NGA Hurricane Response Innovates to Improve Search, Rescue
NGA Hurricane Response Innovates to Improve Search, Rescue
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency deployers supported consecutive emergency operations last fall in response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
NGA’s response represents the agency’s continued support of humanitarian assistance/disaster response in support of federal, state and local search-and-rescue operations.
NGA was tasked to provide geospatial support just after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida in late September. This mission assignment directly supported search-and-rescue operations, one of the critical emergency support functions in the National Response Framework. The framework is the policy establishing how all levels of government come together to work efficiently in response to a crisis.
NGA deployed with a mobile GEOINT support trailer, a deployable rapid assembly shelter, or DRASH, and tents, among other equipment, to provide critical, timely support.
Multiple Hurricanes
The NGA deployment started just after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, with the NGA team initially deploying to Orlando with the lead federal agency’s Incident Command Center. Upon arrival, it became clear to the deployed team that additional collection assets were necessary to support operations to the wide impact of the storm to include Western North Carolina. NGA responded and immediately deployed capabilities to there, enabling tactical mapping and search functions to be conducted in direct support of the lead federal agency’s search-and-rescue teams on the ground.
While supporting Hurricane Helene response, Hurricane Milton made landfall and additional NGA deployers were quickly sent to Florida to face the new response.
Subsequently, additional NGA resources were assigned to the incident support team in Orlando, Florida Oct. 9. After receiving deployment instructions, NGA deployers began their respective missions to Pasco County to enable federal, state and local search and rescue teams at forward operating locations inside the disaster area.
NGA provided critical information in the form of detailed maps, gridded reference graphics and imagery products that included 360-degree, ground-based imagery of some of the hardest hit areas. This enabled better understanding of the most affected areas within the flood zone.
