UAS Disaster-Damage Documentation Request Checklist

Create a site list before capture begins. Each entry should use the agency’s own facility or location name, coordinates or a mapped boundary, the incident date or period, the responsible point of contact, the visible damage question, and any access or flight restriction. Linear features such as roads, shorelines, utilities, and flood corridors need defined start and end points.

FEMA damage-assessment material distinguishes the facility description, incident cause, damaged component, location, dimensions, materials, and quantity. A UAS operator does not decide program eligibility, but the capture plan can be organized so the responsible agency can connect each image or map to its own damage inventory and field notes.

Current imagery is easier to interpret when the agency can provide approved pre-incident photographs, plans, inspection records, asset inventories, or earlier maps. The operator should record which references were supplied and avoid presenting visual differences as proof of cause, age, structural condition, or repair scope.

Where repeat documentation is planned, define consistent viewpoints, flight boundaries, naming, map control, and timing. If dimensions or approximate quantities are requested, agree on the method and limitations before flight. Photogrammetric measurements depend on capture geometry, control, processing, surface visibility, and the product requested.

Aerial documentation can show visible exterior conditions, debris, erosion, standing water, access constraints, roof or façade damage, and change across a mapped area. It does not establish structural safety, environmental contamination, engineering causation, insurance coverage, code compliance, or disaster-assistance eligibility.

The deliverable should label what was captured, when, from which assignment, and under what material limitations. Conditions hidden by water, vegetation, roofing, walls, debris, shadow, smoke, or viewing geometry remain unobserved unless another approved method addresses them.

Specify whether the agency needs geotagged photographs, annotated overview images, an orthomosaic, a planning-grade 3D surface, a site index, a short findings log, or raw source files. State the required turnaround, file format, coordinate reference, naming convention, authorized recipients, and retention expectations.

Before demobilization, reconcile the requested site list against the material captured. Record sites not flown, partially observed areas, access limitations, weather interruptions, missing references, and products that require later processing. A complete closeout includes the gaps as well as the successful files.