Much has been written about what to do before a hurricane makes landfall in your area.  Undoubtedly you have received leaflets that outline the various emergency preparedness procedures you need to take before June 1st hits, and perhaps you have already followed all this advice. Your flood insurance policy is in place and paid up, you have a family disaster plan, you have an emergency survival kit and you even have a plan that includes your pets.  You might have already cleaned up your landscaping to ensure that no dead trees or tree limbs are threats to your roof or the roofs of your neighbors. 

Nonetheless, you may wonder what – if anything – you should be doing when you find yourself in the midst of a hurricane.  After all, your survival depends as much on your actions during a hurricane, as it depends on your wise preparation and planning before the hurricane ever makes landfall.

Make sure your battery-operated radio is on and you are listening to the emergency broadcasts to keep you informed.

Turn off the water, electricity and gas to your home.  If time permits, fill your bathtub with water to ensure that you have water available after the storm.

Remain indoors at all times.  There is plenty of footage of television reporters and those who just simply want to see the storm surge up close and personal, yet it is important to realize that this is extremely dangerous, and you should not join them.  Instead, stay inside, and make sure your door is securely locked, and your windows are closed and shuttered as well.

Also go ahead and close all the doors inside your home. This will prevent any potential glass that might be broken in one room to affect you in other rooms as well.

Go into your safe room.  This room should not have any windows or doors that lead outside, but instead it should shield you from the breaking glass that can occur if something hits your windows. If you do not have such a room, a closet will do.

If you are really in a pinch, simply take coverage under a sturdy table.

When there is a sudden calm, do not run outside to survey the damage.  This may simply be the eye of the storm that is passing over your home, and the storms and winds will soon resume.  Being caught off guard will do you more harm than good.

As you can see, it is important to realize that while appropriate preparations before the storm are important, your behavior during the storm is just as vital to your safety and survival. Too often the best laid plans are thwarted, simply because during the actual emergency event someone may suddenly panic and decide to go against all of the preparedness plan procedures she or he put into effect.  Similarly, it sometimes happens that someone who has decided not to evacuate but to remain in her or his safe room may suddenly decide to leave the home and follow those who evacuated earlier.  The danger during this period of time – especially considering that the original time for evacuation may well have passed – is simply the fact that it is not possible to outrun the storm, and thus you may find yourself caught up in the pelting rain or twirling tornadoes.

As a matter of fact, the sudden abandoning of your safety plan will probably put you into more danger than you would face from simply sitting out the storm itself.  If you are unsure if your plan is sound, go ahead and consult with a first responder, such as the local fire department or your police department.

 

Along the coastal regions of the United States, just as it is the case along the coastal regions of any country, one of the major industries relies heavily on maritime access.  Whether it is the fishing industry, maritime tourism, or simply recreational water use, much of a city’s economy – and thereby a state’s overall fiscal health – may depend on the aspect of the accessibility of its beaches for the sake of maritime business; of course, when hurricane season begins, it is not just the land areas that are in danger of damage, disaster, and losses of life, but also the maritime areas. As a matter of fact, maritime disasters are often part of the recorded history when dealing with hurricanes.

Sadly, while there is a number of suggestions and lists to follow for the land-bound to prepare for and hopefully survive a hurricane, there is no such list for those who find themselves at sea at the time of the disaster. There are, however, some universally recognized top tips on how to avoid maritime disaster during hurricane season.

If you know that there is a possibility of a hurricane in your area, be sure to be in close contact with the Marine Prediction Center to receive updates as to the location of the hurricane, the direction in which it is likely moving, as well as the speed with which the storm is moving.  This will give you some information about which area may be saved for your travel in, and which areas you may need to avoid.  Yet keep in mind that storms are known to speed up or slow down, and also can change directions quickly and unpredictably!  Up to date information is of the essence to stay safe.

If you have the equipment on board, keep an eye on satellite images of the storm to compare it to the information you are receiving.

Keep in mind that seafarers are strongly urged to stay out of the 34 KT wind zone of the hurricane.  As you see wind speeds increasing, chart a course out of the danger zone and leave immediately.

A rule that has been termed the 1-2-3 rule has been devised to help anyone who is on sea at the time of the hurricane to remain safe. It stipulates the save distance to keep from a potential encounter with a hurricane.  A 100-mile radius should be kept as a potential error zone for a forecast of 24 hours; the radius buffer is increased to 200 miles at a 48 hour forecast; last but not least the 300-mile radius is for the 72 hour forecast.

