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September 2019: Hurricane Dorian

National Geodetic Survey damage assessment imagery available online.

Tropical Storm Dorian, seen here by GOES East on Sept. 2, 2019

Hurricane Dorian, seen here by GOES East on Sept. 2, 2019.

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey is the U.S. Government source for precise latitude, longitude, and elevation measurements. The NOAA fleet of ships and aircraft is operated, managed, and maintained by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which includes commissioned officers of the NOAA Corps and civilian wage mariners.

From September 4-7, 2019, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) collected U.S. aerial damage assessment images for Hurricane Dorian. Imagery was collected in specific areas identified by NOAA in coordination with FEMA and other state and federal partners. NGS collected 12,516 images over four days, covering 3,682 square miles. Collected images are available to view online via the NGS aerial imagery viewer. View tips on how to use the imagery viewer.

Available Imagery

View NOAA Emergency Response Imagery collected on the following days:

Before/After Imagery

Select the round icon with directional arrows using your mouse (or your finger) and slide back and forth to view a "before and after" comparison. "Before" imagery is provided by Mapbox, Digital Globe, and OpenStreetMap; "After" imagery was captured by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey for Hurricane Dorian. View tips on how to use the imagery viewer

an image showing  Summer North of Brunswick, Georgia before Dorian an image showing North of Brunswick, Georgia after Dorian

North of Brunswick, Georgia | View this location on the map.

an image showing  St. Augustine, Florida before Dorian an image showing  St. Augustine, Florida after Dorian

St. Augustine, Florida | View this location on the map.

an image showing  Summer Haven, Florida before Dorian an image showing Summer Haven, Florida after Dorian

Summer Haven, Florida | View this location on the map.

an image showing  Key Biscayne, Florida before Dorian an image showing  Key Biscayne, Florida after Dorian

Key Biscayne, Florida | View this location on the map.

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.


Navigating the NGS Emergency Response Imagery Viewer

Video overview of how to use the NOAA Emergency Response Imagery online viewer.

map of Hurricane Harvey imagery with instructions about how to read

This is a sample of the NGS aerial imagery viewer to illustrate how you can use this mapping tool to locate imagery.

  • 1. Zoom in/out. Plus and minus buttons are located in the top left corner of the image viewer. Tap or click on the appropriate symbol to control the zoom level of the map. The dynamic map zooms in or out from the center point. You can change the location of the map by dragging on the map with your finger or using your fingers on a mobile device.
  • 2. Search for a specific location. Underneath the zoom controls in the upper left corner, you will find a magnifying glass. Use this tool to search for a specific location.
  • 3. Available Imagery. Available NOAA imagery may be difficult to see when you first look at a map. Here, you can see the available aerial imagery near Houston, Texas. If you don't see any images on the map, try zooming in closer to the area you are interested in inspecting or search for a specific location.
  • 4. Available images, listed by date collected by NOAA aircraft. On the top right corner of the map viewer, you will see an icon with three stacked rectangles, which indicates available map layers. Select this button to toggle the view of the base layer of the map between street view and satellite view. This button also reveals a list of all available imagery, listed by the date the images were collected by NOAA aircraft.
  • For Advanced Users: Note that users may construct a custom URL for the imagery viewer by entering a known latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, along with a selected zoom level. For example, the following link will show Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina. This URL will be "zoomed in" to level 16, which equates to about 2.4 meter resolution, at the coordinates for the airport, 34.2674 degrees latitude and -77.9020 degrees longitude: https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/michael/index.html#16/34.2674/-77.9020