Over the years I've seen the impact of disaster up close both personally and professionally. One the the things that has always impressed me is the sheer power of Mother Nature when she cuts loose. I've seen heavy vessels moved inland and small vessels stuck into the sides of buildings after hurricanes and typhoons. I've seen heavy winds rip the roofs off buildings. It's truly awe-inspiring.
This power to change our landscape is clearly demonstrated in a series of before-after aerial photographs by the USGS of the East Coast struck by Sandy. However, these pictures are more than just a record of the power of nature. They are valuable tools for a variety of purposes such as damage estimation and studying the effect of pre-disaster mitigation measures. The also reaffirm that some places were not intended for human habitation.
We rely heavily on work done by the USGS, particularly here in California where earthquakes are a daily occurrence. We are equally dependent on NOAA's many services. Unfortunately, both agencies have suffered severely from budget cuts over the past several years. Yet another example of government's penny-wise and pound-foolish approach to disaster management...
My thanks to my friend Art Taber for sending me the link to the USGS site.
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