Do not plan to outrun a hurricane or chart a route that crosses its path, no matter how short.

If you are still docked in the port, you will have to make the decision if you want to abandon your ship or take the vessel out to sea in an effort to save it.  Generally speaking, the earlier you make this decision, the more successful you attempt to stay out of the path of the hurricane will be.

As you can see, those who will be on board of a ship during an active hurricane somewhere near them will almost always be affected by the winds and rough seas that go hand in hand with this storm.  While such encounters do not always have to end in disaster, it is up to the savvy mariner to ensure that all safety precautions are taken to avoid a direct hit of the storm. Similarly, these precautions are especially important if you are transporting passengers.

 

The modern world has introduced everyone to satellites to help people know of the existence of a tropical cyclone immediately.  Meteorologists work around the clock to constantly monitor storm systems as they move, issuing hurricane watches and warnings with adequate time for the public to prepare.  Meteorologists and the public also rely on Hurricane Hunters to learn more about the hurricane.  They do this by flying aircraft equipped with weather instruments straight into the middle of these powerful storms. 

Hurricane Hunters are operated by both the Air Force Reserve, which is based at Keeler Air Force Base in Mississippi and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The two have a long history, making their first flights back in 1944.  Before satellites were put in space, these planes were the best source of information about a hurricane’s position and intensity.  When a hurricane Hunter’s plane is set to fly into a tropical storm or hurricane, it is ready for a very long mission.  Typically, one plane will be in the air for at least eleven hours. 

Hurricane Hunters take to the sky to collect data from areas where it is impractical or impossible to have ground observation stations, or where weather satellites cannot provide complete information.  Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30 and the Hurricane Hunters provide surveillance of tropical disturbances and hurricanes in the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.  They may also fly missions for the Central Pacific Hurricane Center located in Honolulu, Hawaii.  From November 1 through April 15, the Hurricane Hunter unit also flies winter missions off of both coasts of the United States supporting the National Center for Environmental Prediction.  These missions are typically just as challenging as hurricane missions as they are dealing with lightning, turbulence, and icing. 

Accurate forecasting by Hurricane Hunters can save lives as well as property.  A typical hurricane warning can cost an estimated $195 million in preparation, evacuation, and lost commerce.  By narrowing the warning area, Hurricane Hunters are able to lend greater credibility to forecasts and enable a more controlled and limited coastal evacuation.  As coastal populations continue to grow, evacuation decisions must be made earlier.  Some areas need more than 48 hours to clear in advance of a major hurricane.  The Hurricane Hunters have ten WC-130H Hercules aircraft, all equipped with computerized meteorological data gathering equipment to cover up to five missions per day.  There are also five new WC-130J Aircraft which is being used for “synoptic tracks.”  These involve flying at a higher altitude around the storm to map out the steering winds, as well as some testing in the storms. 

Once the weather conditions are favorable for hurricane development, the Hurricane Hunters move into action.  Hurricanes are composed of dense thunderstorms with severe turbulence and heavy rainfall.  A solid ring of thunderstorms, called the eye wall, surrounds the eye.  This is where the strongest winds and rain are commonly found.  At times the clouds and rain are so thick that the aircraft’s wing tips are barely visible.  The eye is comparatively calm and cloud free compared to the eye wall.  As the storm strengthens, the aircraft enters the area at 5,000 to 10,000 feet, choosing higher altitudes as the storm becomes more severe.  The tops of the storm clouds may reach 50,000 feet, so the aircraft does not fly over the storm, but right through the heaviest of the weather to collect the most valuable information from the eye.  The Hurricane Hunters’ missions have lead to new discoveries about eye wall structure that has helped the storm center in Miami upgrade its hurricane models. 

 

Hurricanes vary widely in size, location, and damage.  Some storms are very compact and only have a few bands of winds and rain behind them, while other storms are looser, so the bands of wind and rain spread out over hundreds or thousands of miles.  There are four weather alerts for both hurricanes and tropical storms.  Depending on where one is located in proximity to the storm, they may find themselves in one of the four alerts.  The alerts include a tropical storm watch, tropical storm warning, a hurricane watch, and a hurricane warning. 

