In September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, causing catastrophic flooding and infrastructure damage. In response, NASA-funded researchers integrated publicly available and geospatial datasets to create a recovery data map that shows estimates of impacts on businesses and known source of release of contaminants from Hurricane Helene. 

Using the map, experts estimated that approximately 19,600 private wells, 34,300 businesses, and 500 fire stations were flooded. This type of real-time information was useful for supporting local health departments and state governments in their requests for emergency relief funding and their planning for emergency needs and assistance.

With this tool, users can navigate to a county or multiple counties to see data related to flooding, effects on communities, and recovery needs.