NASA Activates Resources to Help Assess Impacts from Hurricane Milton

In the wake of Hurricane Milton, NASA is deploying resources to support Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state emergency management agencies to aid their response effort including satellite and aerial data collection.

The agency’s Disasters Response Coordination System and Airborne Science Program are began conducting flights Friday to provide emergency responders with better insight into flooding, damage in Florida, and debris.

“After the devastating impact from hurricanes Helene and Milton, NASA immediately sprang into action,” said Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Whether it is through observations from space or from airplanes, NASA is ready to assist communities affected by severe storms. We are working together with our federal and state partners to provide a better understanding of what is happening on the ground, in real time. NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System was designed with the goal of delivering trusted, actionable Earth science information, where and when people need it, to enable effective response when these events strike.”

NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Synthetic Aperture Radar Vehicle (UAVSAR) instrument is gathering rapid wide area L-Band synthetic aperture radar data shared directly with FEMA and other organizations. Flights are coordinated directly with FEMA to augment their existing satellite and aerial data collection.

Since Hurricane Milton struck, persistent cloud cover over the State of Florida has made it challenging to obtain optical satellite observations of conditions in the region. Synthetic aperture radar instruments, such as those aboard UAVSAR, can see through the clouds to observe changes on the ground. This provides much-needed observations of flood inundation across communities in Florida, as well as the extent of inland river flooding and resource deployment.

The Disaster Response Coordination System has been working closely with FEMA and state emergency management agencies to aid response efforts as Hurricane Milton approached and impacted Florida. The team is actively sharing resources with other agency partners, the state of Florida, and disaster response non-profit organizations.  

NASA continues to determine the needs of its partners and is sharing maps and data on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal as they become available.

Hurricane Milton caused significant wind, flooding, power outages, and damage across central Florida, from Sarasota and Tampa to Palm Springs and the Space Coast. Impacts are currently being assessed alongside lifesaving operations and emergency repairs. The Disasters Response Coordination System is collaborating directly with FEMA, the State of Florida Geospatial Information Office, U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the American Red Cross. The Disasters Response Coordination System is also sharing any available Earth observation data with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center emergency managers to support their damage assessment process.

By using tools like NASA’s Black Marble, and updating daily with differential analysis done to highlight areas with extended power outages, the agency provides FEMA, states, and non-profits the opportunity to distribute temporary generators, life-sustaining resources, and damage assessments.

The UAVSAR flights are being conducted with support from NASA’s Disasters Program, NASA’s Earth Action Program, and NASA’s Research and Analysis Program, and are being managed by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California,  a NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern and California, and the California Institute of Technology.

To learn more about NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System, visit:

https://disastersresponsecoordinationsystem.gov