Disability, as a product of person-environment interactionexample, disasters do not respect governmental jurisdictions-hurricanes cross state lines, floods don't stop at the city or county limits, volcanic ash and radioactive fallout carry across oceans, a flu epidemic can be global. A disaster that crosses jurisdictions-more than one town, or county, or state, or country-also reveals variations in administrative responses to the same event. When significantly varied responses are evident in different affected jurisdictions, the differences in policy environments become more obvious. A geographic information system (GIS) can play a role in identifying spatial differences in response patterns. Retrospective analysis, with identification of best and worst practices, can lead to lessons learned, operational systems changes, and broad-based policy realignment.