Tropical storm watches are issued when sustained winds from 39 to 73 miles per hour are possible in the area within 36 hours.  A tropical storm warning indicates that these conditions are likely in the area within 24 hours.  A hurricane watch is issued when hurricane conditions, which include sustained winds greater than 74 miles per hour, are possible in the area within 36 hours.  A hurricane warning is issued when these same conditions are possible in the area within 24 hours.  The damage caused by a hurricane results from a number of aspects in the storm.  Huge amounts of rain are to be expected with hurricanes and a large hurricane can dump dozens of inches of rain in just one or two days, much of it inland.  That amount of rain can wreak havoc by causing inland flooding.  This can totally devastate a large area around the hurricane’s center.  High-sustained winds typically cause structural damage and these winds can also roll cars, erode beaches, and blow over trees. 

The prevailing winds of a hurricane push a wall of water, called a storm surge, in front of it.  If the storm surge happens to occur at the same time as a high time, it can cause beach erosion and significant inland flooding.  Ocean front properties are most susceptible to damage from hurricane storm surges, when ocean waves are very high and strong because of the strength of the hurricane’s winds.  Hurricane winds often spawn tornadoes, which are smaller yet more intense cyclonic storms that cause additional damage.  The extent of a damage caused depends on a couple of different factors, including the category of the hurricane, whether the right or left side of the hurricane strikes a given area, and whether the storm comes ashore head-on or just grazes the coastline. 

The right side of a hurricane is likely to cause more damage because the wind speed and the hurricane speed-of-motion are complimentary.  On the left side, the hurricane’s speed of motion subtracts from the winds speed.  The combination of winds, rain, and flooding can level an entire town and cause significant damage to cities far from the coast.  Once a hurricane forms, it is rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which has five categories.  Category one is the least damaging and includes storms with wind speeds 74 to 95 miles per hour.  There is some flooding likely and little to no structural damage.  Category two storms include wind speeds from 96 to 110 miles per hour and are more likely to cause roof damage.  Category three storms have wind speeds much higher than the lower two categories and include much structural damage to homes and mobile homes along with severe flooding.  Category four storms have wind speeds from 131 to 154 miles per hour, causes flooding inland, and cause major structural damage.  A category five storm is by far the worst and has wind speeds in excess of 155 miles per hour, causes serious damage to most wooden structures, and causes severe flooding further inland. 

 

Hurricanes are serious business in more ways than one. Of course, the highest cost that is being paid is that of human life.  Yet something that is very often overlooked when talking about hurricanes is the cost that is levied upon the governmental agencies that direct the clean up procedures, the housing of affected residents, as well as the loss in tax revenues and other economical hardships the affected areas will experience. Here is the lowdown on the top five costliest hurricanes.

The costliest hurricane on record ever is without a doubt Hurricane Katrina. When this storm made landfall in Florida on August 25, 2005 it was initially anticipated that it would not gain too much strength as it continued its trip over land. Against the forecasts it did gain in strength and was upgraded to a category three hurricane on August 27th, yet residents of the areas that were to be affected next were certain that they could weather a category three storm without too much trouble.  It came as a surprise to many people involved when the storm was suddenly – within 24 hours – upgraded to a category five storm! Wind speeds were clocked at more than 175 miles per hour, and when all was said and done, the estimated damage – so far – has been about $81 billion.

Next on the list is Hurricane Andrew, which did most of its damage in Florida and Louisiana. It made landfall in Florida on August 24, 1992. At this point it was a category five hurricane, which gradually tapered down to a category three storm as it moved on to Louisiana. What added to the destructive force of this hurricane were the tornadoes that were found in the cloud patterns of the storm.  Destructive paths could be directly linked to these twisters as they suddenly began destroying everything in their paths. The final price tag is estimated to be somewhere between $26 and $32 billion.

Third on the list of the costliest hurricanes is Hurricane Wilma. This storm affected a number of foreign coastlines as well as the American Florida. It is estimated that the overall amount of damage done falls into the realm of about $29 billion, but since these estimates also include foreign countries, the numbers may well be higher. The first landfall occurred on October 21, 2005 but this storm did not hit the United States until October 24. It is estimated that more than 80% of Florida residents neglected to heed the mandatory evacuation orders, adding to the costs of the hurricane aftermath.

