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Red River Flood Seen By RADARSAT-2

Government Related Initiatives Program (GRIP)

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May, 2009

Communities affected by the flood in Manitoba (credit: CBC, 2009)

Occurrences of too much or too little water (floods and droughts) have historically been Canada's most expensive natural disasters. Flooding itself represents a significant cause of disasters that have resulted in substantial losses. During the 20th century, flooding caused at least 168 disasters in Canada that resulted in several billion dollars in losses and the deaths of at least 195 people. Between 1975 and 1999, 63 floods resulted in federal assistance payments of almost $720 million. Between 1984 and 1998, insurance claims for flooding, which do not include residential losses, were in excess of $750 million. Floods affect all of Canada. Well-known areas prone to flood disasters include the St. John valley, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and the Red River valley, Manitoba. According to Manitoban emergency authorities, the flood of 2009 now appears to be the second highest on record. Provincial officials said near 777 square kilometers of the Red River valley is underwater.

RADARSAT-2 images were acquired on April 8 and April 11 2009 over southern Manitoba during the recent flood of the Red River. Flooded areas are typically characterized by low levels of radar backscatter and appear in dark tones on radar images. Dry areas and uplands, on the other hand, usually reflect the radar signal more strongly and consequently appear in brighter image tones. This difference in backscatter behaviour facilitates the accurate mapping of areas affected by flooding using satellite radar imagery. The images show a substantial increase in flooding between April 8 and April 11. Also visible is the effect of protective barriers around the towns of Morris and St. Jean Baptiste, with little to no flooding within the towns, and extensive inundation beyond the dikes.

These flood products were generated for the Canadian Space Agency Earth Observation Applications & Utilization Division by the Canadian company C-CORE.

The following RADARSAT-2 images show the extent of the Red River flood between April 10 and 24, 2009. The ortho-rectified RADARSAT-2 images (Standard mode 2, 3 and 4) are shown in gray tone where the various blue coloured patches represent the flooded surfaces at various dates.

These products were generated by the Emergency Management Team of the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada.

For more information, please contact:

guy.aube@asc-csa.gc.ca
thomas.puestow@c-core.ca