Google just put up some new satellite imagery of Haiti that can be viewed as a layer in Google Earth. I just spent the last 1/2 hour taking a look and here are some of my thoughts:
- Most roads look passable
- Many people are in the streets and lots of debris around
- Some buildings total losses, another right next door may be fine
- With the images you really get a feel for what are best described as shantytowns – it is depressing to see in the 21st century
- Google has many points of interest mapped with tagged photos. You should look at the photos of the presidential mansion and the cathedral, look at the old arial photos, then look at the photos taken Wednesday. The media is not kidding when they say these buildings are total losses.
- While sheets throughout many parts of the city – there certainly appears to be a high death toll
When you can see the whole picture from above and then zoom in to see how landmarks and simple things in life looked before and after the earthquake, it is much more clear to see the level of devastation that has hit them and I think much easier to understand what that means to them.
If you have any interest at all in understanding the impact of this quake, I highly recommend you take a look for yourself. If you feel compelled to help, the Red Cross is always a good place to start. You can even donate money by text message!
