**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** STARTING ON FEBRUARY 24, 2024, THE PANHANDLE WILDFIRE QUICKLY SPREAD WITHIN DAYS, MAKING IT THE LARGEST WILDFIRE IN TEXAS HISTORY. THE SCALE OF THE DESTRUCTION HAS BEEN ENORMOUS, WITH MANY PEOPLE FACING THE LOSS OF THEIR HOMES AND OTHER STRUCTURES, LIVESTOCK, AND FORAGE, AND WHILE THE FIRE IS NOW CONTAINED, THE DAMAGES ARE EXPECTED TO GROW AS ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS ARE CONDUCTED.THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN POST-DISASTER IS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES, FOR WHICH A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF DAMAGE IS IMPERATIVE. DESPITE THE KNOWN URGENCY, A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE PANHANDLE WILDFIRE DAMAGES IS STILL FAR FROM COMPLETE, ANDTHE FULL SCOPE OF THE CURRENT PANHANDLE WILDFIRE STRUCTURE DAMAGE AND FORAGE LOSS STILL IS NOT KNOWN. THERE IS AN URGENT AND CRITICAL NEED FOR DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND AN EFFECTIVE DECISION SUPPORT TOOL THAT CAN ENABLE RAPID AND COMPREHENSIVE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT IN RESPONSE TO LARGE WILDFIRES AND SIMILAR FUTURE DISASTERS IN TEXAS.TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND AN EFFECTIVE DECISION SUPPORT TOOL AND PROTOCOL FOR RAPID DISASTER RESPONSE IN TEXAS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A HYPER-RESOLUTION STRUCTURE DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION MAP AND FINE-RESOLUTION FORAGE LOSS AND RECOVERY DATASETS BASED ON REMOTE SENSING OBSERVATIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A DECISION SUPPORT TOOL FOR TEXAS A&MDISASTER ASSESSMENT AND RECOVERY (DAR) UNIT TO SUPPORT RAPID ASSESSMENT AND RECOVERY EFFORTS FOR THE PANHANDLE WILDFIRE AND SIMILAR FUTURE DISASTERS IN TEXAS. THIS PROJECT WILL LEAD TOA SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RAPID RESPONSE TO DISASTERS SUCH AS THE PANHANDLE WILDFIRE ACROSS TEXAS.

Texas A&M Agrilife Research, College Station TX

Investigators