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NOAA CONDUCTS AERIAL SURVEY OF REGIONS RAVAGED BY HURRICANE KATRINA

NOAA aerial image of the destruction in Pascagoula, Miss., left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina taken on Aug. 30, 2005.Aug. 31, 2005 � NOAA today posted online more than 350 aerial images of the U.S. Gulf Coast areas that were decimated by Hurricane Katrina. NOAA will be flying more missions in the days ahead that will yield hundreds of additional aerial digital images. The regions photographed on Tuesday range from Bay St. Louis to Pascagoula, Miss. The southeast coastal areas of Louisiana are being photographed on Wednesday. The aerial photograph missions were conducted by the NOAA Remote Sensing Division the day after Katrina made landfall at approximately 7:10 a.m. EDT on Aug. 29, 2005, in Plaquemines Parish, La. (Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of the destruction in Pascagoula, Miss., left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina taken on Aug. 30, 2005. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Update, Sept. 1, 2005: NOAA made available an additional 1,450 aerial images of the regions impacted by Hurricane Katrina, including New Orleans. See New Orleans images below.
Update, Sept. 5, 2005: NOAA made available an additional 1,100 aerial images of the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina.

NOAA aerial image of the devastation in Ocean Springs, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina slammed the region.NOAA used an Emerge/Applanix Digital Sensor System, or DSS, to acquire the images from an altitude of 7,500 feet. The equipment was mounted on NOAA’s Cessna Citation aircraft, which is a versatile twin-engine jet aircraft modified for acquiring coastal remote sensing imagery. The aircraft can support a wide variety of remote sensing configurations, including large format aerial photography, as well as data collection for digital cameras, hyperspectral, multispectral and LIDAR systems. (Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of the devastation in Ocean Springs, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina slammed the region. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The NOAA Cessna Citation aircraft acquired 3-D images of the World Trade Center and Pentagon just days after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The NOAA imagery was acquired to support the agency’s national security and emergency response requirements. In addition, the imagery will be used for ongoing research efforts for testing and developing standards for airborne digital imagery.

NOAA aerial image of the widespread destruction in Bay St. Louis, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina smashed through the USA Gulf Coast.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of the widespread destruction in Bay St. Louis, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina smashed through the USA Gulf Coast. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
NOAA aerial image of the widespread destruction in Bay St. Louis, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina smashed through the USA Gulf Coast.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of the widespread destruction in Bay St. Louis, Miss., taken on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina smashed through the USA Gulf Coast. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
NOAA aerial image of Gulfport, Miss., showing the damage to the port there.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of Gulfport, Miss., showing the damage to the port there. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”) 		NOAA aerial image of Gulfport, Miss., where the port sustained widespread destruction.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of Gulfport, Miss., where the port sustained widespread destruction. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

NOAA Aerial Images of New Orleans, La., taken on Aug. 31, 2005.
NOAA aerial image of New Orleans, La., showing homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and a neighborhood inundated by flood waters.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of New Orleans, La., showing homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and a neighborhood inundated by flood waters. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”) 		NOAA aerial image of New Orleans, La., showing a part of the Big Easy almost completely submerged by flood waters.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of New Orleans, La., showing a part of the Big Easy almost completely submerged by flood waters. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
NOAA aerial image of New Orleans, La., where flood waters consumed homes and cut off roadways.
(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of New Orleans, La., where flood waters consumed homes and cut off roadways. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”) 		NOAA aerial image of New Orleans, La., where homes were nearly swallowed up by flood waters.(Click NOAA aerial image for larger view of New Orleans, La., where homes were nearly swallowed up by flood waters. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Aerial Images of USA Gulf Coast Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

NOAA Remote Sensing Division

NOAA National Geodetic Survey

Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez, NOAA, (202) 482-3091