Hurricane Charley is next on the list of costly hurricanes. Its price tag is at an estimated $16 billion, which includes damages done to Florida, North and South Carolina, as well as Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica. Most of the damage was in Florida, partially because that area had just been hit a day before by Tropical Storm Bonnie and was still trying to gets its bearing in the storm’s aftermath. Thus, when Charley arrived on August 13, 2004 Florida was already weakened.

Last but not least is Hurricane Ivan. It is said that the damage attributed to Ivan is about $20 billion, although many estimates run a lot lower than that.  What complicates matters is the fact that much of the damage done was in Venezuela, Jamaica, Grenada, and Cuba, and financial recording is not always accurate. This hurricane made landfall in the United States on September 16, 2004 in Alabama. At this time the storm had already significantly weakened.

It is important to remember that many of the costs associated with these storms is an estimate, especially since reporting from other countries at times is not as forthcoming or accurate as American reports.  Similarly, much of the damage is not seen and incurred until well into the aftermath of the storms.

 

As you probably know, many of the fatalities that are associated with hurricanes have to do with the drowning deaths of those who are caught up in the storm surge or its aftermath. Yet did you know about the freaky power of hurricane winds? These high winds may reach up to 160 miles per hour in the extreme, and their ability to do damage to people, livestock, and property is legendary. Buildings and mobile homes are destroyed, roof are ripped off houses and sent flying through the air.  Sticks, fence pickets, and pieces of plywood are turned into deadly missiles that fly through the air at such high speeds that they are sometimes driven through a tree!  Many photos attest to the awesome power of these high winds.

In addition to the foregoing, the winds will uproot trees that will in turn also cause great damage to above-ground power lines and other utility lines located on poles.  Windows are blown in, and even cars are picked up and moved around.  Obviously, this is a highly dangerous time for people, and here are some tips on how to take cover from these winds.

Be aware of the anticipated time a hurricane is supposed to make contact with land.  Be prepared to evacuate.

If you live in a mobile home or manufactured home, leave well ahead of the storm. Sadly, these buildings are not built in such a fashion as to provide any shelter from a hurricane, and are usually the first to fall victims to the winds. In addition to the foregoing, if you live in a high rise, you will also want to evacuate your home in favor of a shelter or other sound structure a little closer to the ground.

If you do live in a home that has reasonable odds of withstanding the winds, be sure to put plywood panels or shutters in front of your windows. This will not only protect your windows, but will also help you not to have small chards of glass all over your carpet when you return to your home.

Add to the safety of others by bringing inside your home anything and everything that might be picked up by the winds and turned into a missile.  This could include your lawn furniture, the barbecue, your child’s bicycle, and also the ornamental bird feeders or lawn signs you may have.

If you live in a home that is considered safe to remain in, designate one room to be your safe room. It should have no windows or doors that lead to the outside, simply for the fact that they add vulnerability to your room. If you do not have such a room, a closet will do fine in a pinch.

Get ready to turn off the gas, water, and electricity to your home as soon as you receive notification to do so.

Have your survival kit packed and put it into your safe room.  When it is time to go into your safe room, be sure to close the door securely behind you and turn on your battery-powered radio.  Remain in the room no matter what you hear outside, and stay there until you are told it is safe to come back outside.

Of course, there are also initial precautions you can take well ahead of hurricane season to ensure that you and your home will have the greatest odds of survival.  For example, you can cut down dead trees or branches on the trees surrounding your property well in advance of the formation of any storms to ensure that your trees will be healthier and hopefully able to withstand the winds.

 

Hurricanes are the strongest of the windy and circulating storms, and are often called cyclones.  They are prominent in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans and in the western Pacific they are referred to as typhoons.  Most Atlantic hurricanes are born in the southern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa, in the months of June through November each year.  During this time, winds off the west coast of Africa converge, circulating counterclockwise.  These winds often maintain a low speed and travel across the Atlantic Ocean as tropical waves, causing little more than rainfall on the land masses on which they strike. 

Other times, when the water temperatures are warm enough and atmospheric conditions are correct, the wind speeds increase and begin to form around a center, or the eye.  Hot and moist air from the ocean is then pulled up into the eye of the storm, which is now called a tropical storm.  As the air rises it cools and moisture condenses and is released as heavy rain into the torrential winds that circulate around the eye.  The released energy is pumped into the rotating cloud mass, which makes it rise and spin even faster.  The storm has become a hurricane by the time the winds reach speeds of 119 kmph, equal to 74 miles per hour. 

