Hurricane Michael Before and After Damage Assessment Imagery

[Close-up satellite image of the eye of Hurricane Michael as it made landfall at Mexico Beach, Florida last Wednesday afternoon, October 10th.]

[NOAA] Last Thursday, October 11, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) began collecting damage assessment imagery in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Weather permitting, aerial imagery will be collected in specific areas identified by NOAA in coordination with FEMA and other state and federal partners. During the mission, NGS will fly two missions a day. Images will be updated every 12 hours, which includes flight and processing time. Collected images are available to view online via the NGS aerial imagery viewer.

A team of NOAA aviators and sensor operators are capturing the images using specialized remote-sensing cameras aboard NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations’ King Air aircraft flying above the area at an altitude between 500 and 1500 meters (about 1,600 to 5,000 feet).

[Mexico Beach, Florida. Top image is before Hurricane Michael landfall, provided by Mapbox, Digital Globe, and OpenStreetMap. Bottom image is after Michael, from NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey.]

NOAA’s aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery provides a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment.

Available Imagery

View NOAA Emergency Response Imagery collected on the following days: