Posted on 03/13/2011 5:12:46 AM PDT by NYer
First before-after image (Google and GeoEye / March 12, 2011)
Google on Saturday released its first satellite images of Japan since the devastation that followed a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the island nation Friday afternoon local time.
The images, from Google partner GeoEye, were generated by the IKONOS satellite. Google Earth users may view images from Kamaishi, located to the north of Sendai, an area extremely hard hit by the quake and tsunami. In the images, taken Saturday morning, Kamaishi is somewhat obscured by cloud clover.
In addition, Google released satellite images of Tokyo, also taken Saturday morning. Keep in mind that the images must be viewed using Google Earth, which can be downloaded onto your computer.
With Google Earth installed these links will let you view:
-- Kamaishi (north of the northern Japanese city of Sendai, which was devastated by the quake) , and Tokyo.
-- This is the before-and-after view of Kamaishi in Google Earth.
-- Google also released a map highlighting roads they consider passable post-earthquake, meaning a car subscribing to their navigation service was able to use the road during the past 24 hours. The map is updated daily and can be translated from Japanese to English with Google Translate.
The map, which is in Japanese, is updated daily, Google officials said. They suggest English speakers use Google translate if they are interested reading the road map.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Thanks. The differences in the photos I see here are missleading. If you compare “unaffected” areas in before and after pictures, the “after” are dark and brown while the “before” are pretty and colorful. That’s sort of missleading.
True!
One needs to analyze the details of structures that were there before and the structures that are missing afterwards, waterlines, traffic, roads and such.
Once having done that, one can see the truly devastating nature of it.
I fear you are right. Don’t have many direct contacts in Japan anymore, but from the family of friends from Japan, they have said most are expecting the toll to rise quite a bit.
The second set of images show all of the mud, sand and debris that comes as a result. Time of day might have played a role here but no mistaking the obliteration.
Amazing.
>>The second set of images show all of the mud, sand and debris that comes as a result. <<
Yes, but I’m talking about the hills that were not touched. They are dark and chocolaty while the before pictures show them a nice colorful green.
Thanks for the ping.
I think it’s more a case of the before pic being in summer and the after is winter, with a lack of foliage. That would account for the appearance of the mountains.
Note the survival of many long buildings when their short side faces the coast, presenting much less of a block to the wave surge.
The ‘after’ looks to be night time
Although no one has done it on this thread, this might be a good place to ask everyone to knock it off with the Godzilla graphics. Not original, clever, or funny. At the very moment someone uploads a Godzilla graphic, some helpless victim in Japan is dying of horrific injuries, thirst, or exposure.
Can’t think of strong enough words, that don’t sound apocalyptic, to describe the magnitude of this devastation. Three major catastrophic events in one week for these people...how do you pick up and go on? God help them.
Well said, 668; It took less than 12 hours before the boringly predictable Godzillas came out - and worse, one idiot to connect this horror to Pearl Harbor (here on FR!).
It can wipe away our best efforts, effortlessly. I'm reminded of the verse that says, "the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of men." 1 Corinthians 1:25
I don't know about the rest of you, but as I look at the state of our Nation, the unrest in the world, the state of the world economy, these disasters around the world, I can only have faith in God because nothing else seems to stand.
For me and my house, I just put my children in the hand of the Almighty God. All of these things can not reach them there. He is the rock of my salvation, my deliverance in times of trouble.
I think your approach and faith is sensible.
In the face of all that appears insensible, God is a rock of stability.
I couldn’t agree more strongly. I cannot find one single thing to laugh about here.
I know people often forget that many of the things we see on the Internet ARE real. They aren’t made up stories, these are true and current accounts of a people desperately struggling for survival.
People forget. These events involve REAL people in REAL situations, not some internet myth about a car with rocket motors attached to it where the guy supposedly became a grease spot on a canyon wall.
These are REAL people in a horrible, horrible situation.
We pray to God for their deliverance from suffering.
May be that the before photo's are from spring or summer when the foliage is green.
That’s an awesome treatment of the pictures, thanks for the link.
That and, the next time it could be us. We’re on the other side of the ring of fire, and what’s going on there will affect what’s going on here.
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