As the spinning storm moves across the ocean wind speeds increase.  Hurricanes are typically classified by the strength of their winds into five categories on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale.  The weakest hurricanes have wind speeds that are between 74-95 miles per hour and are referred to as Category 1 storms.  Category 1 storms cause minimal damage primarily to plants and trees. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew was Category IV storm with sustained wind speeds of 140 miles per hour.  Category V storms, such as Hurricane Camille, are the strongest storms and are responsible for catastrophic damage.  Hurricane Camille, with sustained winds of more than 200 miles per hour, was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the northern gulf coast. 

Difference in wind speed is one easy way to classify storms, but hurricanes also have other unusual characteristics.  Some storms move quickly and produce little rainfall, while others are slow and generate torrential rainfall with downfalls that often exceed 15 inches.  One characteristic that all storms have is the location of the most powerful and dangerous winds.  The forward right quadrant of a hurricane is its strongest and most dangerous section. This is the most dangerous section because the counterclockwise motion of the storm, as well as its forward movement, fuels it. 

As the storm moves along the ocean surface, it becomes a complex and tight mass of wind and rain.  The eye becomes perfectly clear on satellite pictures and larger hurricanes can have an eye as large as 35 miles in length.  The hurricane’s eye is the area around which the winds rotate and is actually a calm area in the center of the storm.  Many people have been deceived into thinking the storm had ended when the eye passed over and were surprised when the destructive winds began again. 

Hurricanes can contain and release enough energy to supply electricity to the United States for a year.  Hurricanes also carry the ocean with them, which can bring storm surges as high as 25 feet above sea level.  Often the accompanying storm surge and associated floods are responsible for much of the damage caused in coastal areas.  Storms pursue unpredictable paths toward land.  There is no set pattern in the journey from where they originated in Africa.  They frequently move northwesterly to the Gulf of Mexico and eastern coasts of North and Central America. 

 

When discussing hurricanes, very frequently the term “eye of the storm” comes into play.  For those who are not intimately familiar with these destructive forces of nature, this terminology might mean very little. As a matter of fact, even those who live in the parts of the country where hurricanes are a given, sometimes find themselves fooled by the eye of the storm and the calm that it brings. There are plenty of descriptions in literature and early eyewitness accounts that appear to give an almost spiritual mysticism to this eye.  It is described as the sudden stillness that follow the ravages of a howling storm; many have commented on the blue skies and sunshine that suddenly replaces the grey and black clouds that have been swirling above your head for such a long time; some have commented on the sudden warmth that comes like a spring morning after the merciless pounding of cold rain and tornadoes.

Here is the eye of the storm in review:

It is true that the eye of the storm is indeed the part of the hurricane that provides a break to you.  It is a calm spot, which so much more is pronounced because just outside of the eye are the most violent storms the hurricane has to offer.  Thus, the sudden calm is indeed an almost spiritual, or perhaps eerie, experience.

The formation of the eye can be seen on the satellite pictures that you will be able to see on the Internet or on the television newscast. While the clouds are spinning in a circular motion, the spot around which they are spinning is referred to as they eye, and it is always highly visible.

The reason for the beautiful weather attributed to the eye is the simple fact that while the air is rising to the top anywhere else in the storm, in the eye it is actually sinking, bringing warm air. This also explains why no rain is falling from the eye and why so many eyewitness accounts have actually reported seeing beautiful blue skies.

The size of the eye varies, depending on the size of the hurricane.  Some eyes are as small as five miles across, while others are as big as 60 miles.  It is hard to gage - when the eye of the hurricane is above you – just when the storms will start up again.

Do not be fooled by the calm weather you suddenly experience as part of the eye of the storm.  It simply means that the storm has passed you by halfway, and soon the winds will start up again, the rain will begin once more, and your chance of seeing more dark and ominous clouds as well as tornadoes are very good. Many people who have been waiting out a storm may now be tempted to leave their safe rooms and venture outside to begin clean up.  Do not do so!  Whatever clean up anyone does now will be for naught when the storm starts up again; additionally, since there is the distinct danger that the storms and the rain will start up again without a warning, you may actually put yourself in danger if you leave your safe room.  Thus, even if you suddenly hear nothing and it looks like a beautiful sunny day outside, do not leave your safe room unless you are prompted to do so by the authorities.

