Hurricane Charley, which struck the coast of southwest Florida on August 13, 2004, was the most severe US windstorm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It devastated the cities of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, causing an estimated $15.4 billion in damage. There is a pressing need to capture perishable information concerning the nature and severity of building and critical infrastructure damage, together with the distribution of debris caused by extreme windstorms. However, there is a narrow time window for damage documentation, as clean-up and repair operations are typically initiated as soon as possible. In addition to traditional ground-based survey, it is increasingly acknowledged that advanced technologies, such as remote sensing, have a valuable role to play in post-disaster reconnaissance. Hurricane Charley is the first major hurricane in US history for which high-resolution optical satellite imagery is available before and in the immediate aftermath of the event. Accordingly, this 'quick-response' research focuses on streamlining the collection of time-critical damage data after Hurricane Charley, using a novel technology-driven approach. Rapid damage assessment will be conducted throughout the affected areas through deployment of VIEWS (Visualizing Impacts of Earthquakes with Satellites). VIEWS is a notebook-based system originally developed for earthquake reconnaissance, which integrates satellite imagery acquired before and after the event, with a real-time GPS (global positioning system) feed, digital video and digital photography.
In terms of intellectual merits and broader impacts, the data collected through this initiative will extend the role of advanced technology innovation in improving crisis response. Specifically, it will extend the application of rapid post-disaster damage assessment tools developed for earthquake to multiple hazards. The unprecedented windstorm damage dataset will also support new and extended engineering research activities, which will ultimately result in improved disaster response and community resilience.
