The pictures and video from on-the-ground reports in Haiti following the magnitude 7 earthquake Tuesday are truly heartbreaking. But it is difficult to imagine the full extent of the damage to that country and its capital, Port-au-Prince, in particular. These new satellite images released Wednesday by Google and GeoEye show the devastation from above, giving a new view of the severity of this disaster. We've posted some of the images here. You can also scan the entire city with Google Earth. The satellite image above, captured by the GeoEye-1 satellite Wednesday morning, shows the National Palace after the quake. Below is an image from March 2008.
Images: Google/Geoeye
The Stade Sylvio Cator is a 30,000-seat sports arena used for soccer games. Above it is shown surrounded by fallen buildings and rubble Wednesday. People gather on the field, probably camping there after losing their homes or out of fear that their homes could collapse during an aftershock. The stadium is shown below in 2008.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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A whole wing of this building that flanks the National Palace appears to have been reduced to rubble by the quake. The intact building is shown below in 2008.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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This area near the center of Port-au-Prince has several buildings that appear to have completely collapsed.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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People gather in the Champs de Mars plaza adjacent to the National Palace after Tuesday's earthquake. The plaza contains statues of Haiti's founding fathers, the French embassy and museums. Below, the area looks serene in 2008.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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This building is located in the hills on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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This field appears to be filled with people who are either homeless or afraid to go back inside buildings that may be unstable and prone to collapse in an aftershock.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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Multiple buildings have clearly collapsed in this area of Port-au-Prince, and several more appear ready to crumble. Numerous strong aftershocks of magnitude 5 and up have continued to bring down buildings that were damaged and weakened by the mainshock. Below, the same area is shown in 2008.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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Virtually an entire block was leveled in this area.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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This building near the National Palace in the city center was completely destroyed.
Images: Google/Geoeye
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More on Haiti from Danger Room.
See Also:
- Scientists Scramble to Analyze Haiti's Seismic Risk
- Out of the Blue: Islands Seen From Space
- Erupting Volcanoes on Earth as Seen From Space
- Asteroid Impact Craters on Earth as Seen From Space
- Stunning Views of Glaciers Seen From Space
- Sublime Sand: Desert Dunes Seen From Space
- Huge Holes in the Earth: Open-Pit Mines Seen From Space
