Is anybody else wondering what was so important about the map that the recon team made? It doesn't seem like there was any need to put boots on the ground just to scope out a route. They're bound to have highly detailed maps of the roads in LA, and other than the cracks in Inglewood the only major changes to the landscape are the roads blocked by traffic. The current status of the roads could be checked more easily from the air, or even by satellite.

There must have been some high value locations that they were tasked to scout. Visiting warehouses or stores that might contain strategically important supplies? Or maybe their mission was to leave something behind. Did they set up webcams to monitor key parts of the city?

They probably were not sent to retrieve the storyboards for LOST seasons 4-6, since the LOST production offices were in Burbank.