[cdn-nucl-l] Satellite view of Dam Break in Syria

["Adam McLean" <adam.mclean@utoronto.ca>]

Before and after pictures of the dam break in Syria earlier in the
month:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?
img_id=3698

Dam Break in Syria 

On Tuesday the Zeyzoun dam in northern Syria ruptured and collapsed,
killing 20 people and leaving thousands more homeless. This false-color
image (right) taken on June 5, 2002, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite shows
the extent of the flooding. Normally, there would be no water present in
the center of the image (left, acquired on June 3, 2002).

After the dam burst, 71 million cubic meters flowed onto the surrounding
landscape and washed over an area of 20,000 acres. Hundreds of homes
were destroyed in and around the villages of Zeyzoun, Qastoun, and
Ziara, roughly 220 miles (350 kilometers) north of Damascus. Most of the
residents fled to higher ground with the help of two helicopters. The
Syrians originally constructed the dam to contain the Orontes River and
provide a steady flow of water to the surrounding farms, many of which
were lost.

Rescue workers worry that more bodies may be found as the waters of the
dam recede. The Japanese government issued over $40,000 in aid for the
victims, and the Syrian government is petitioning international aid
agencies for further assistance.

In this false-color image, the ground is sage green and rusty orange,
and water is black. Clouds appear pink.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at
NASA GSFC