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Katrina’s Devastation – Left – homes destroyed in Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parrish as documented by PDC’s field team. Right– Thumbnail of “Before and After” satellite imagery showing massive destruction to Eden Isle Marina south of the City of Slidell, Louisiana. Similar satellite imagery was provided by PDC Headquarters in Maui to the field team to support damage assessment activities. Click for full view of this imagery product and for an imagery product of the Fort Pike/St. Catherines Island
area. (Photo and Imagery Products: PDC)
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A field team from the Pacific Disaster Center on Maui has been deployed to the U.S. Gulf Coast to provide emergency management support to Hurricane Katrina relief operations. Emergency Operations Specialist George Buck and Geospatial Data Analyst Mike Napier were dispatched to the disaster scene on September 9 to provide logistical and geospatial data support to search and rescue operations as well as recovery efforts.
The team’s work has included the execution of a damage assessment south of the city of Slidell, Louisiana on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
“There is total devastation…all that’s left are the foundations of homes,” reported Napier.
Here on Maui, the team has been supported by PDC’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysts who have been processing and supplying the team with Landsat and IKONOS satellite imagery of the Slidell area. This imagery also includes PDC-created depictions of Katrina’s destructive path through the area, and is being used as a basis for the field damage assessments.
In January, Buck and Napier were also deployed to support international Joint Task Force response and recovery operations in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
“The eight communities of St. Tammany Parish were particularly hard hit by the deadly force of Katrina and the massive flooding from Lake Ponchartrain,” said PDC Executive Director Dr. Allen Clark. “We know from our experience with the Indian Ocean tsunami that ‘on the ground’ support can make a real difference to relief efforts.”
Buck and Napier have been working with the emergency management and GIS specialists of St. Tammany Parish in coordination with the U.S. Air Force Evacuation Center and the Expeditionary Medical Unit at the Naval Air Station.
PDC’s assistance was requested by Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis, in support of the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) headed by Fire Captain Chris Knoblaunch. This assistance was coordinated in conjunction with the EOC’s cooperation with the U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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PDC Field Operations – Emergency Operations Specialist
George Buck (left) and Geospatial Data Analyst
Mike Napier (right) providing logistical and geospatial support to Hurricane Katrina relief operations south of the City of
Slidell. (Photos: PDC)
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