The Brief
- NOAA planes spent days photographing most of Florida’s coast to document street-level damage from Hurricane Helene
- Those photos are overplayed on a map, allowing before-and-after comparison
- Demolished buildings are obvious in the Big Bend area while the Tampa Bay region shows signs of flooding
TAMPA, Fla. – The extent of damage from Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast is becoming more clear now that the federal government is publishing detailed aerial photos taken during post-storm survey flights.
Imagery posted on an interactive map was taken by NOAA’s Remote Sensing Division “to support NOAA homeland security and emergency response requirements” after the storm. The photos – taken during long sweeps by planes starting on Friday – cover most of the coast from Panama City all the way down to Port Charlotte, including a detailed look at Tampa Bay.
NOAA’s website allows users to zoom in on a map and toggle between the “before” and “after” photos to easily see damage to the coastline and structures.…