RAPID: Aerial Imaging and Ground-based Surveys for Post-Disaster Assessment of Areas Affected by Hurricane Sandy

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This Rapid Response Research Grant (RAPID) will collect perishable damage data to electrical power system caused by Hurricane Sandy that made landfall on October 29, 2012. It was a very large storm (almost 800 miles in diameter according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that affected large areas of coastlines of New York and New Jersey. The storm was judged to be Category 1 based on its wind speed. However, the hurricane affected millions of people living along the east coast of the United States and was responsible for 7.5 million power-outages. Even after two weeks since the landfall of the hurricane, thousands of people were still without power. The research will document damage to power line system and trees that affected electrical power. The investigation will use a combination of close-range airborne and terrestrial techniques to perform rapid condition assessment of critical civil infrastructure of electrical power and identify factors that caused power failures. The novelty of this research resides in: 1) the investigation with high-quality aerial images captured from manned/unmanned systems, and 2) the development of novel methods for the analysis of both aerial and ground-based data. The research will provide understanding of the causes of power failure and can provide direction to research in mitigation of infrastructure failures in natural hazards. It is envisioned that the research effort will significantly advance scientific and engineering knowledge in the area of post disaster rapid assessment of electric power lines, and will further enhance ability to mitigate, react and intervene in major natural disasters targeting critical infrastructure.