Rapid assessment of cyclone damage using NPP-VIIRS DNB and ancillary data

Rapid damage assessment of natural disasters is essential for the fast recovery and strategic post-disaster reconstructions. In the present study, National Polar-Orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) day/night band (DNB)-extracted night-time lights (NTL) data were explored for damage assessment caused by extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘AMPHAN’ that struck one of the most populous regions in India. The disaster impact was measured on two parameters: population and crop land area, where NTL density and population density were found to be strongly correlated (r(2) > 0.8). From power outage intensity, three ‘crisis zones’ indicating the severity of cyclone damage were identified. Finally, the assessment found that the total affected population and crop land area were nearly 70% and 66%, respectively, of the study area. Therefore, NPP-VIIRS DNB image-based rapid damage assessment is potentially a useful tool for generating first hand information about the physical damages caused by extreme events. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11069-020-04477-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.