MAY 12, 2017--During the week of May 8, the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) team assisted in providing up-to-date information in ERMA for the National Weather Service 2017 River Watch program. In the springtime, an upper stretch of the Yukon River begins to thaw creating snowmelt and ice jam flooding, threatening 75 Alaska villages, boroughs and tribal councils. The River Watch program uses a number of monitoring techniques, including unmanned aircraft systems, to improve lead-time for breakup forecasts. This allows more time to notify potentially affected communities about impending flooding. UAS flown by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks captured aerial photography, which was placed in ERMA for quick viewing capabilities by the geographically distributed project team. To view the photo locations, visit this link in ERMA, click on a point of interest and then click on the photo hyperlink from the pop-up window.

For additional information, contact: Robb.Wright@noaa.gov.

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