SCIENCE SERVING SOCIETY: DISASTER MANAGEMENT

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

NASA Earth observing satellites can help assess damage 

caused by natural disasters. When Hurricane Katrina struck 

New Orleans on August 29, 2005, it caused breaches in the 

levees along the canals that run through the city from Lake 

Pontchartrain. The Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth 

Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this detailed image of 

the flooded city on September 6, 2005, after the breaches 

had been sealed. The floodwaters rose to cover 80% of the 

city—flooded areas appear darker in the picture—but a 

narrow strip of the city along the banks of the Mississippi 

River remained dry. In this dry area, which includes 

downtown New Orleans and the historic French Quarter, a 

white plume of smoke rises from a fire burning near the 

lower edge of the image.

Each year, the U.S. government spends 

billions of dollars to assist regions impacted 

by natural disasters—e.g., from left to 

right: floods, earthquakes, and fires. 

NASA Earth observing satellites contribute 

valuable information that helps to improve 

the accuracy of predictive models used to 

forecast natural disasters. The improved 

forecasts help community planners predict, 

plan for, and possibly prevent the impacts of 

a pending natural disaster on society.
LG-2006-1-099-GSFC (rev. May 2006)

SCIENCE SERVING SOCIETY: DISASTER MANAGEMENT

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Overview of the Program 

At present, an array of Earth observing satellites are in orbit, and additional 

launches both by NASA and others will continue throughout the next 

decade. Our ability to observe our home planet from space has never 

been greater. Increasingly, studies of the Earth focus on understanding the 

Earth’s land, atmosphere, oceans, and life as a whole integrated system 

rather than as individual independent elements. NASA is an important 

contributor in this systems approach to Earth science studies.

In addition to providing Earth observing capabilities, NASA forms strategic 

partnerships with other government, academic, private, and international 

organizations. Through these partnerships, NASA’s Earth science 

observations and measurements are linked to practical applications. 

NASA data, information, and predictive models help NASA’s partners, and 

nontraditional users of Earth science, make timely and accurate decisions 

regarding management of resources and development of policy. The 

agency’s goal is to maximize the benefit of science and technology to 

stakeholders by smoothly flowing Earth science data and information from 

NASA satellites to society.

Disaster Management

Each year, the U.S. government spends billions of dollars to assist regions 

impacted by natural hazards worldwide such as severe thunderstorms, 

tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, blizzards, floods, landslides, volcanic 

events, wildfires, and earthquakes. Decision makers need access to the 

most accurate and timely information available to help them plan their 

response to these natural disasters. Such information helps community 

planners understand where their jurisdiction might be vulnerable and 

possible lessen the harmful impacts of the destruction on society. 

Emergency response personnel need advanced warning to know when 

extreme events will occur as well as timely, detailed data to conduct postevent environmental assessments.

To reduce the overall impact of natural disasters on society, and to aid 

evacuation and recovery efforts, NASA works collaboratively with the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

(NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Our partnership has improved the 

nation’s ability to understand the risk and predict the occurrence of 

natural disasters. FEMA uses decision support systems to run computer 

simulations that provide information to aid community planners, early 

warning systems and first responders, and also contribute to impact 

assessments, risk communication, mitigation, and implementation of relief 

efforts. NASA’s Earth science data and models provide important input 

into these decision support systems that help improve their accuracy and 

predictive capabilities.

Several specific areas where Earth observations from NASA satellites make 

a significant contribution are in hurricane, wind, and flood prediction. NOAA 

combines satellite-derived estimates of precipitation from the Tropical 

Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and wind velocity from the 

Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite to improve hurricane track and 

intensity forecasts. Integrating NASA data into NOAA meteorological models 

improves the accuracy of forecasts of landfall and increases the lead-time 

for warnings for both hurricanes and floods. More accurate forecasts, 

in turn, enable improved decision and policy making which enhances 

community preparedness for these types of events.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land 

Rapid Response System is another example of how NASA data make an 

immediate difference in planning for, and responding to, disasters. This 

system is designed to serve the need for quick access to data from the 

MODIS instrument onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites, whenever and 

wherever disaster strikes around the world. NASA collaborates with the 

University of Maryland, the USDA Forest Service (USFS), and NOAA to 

provide firefighters with the most up-to-date fire maps and satellite images 

from Terra and Aqua, to help them plan responses to wildfires. Once a fire 

is under control, land managers can use the same information to assist in 

recovery efforts, such as planning for rehabilitation of the burned areas and 

protection of homes and water quality in the affected area.

Despite all these efforts, natural disasters will always be a threat to society. 

When disaster does strike, NASA’s Earth observing satellites contribute 

timely information to assess the damage. In cases where damage is 

widespread—e.g., major floods and tsunamis—MODIS can obtain an 

image of the area after the disaster and it can be compared to an image 

of the same area obtained before the disaster occurred to see how 

the landscape has changed. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Earth 

Observing-1 (EO-1) can gain even more close-up images of impacted 

areas (see the image from EO-1 on the front for an example) and are 

also particularly useful for viewing the damage caused by smaller-scale 

disasters such as landslides and tornadoes that MODIS cannot see.

As data from additional Earth observation satellites and surface 

measurement systems are integrated into predictive models over the next 

few years, the accuracy and reliability of the forecasts issued will continue 

to improve, as will their usefulness for disaster management applications. 

Provided with such information, decision makers will be better equipped 

to respond to disasters when they occur. NASA’s collaborative investments 

in improved forecasting should make it possible to significantly reduce the 

losses from weather-driven disasters over the course of the next decade.