NOAA Aids with Hurricane Ike Recovery
September 17, 2008
Responders from NOAA are on the move as residents and businesses in Texas and Louisiana recover from the effects of Hurricane Ike.
NOAA’s Navigational Response Teams are surveying areas critical to the flow of energy related commerce in the impacted region. Hydro surveys of the seafloor detect new obstructions from wreckage, shoaling, and other dangers to navigation. These surveys are being performed in partnership with U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.
NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services is working to identify and repair lost or damaged navigational aids such as buoy and tide stations. Restoring these critical navigational tools is vital to operations of maritime commerce in the area.
While teams are working at or below the water level, aircraft are flying overhead taking thousands of aerial photographs to provide imagery of the physical damage to property and infrastructure as well as significant changes to the natural coastline. Photos will be posted online as they become available after each flight.
The National Weather Service Southern Region continues to provide extensive weather briefing support to local and state partners. This information is key to the various agencies involved in the recovery process. As remnants of Hurricane Ike track to the northeast, Weather Service specialists are providing potential river flooding forecasts and hydrologic support to potential areas.
NOAA HAZMAT teams are in place as part of a multi-agency response providing oil spill trajectories and data to protect environmental resources. In addition, NOAA’s Fisheries Service is assessing the damage to the fishing industry and is currently working with state partners to evaluate the Texas and Louisiana fishing infrastructure.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.