[PHOTOS] Aerial Shots of Hurricane Sandy Damage from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey

Emergency responders and members of the public can now get a birds-eye view of some of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Through NOAA's National Geodetic Survey, you can view a map of the region and click on an icon to view a thumbnail or high-definition image of a specific area. Images are now available for some of the Northeast's hardest-hit areas, including: Atlantic City, NJ., Seaside Heights, N.J., Ocean City, Md., and parts of Delaware.

The photographs were taken by teams of NOAA aviators flying above the disaster area at 5,000 feet aboard NOAA's King Air and NOAA's Twin Otter aircraft-planes equipped with specialized remote-sensing cameras that captured thousands of photographs at a high resolution of 17 centimeters-per-pixel.

NOAA technicians on the ground then weaved together a mosaic of photos and posted them on the public website. Images continue to be made available after each survey flight after a quality-checking process. Flights continue this week over New York City, Long Island, and parts of Virginia.

The top priorities of NGS aerial imagery are to support safe navigation and capture damage to coastal areas caused by a storm. Priorities are centered on major ports and waterways supporting the Marine Transportation System; known or projected severe impacts to coastlines and critical infrastructure, and areas of severe flooding impacting coastal communities.

Aerial imagery is a crucial tool used by federal, state, and local officials as well as the public when responding to natural disasters because many areas may be inaccessible due to the volume of debris. Snapshots of the damage help emergency managers conduct search and rescue operations, route personnel and machinery, coordinate recovery efforts and provide a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment.

Staten Island, New York

Long Beach, New York

Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Sea Bright, New Jersey

Keyport, New Jersey

Breezy Point section of Queens, New York