NOAA aircraft, ship mobilize for Hurricane Matthew
Andrew Halbach is pictured in the back of the cabin of NOAA68 (Beechcraft King Air 350CER) as the aircraft collects high resolution imagery in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in support of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).
Four NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation assets supported Hurricane Matthew forecasting, research and post-storm survey operations as the storm approached and moved along the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coasts. NOAA's Lockheed WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV-SP Hurricane Hunter aircraft conducted 19 storm reconnaissance, research and surveillance flights, operating a total of 158 hours. After Hurricane Matthew passed, NOAA's Beechcraft King Air 350CER conducted eight aerial survey missions in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, collecting high-resolution imagery in areas impacted by the storm. Also following the storm, NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler surveyed channels in the Charleston Harbor and Port of Savannah using multibeam echo sounders to check for any submerged hazards to navigation resulting from the storm.
