Satellite shots: Before, and After

[Windy]

For you doubting Suzies, these shots come from NASA MODIS/AQUA satellites. You can find them by going to google and typing "Rapidfire gallery".

You can also view these photos in MUCH higher resolution at that site.

[PurdueWx80]

I think it's over for N.O.

its bad but not THAT bad..why is it "over"...whats your thought process on that?

the city is still standing, the levee system is still intact minus 1 or 2 breaches that will be fixed, the water will be pumped out, the electrical grid rebuilt..

its a mess, and it will take time to clean up and billions of dollars but these continual "NOLA CANT BE REBUILT, ITS OVER" thoughts just dont jive with reality.

Look Very Closely. Look at the bright green MS River Levee to the Delta. See all the marsh/land around it on both sides? Now look at; it's blue (not the clouds but the water) all the way to the river. The coastline is virtually eradicated. The city bleeds into it (or it into the city. Look closely at the shape of the lake. It has changed. There are many more wetlands now; and the city is within that zone, except for the west bank, for now.

EXACTLY...thank you!

[djtil]

i apologize...i guess my imagination or eyes are bad...i just cant see much difference (i was never saying the pics were fakes but just didnt see the conclusions drawn from the 2 photos)...but if everyone else can im obviously wrong....im sure some high res sat would show the standing water i just cant see much of it in this one......

i can see the water on helicopter shots though....and at no time have i thought "NO IS GONE".

[Windy]

No change? The entire coastline is changed!

[NateFLA]

I found much better photos that are 9mb and are the whole coast in real color.

Expect awe inspiring before/after very soon.

[krysof]

it will never be what it was, that's for sure

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

New orleans is greatly damaged. Including maybe a international Airport which will add another 20 billion dollars if I remember right. In thats alone. Maybe New orleans is not all distoryed but its messed up prettty good.

[djtil]

it will never be what it was, that's for sure

new orleans? what part cant be what it was?

the waters are going to recede or be pumped out....im just confused by this gloom and doom. maybe im just too optimistic for this place!!

you guys are acting like some big permanent geographical change has taken place..hell...even the man-made band-aided levee system is still in place minue one 200 ft section.

in a few weeks the sat shots will look nearly identical to the before ones.

i realize that this is a huge disaster and will cost billions to fix but taking it to the next level i cant.....ill still be in new orleans next march or whenever celebrating mardi gras....mark it down and come have a beer with me then.

[NateFLA]

These images were not cropped/processed as nicely from NASA... they are a bit distorted but oh-my-gosh they tell it like it is.

[NateFLA]

you guys are acting like some big permanent geographical change has taken place..hell...even the man-made band-aided levee system is still in place minue one 200 ft section.

in a few weeks the sat shots will look nearly identical to the before ones.

i realize that this is a huge disaster and will cost billions to fix but taking it to the next level i cant.....ill still be in new orleans next march or whenever celebrating mardi gras....mark it down and come have a beer with me then.

I hope those new "real" sat pics changed your mind. There are definitely geographical changes and only a blind person would refute that.

[djtil]

hope those new "real" sat pics changed your mind. There are definitely geographical changes and only a blind person would refute that

point me out a permanent geographical change. i honestly dont really see it...i do see that water is over portions of land, but i can still see the land outline below the water which will recede..

im really not trying to be an @ss here and know that water is everywhere it wasnt before...but my point is that water will recede.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

If I'm seeing it right then theres alot of land under water.

[NateFLA]

point me out a permanent geographical change. i honestly dont really see it...i do see that water is over portions of land, but i can still see the land outline below the water which will recede..

im really not trying to be an @ss here and know that water is everywhere it wasnt before...but my point is that water will recede.

Start your search around Gulf Shores/Mobile Bay.... I'm sure you wont have trouble.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

hope those new "real" sat pics changed your mind. There are definitely geographical changes and only a blind person would refute that

point me out a permanent geographical change. i honestly dont really see it...i do see that water is over portions of land, but i can still see the land outline below the water which will recede..

im really not trying to be an @ss here and know that water is everywhere it wasnt before...but my point is that water will recede.

