Interagency collaboration supported rapid response efforts.

Periods of heavy rainfall caused extensive flooding across much of the Midwestern United States and Mississippi River Basin in spring 2017, including widespread accumulation of 7–10 inches of rain, flash floods, and long-term river flooding. In response, NASA’s Earth Science Disasters Program assembled a team of scientists at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, other NASA centers, and NASA-affiliated partners to assist the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. National Guard in their emergency operations.

The Disasters Response Team created flood extent maps and assisted with the integration of remote sensing products for FEMA and the National Guard. The flood extent maps primarily relied on data from synthetic aperture radar, which has great value for flood monitoring because it can “see” through cloud cover that blocks other types of satellite imagery^[1]. Maps were processed with help from collaborators at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The team also used Landsat 8 visible/infrared sensors and data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey Hazards Data Distribution System to track flood waters and assist in overall emergency response.