Geoinformation for Disaster and Risk Management - ISPRS

Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina hit the Atlantic coastline in the
United States in 2005 and left disaster in its wake.
Forming over the Bahamas, it crossed southern
Florida causing deaths and flooding before rapidly
gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico. When it made
its second landfall in southeast Louisiana, it had
caused severe destruction along the Gulf Coast from
central Florida to Texas. The most costly in terms of
damage, estimates for rebuilding are well in excess
of $100 billion. Close to 2,000 people lost their lives.
These Landsat 7 satellite images show damage from
Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf coast
from Biloxi, Mississippi to the edge of Mobile,
Alabama. The bottom image, acquired on September
8, 2005, in comparison to the same area in 2003 (top
image), reveals how the brunt force of the hurricane
not only affected the coastline, but also reached the
inland areas of the Pascagoula River.
Data comparisons show the nature, magnitude, and
spatial variability of coastal changes such as beach
erosion, overwash deposition, and island breaching.
These data will also be used to further refine
predictive models of coastal impacts from severe
storms. The data are being made available to local,
state, and federal agencies for purposes of disaster
recovery and erosion mitigation.
Above: Landsat 7 satellite data acquired 11/08/2004
Bands 5,4,3 with pan merge.
Below: Landsat 7 satellite data acquired 9/08/2005
Bands 5,4,3 with pan merge
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