The damage to homes/business in peoples lifes is already done.

[monty16]

where would the water go??? The whole city is a giant bowl!

[Brent]

WOW...

[NateFLA]

If I'm seeing it right then theres alot of land under water.

A quick warning...
Do not get the impression that those images match up 1:1 in relation to land. They are slightly rotated and offscale because they are completely raw satalite images without the special nasa trickery. They are not like the ones before it and you will need to search out similar zones yourself. I tried to match up NO as closely as possible, and thats it.

[jasons2k]

I'm just very concerned after seeing these shots. I saw the hi-res ones. I'm not saying it will never, ever be rebuilt. I'm not an engineer. What I do have is a History degree.

Look at Indianola, Texas. At one time, it was a thriving port and the largest city on the Texas coast. A second hurricane in 1886 virtually wiped the town off the map. The city was never rebuilt and the county seat was moved to Port Lavaca.

Galveston 1900. We all know that story. But what a lot of people don't realize is that Galveston was the "Wall Street of the South". It was only slightly smaller than Houston, but it had the port. Galveston was poised to be the largest city on the Gulf coast. After the hurricane - yes, Galveston was rebuilt, but it was never the same. Houston quickly overtook Galveston as the center for growth in this region.

Fast forward to today. Even if they do get the water out, how long would it even be habitable? 6 months? A year? Then you have to rebuild everything. I don't know of too many people that are willing to go that long unemployed, so they will find jobs in other cities. They make ties and a new life. Then one day the city is 'reopened'. How many will go back? I know a lot will. There will be parties, there may even be Mardi Gras parades down Bourbon Street again. But I'm afraid it will never be the same, and it just may not be feasible to restore the whole city. Most may just stay where they're at, mainly because they'll have a new job. The thought makes me sick; the closest thing I can relate it to is the horrific images of Richmond, Va. during the Civil War.

[gratefulnole]

new orleans? what part cant be what it was?

the waters are going to recede or be pumped out....im just confused by this gloom and doom. maybe im just too optimistic for this place!!

you guys are acting like some big permanent geographical change has taken place..hell...even the man-made band-aided levee system is still in place minue one 200 ft section.

in a few weeks the sat shots will look nearly identical to the before ones.

i realize that this is a huge disaster and will cost billions to fix but taking it to the next level i cant.....ill still be in new orleans next march or whenever celebrating mardi gras....mark it down and come have a beer with me then.

Do you remember the great upper Mississipi river floods in 1993? When a levee is breached the waters start to flood in and if not immediately stopped the breech just gets bigger and bigger. You can only stop a small leak. Some towns that were inundated got moved to higher ground after those floods.

[Windy]

it will never be what it was, that's for sure

new orleans? what part cant be what it was?

the waters are going to recede or be pumped out....im just confused by this gloom and doom. maybe im just too optimistic for this place!!

The problem is that you're extremely uninformed. Go listen to the news for a while. New Orleans won't be dry for months. The entire city is destroyed.

you guys are acting like some big permanent geographical change has taken place..hell...even the man-made band-aided levee system is still in place minue one 200 ft section.

in a few weeks the sat shots will look nearly identical to the before ones.

Ever heard of beach erosion? There is a major geographical change. It's okay that you don't know anything about how hurricanes interact with shoreland, but don't try to teach us a lesson based on your cluelessness.

i realize that this is a huge disaster and will cost billions to fix but taking it to the next level i cant.....ill still be in new orleans next march or whenever celebrating mardi gras....mark it down and come have a beer with me then.

Are you serious? ROTFL. You really think there will be a New Orleans for you to go to next Mardi Gras? It's going to take almost that long just to get the city DRY, let alone entirely RAZED and REBUILT. If they do bother to rebuild it.