Surveying the Scene: Disaster Assessment

Alaskan Earthquake

Air photos are useful for pinpointing disaster areas and organizing relief efforts after major disasters such as the Alaskan earthquake of 1964.
Photographs courtesy of Dino Brugioni

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Landslides and an 8-meter (26-foot) wave combined to ruin most of the businesses in Seward.

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Turnagain, a town on the outskirts of Anchorage, experienced the largest landslide in the region. Up to 400 meters (1300 feet) wide, the slide destroyed 75 homes.

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An earthquake-induced sea wave destroyed the port at Kodiak.

Guatemalan Earthquake

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U-2 cameras caught this scene of the destruction caused by the Guatemalan earthquake of 1976. The quake resulted in more than 22,000 deaths and 75,000 injuries.
Courtesy of CIA

Washington, D.C. Flood

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In 1936, the Potomac River inundated low-lying areas of Washington, DC The Washington Monument is visible on the left.
From the National Archives

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The view from the air provides a quick assessment of the extent of damage to this town in Italy destroyed by a major earthquake in 1980.
Courtesy of CIA

Archaeology

Environment