HLS 6070 DF3 Comments: Recovery Mission After a Hurricane

Comment on these 2 postings as if you were talking in my voice, do not lose the name above each post. 100 words and 3 sources each:
Tyler Cuming 
If I were a GIS operator working for a joint task force commander during a recovery mission after a Hurricane there are a few critical pieces of information that I would need. The first thing that I need to take into account is that the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Guard will be delivering emergency supplies by air. Straight away, the most important thing for me is, where can we create a safe landing zone (LZ) for these aircraft to deliver the supplies. When deciding this, we have to also take into consideration, accessible areas where we can easily distribute the materials once they are offloaded (such as roads or rivers nearby) and safe areas where helicopters can either land or zones where we can drop materials safely. By using combinations of color composites you can see exactly where new bodies of water developed after the hurricane and areas where vegetation has disappeared. By using this, you can see areas that need more help than others, as well as possible waterways for the coast guard and navy to navigate from ground level.
So first, by using true color image maps, we can compare and contrast the area before and after the storm. True color maps will give the actual color of the vegetation as the human eye sees it. A before and after map using True Color would most likely show where there is major flooding. For example, if you look at true color images from before and after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the surrounding areas turn from green to a brownish-green, signifying that its heavily flooded.
In this situation, you can also use false color composites extremely effectively. To get CCIR out of false composites you can use the near infrared capabilities to detect open fields which haven’t been saturated by water or debris. This would be important for being able to designate LZs and dropping material from planes.
Another type of imaging that you could use is pseudo color imaging. Through pseudo color imaging you can use thermography, which uses temperature to see where any people are stranded or areas of danger, such as fire. By using these types imaging, the Coast Guard, Navy, and other responders would be able to effectively evaluate the level of damage while also being able to map routes for rescue via helicopter and boats.
Emanuella Vradis 
As a GIS operator working for a joint task force commander in an emergency operators center responding to the aftermath of a Katrina-like hurricane there are some critical information requirements. It is crucial to determine what parts of the devastated area had been hit, flooded, and damaged the hardest. This will be important for the Coast Guard, Navy, and National Guard to begin their efforts providing relief to the most hard hit areas. It is also vital to understand what areas are safe for first responders and federal assistance officials to set up operations in. Additionally, they will also need to find a safe shelter for survivors to gather in.
I would suggest staying with either true-color or natural-color images. The most important aspect about this is that it will help keep graphics clear to anyone looking at them. These graphics provide colors that are true to the human eye and will show the area in its true colors [healthy vegetation green and water blue]. Working at FEMA, I have learned that specialists are not always the ones deployed to disaster sites and briefings will occur will all levels of experience present. Having detailed information from these GIS systems in true-color or natural-color images will project an easy to understand picture of the extremely devastated areas. This will help responders and officials avoid significantly flooded areas as well as help them determine what areas have the highest elevation of water. 
While watching one of the YouTube videos for this week on Photogrammetry and UAVs, I immediately thought this would be useful for the long-term recovery efforts of an area that had been effected by a hurricane or flood. This shows unique environment variables in 2D and 3D and could show what areas have a higher sea level. This could help federal, state, local, and tribal officials to prepare mitigation procedures where needed.