As with last year’s Tsunami in Indonesia, the devastation left behind by Katrina is difficult to grasp. Printed press and even news Media are too focused on the drama of unfolding events to provide a real sense of the scale of the devastation. You have to go on the web to get the idea.
NASA’s Earth Observatory provides a remarkable series of satellite views of the disaster, from Katrina’s eye, Katrina’s arrival over New Orleans, to comparative views of the flooding in Louisiana and submerged streets of New Orleans. A more detailed view of the city of New Orleans under water is also available.
Very responsive, Google provides two views of the area : Google Map of New Orleans lets you compare views before and after the flooding, and overlay streets on top of the satellite views, and Google Earth Katrina’s Imagery provides frequent updates of the flooded areas beyond New Orleans.
The human scale of the devastation is as difficult to grasp as the geographical scale. Things on the ground are much more complex than the too often polarized views provided by TV news.
The reality of the situation is literally tangible on the daily log of the support crew of DirectNIC, in charge of a backbone node in New Orleans. The Interdictor has become another perfect example of live, raw reporting, including live cameras and hundreds of images of the situation on the streets.
Once you have seen these images, you should be convinced to help, donate or do something about this catastrophe.
[09/28/2005- I should have checked earlier…. I just found out there is an extensive coverage of Katrina from National Geographics.]