelligence, built on human mobility patterns, aids municipalities and economic development organizations (EDOs) in building these plans by providing insight into the members of the community they serve and are looking to help. Here are three key applications for location intelligence in the post-disaster economic recovery planning process:

1. Identify high-impact zones

While communities might engage in pre-disaster planning, municipalities will still often rely on post-disaster economic impact studies from outside organizations or partners to help them determine which areas were impacted the most following a natural disaster. Reports like these typically include information around damage to infrastructure and/or property, job losses, and any loss of productivity in the community (e.g., if businesses had to close or had service interrupted).