Mapping Katrina

A friend wanted to pass along a project they completed with a partner (Pictometry), capturing areas damaged in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. After talking with the people on the ground supporting relief efforts, it became apparent that the lack of information about the status of homes and buildings was hampering relief efforts. Getting new images of the area and displaying them alongside pictures of the area before the hurricane will give evacuees the opportunity to view the damage to their homes and property and give local agencies an easier way to determine which areas were hardest hit so they can prioritize cleanup. They also hope this will assist insurers and agencies in verifying claims in determining which areas were hardest hit so they can prioritize cleanup.
Planes were in the air over the last week capturing aerial imagery of more than 12,000 miles of coastline and inland areas damaged by Katrina. These images were provided to all, both those on the ground managing cleanup as well as victims of the disaster, displaying the damaged regions with two-foot visual acuity pictures and a street grid overlay; information that is vital with so many visual landmarks destroyed. This site launched at 3pm today; there may be some slight discrepancies, as they uploaded the images as they were received (so they could be used immediately).