If you remember these few simple steps, you will remain safe, and you will be able to weather the storm, even as the eye of the hurricane is promising fairer weather up ahead.

 

When a hurricane threatens their area, boat owners have a lot of decisions to make about how to get their watercrafts through the storm. If you keep your boat in a marina which allows boat to remain during hurricanes or have access to your own dock, you may choose to leave your boat at the dock, securing it with extra anchors and lines. You might also choose to take your boat out of the water and drive it inland. For some boats, like small, open boats or powerboats with low freeboard, this is the best option. But for other boats, neither of these options makes the best sense.

Leaving you boat in a crowded marina may the easiest option, but your boat has a higher risk of being damaged during a storm if it is docked around lots of other boats. The boat can easily be dislodged and knock into other boats. Other boats are simply too large move inland in case of an evacuation. Finding a hurricane hole for your boat may the best chance your boat has of surviving a vicious storm.

Hurricane holes areas of water where boats can be docked that are far enough inland that they do not suffer the worst of the storm surge and that provide some kind of natural protection from the wind associated with hurricanes. Mangroves, rivers, and canals are all great places to discover a hurricane hole. Look for an area with plenty of strong trees. Also, consider the waterbed - sand is the ideal bottom for hurricane holes, followed by clay, shells, and soft mud. Never choose a rocky bottom waterway to leave your boat in during a storm. Some storms blow the water right out some waterways, and the rocks would destroy your boat.

How you secure your boat in a hurricane hole depends on the location? In small, narrow waterways and canals, use the spider web method of tying up your boat. Secure the boat from the center, with lines tied to trees on the shoreline. The more lines you have, the better. Many boats survived the onslaught of Hurricane Andrew this way. In a wider waterway, use a combination of lines and anchors. Anchor the boat with Danforth anchors and then use lines tied to trees on the shore as extra security. Which ever method you choose, remember to point your boat in the direction of the entrance of the waterway, as far inland you can get, and move your boat outside of normal channels and as far away from other boats as possible.

Scouting out hurricane holes in advance of a storm is of the utmost importance. Some ideal holes are in private, residential canals, so it may be worthwhile to make an agreement with a homeowner along one of these canals. Remember how many people in your area will be looking for some place to put their boat during a storm - competition will be stiff and having plans A, B, and C will save you a lot of panicked, last minute hassle. Where you hurricane hole is, evacuate your boat there as soon as a storm threatens. If a mass evacuation is ordered, bridges will not open normally, if at all, to allow the car traffic to pass. Your boat may be stranded if you do not get out early. Above all else, never compromise your personal safety to protect your boat. Never, ever attempt to ride out a storm with your boat - you can’t prevent the storm from happening, and trying to do so could cost you your life. 

 

More than 300,000 oil-covered seabirds die each year off the Atlantic Coast of Canada where more than 10,000 ships travel every year between North America and Europe. While only a small fraction of these vessels spill or deliberately dump oil, the environmental toll is enormous. Canada’s I-STOP Project (Integrated Satellite Tracking of Polluters) is now actively monitoring our waters using RADARSAT.Night and day, in all weather

Conventional monitoring of Canada’s territorial waters by aircraft is costly and time-consuming. It’s impossible to monitor every ship in our waters using aircraft. This is where satellites come in, for they complement traditional air surveillance. But unlike aircraft and optical satellites, RADARSAT operates during storms, through cloud cover, and

at night-that is, in conditions that blind optical imagers. And RADARSAT is quick to respond, which is essential when polluters try to flee the scene.

A strong deterrent to polluters

Through the I-STOP project, RADARSAT scans for anomalies on the water surface that may indicate oil spills. Technical experts examine images, an aircraft is sent to confirm the spill, identify the offending ship, and gather evidence in support of future legal action. With readily available data from space, the enforcement work can be completed in hours.

The shipping industry knows that Canada is serious about protecting its waters and is using sophisticated satellites to track illegal actions. And now, the successful I-STOP Project has attracted the attention of other nations interested in protecting wildlife, coastal regions, and oceans.

I-STOP partners protect the environment

Several government departments, including the Canadian Space Agency, Environment Canada, Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, the Coast Guard, and National Defence, as well as Canadian company MDA Geospatial Services, actively support the I-STOP Project.

Credit: www.newscanada.com