Start Date: Oct. 8, 2024
Type: Hurricanes & Cyclones
Region: North America
View maps and data on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal
View a StoryMap of NASA Products for Hurricane Milton
What DHS and FEMA are doing: https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-milton (Spanish: https://www.fema.gov/es/milton )
What the U.S. government is doing: https://usa.gov/hurricane-milton (Spanish: https://usa.gov/es/huracan-milton)
UPDATE OCT. 9, 2024
As Hurricane Milton approaches central Florida, NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) continues to work closely with FEMA and other response agencies, providing NASA science and data to inform their efforts.
The NASA DRCS team is processing and sharing pre-event satellite imagery and near real-time data, which provide information on current conditions in Florida and can be compared to post-event imagery to help identify damaged and flooded areas. The team are sharing maps and data directly with response partners as well as on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal. These products include NASA Black Marble Blue/Yellow Composite nIghttime lights data, NASA Land Information System (LIS) soil moisture data, MODIS daily flood detection products, and half-hourly NASA IMERG satellite precipitation estimates.
The DRCS team has also published a StoryMap showcasing some of these products to provide additional context and educate partners on how these satellite products can be used. Products shared on the Portal and StoryMap are being routinely updated as new data becomes available.
These maps and data leverage NASA’s unique capabilities to monitor Earth from space, equipping decision-makers with essential tools to prepare for and respond to Miltons impacts.
UPDATE OCT. 8, 2024
The NASA Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) has activated to support FEMA and state agencies in responding to Hurricane Milton. Milton is currently a Category 4 storm tracking toward central Florida and is anticipated to make landfall Wednesday night. Forecasts indicate the storm will bring destructive winds, flooding, and storm surge to communities in Florida, impacting a region that is still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. The NASA DRCS is also continuing its efforts supporting response and recovery in the southern U.S. for Helene.
NASA DRCS team members are participating in coordination calls with agency partners to assess needs and are sharing pre-event maps and imagery on the NASA Disasters Mapping Portal to aid situational awareness and equip decision-makers with the best available information to prepare for Milton’s impacts.
This pre-event coordination is essential, as the compounding effects of two sequential disasters can complicate response and recovery efforts for both emergency managers and local communities. Debris from Helene and damage to coastal barriers could increase communities' vulnerability to storm surge and high winds. Additionally, soil moisture levels in many areas of Florida are still high from the heavy rainfall brought by Helene, which makes flooding more likely as the ground is not able to absorb as much water.
About NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System
As a core element of the Disasters Program within NASA’s Earth Science Division, the Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) provides trusted, timely, and actionable science to aid organizations actively responding to disasters. NASA centers supporting the DRCS response include Ames Research Center (ARC), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the California Institute of Technology, Johnson Space Center (JSC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Langley Research Center (LaRC).
More On Hurricane Milton
- NASA Earth Observatory
- NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission