Satellite imagery is now being used to find what areas are without power after a storm.
Satellite imagery is now being used to find what areas are without power after a storm. Hurricane Michael was a classic example with its widespread power outages.
NASA satellites were used to zoom in as close as specific neighborhoods, streets and intersections. This gave electric companies a great perspective on where the power outages were located.
Compare the image above, before Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle, to the image below. The image below was taken on October 12,2018, after the hurricane damage.
A team of scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center processed and corrected the raw data to filter out stray light from the Moon, fires, airglow, and any other sources that are not electric lights. Their processing techniques also removed other atmospheric interference, such as dust, haze, and thin clouds.
NASA scaled the observations onto a base map that emphasized the locations of streets and neighborhoods and showed the precise locations of streets and neighborhoods without electricity.
Another comparison of satellite images shows the wider view of power outages along Hurricane Michael’s path.
After Hurricane Michael ripped through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, a distinct swath of darkness was found.
NASA reports that 2.5 million people were without power in the southeast U. S. after Hurricane Michael. According to NASA, by the morning of October 15, news sources and power companies were reporting that the number of customers without power was down to roughly 240,000, mostly in Florida.
