Oct 26, 2023

Natural disasters severely impact human society in terms of loss of lives and economy. People try to learn more about them, how to prevent, escape or recover from them. This is one of the most studied areas on Remote Sensing, which uses satellite and aerial images to assess those events.

Historically, the most “life costing” disasters have been attributed to disease outbreaks and famines. Although they usually can’t be directly seen from space, sometimes we can see their effects or causes, like economic slowdown caused by pandemics, and droughts or floods that cause famines. In terms of “economic costs”, the most destructive natural disasters have been related to extreme weather events like cyclones, floods and earthquakes, affecting buildings, industry, infrastructure and farming.

Floods in Libya, September 2023

Derna is a Libyan city situated on the coast, in the mouth of a valley (Arabic “wadi”) which had its two dams collapsed after a severe accumulation of water that overflowed them, due to the heavy rains caused by Storm Daniel in the mediterranean coasts of northern Africa. What was a small and almost dry stream suddenly turned into a 20m high massive water wall destroying everything on its way. More than 4000 people died in the city in that single event, about 95% of the overall toll in Libya. You can browse it on Soar:

After floods

Before floods

Earthquake in Morocco, September 2023

Amizmiz village was one of the most affected locations, in the mountains and at about 30km from the epicenter.About 2,000 people have died there, out of about 3,000 in the whole country. In the nearby small rural village of Tafeghaghte (image below, 9th September 2023) most of the houses were destroyed, and about 90 people died, about half of its residents. You can browse it on Soar:

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Floods in South Dakota, USA, June 1972

The Rapid City Flood happened in the night between 9th and 10th June, 1972. It was one of the deadliest and most destructive floods in U.S. history. It caused 238 deaths and destroyed about 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles. The economic cost was estimated to be nearly $1.12 billion in 2022 dollars. Aerial photography below, showing 11th June 1972, the first day after the flood. You can browse it on Soar here: 1972 aerial photography

1972 aerial photography

Actual view

Floods in California, USA, January 2023

While optical satellites usually can’t take pictures during floods, because the sky is usually too cloudy and they can’t see through clouds, radar satellites can do it, because they emit signals. Radar satellites are reliable resources to see through clouds. Here we can see the extent of the floods around Sacramento, California, which was then the hardest-hit county in the state. Radar image below, colored, 13th Jan 2023. You can browse it on Soar.

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This blog was written by:

Sergio Volkmer

Sérgio is a mapping and remote sensing enthusiast, producing content for Soar. He studied geology and holds a Master of Philosophy, and is now an architect and contributor to OpenStreetMap and OpenData communities. He believes that information and knowledge are first steps towards personal fulfilment that lead to a better world.

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