Seasonal Floods, after#

Image Courtesy of NASA, under PD

Seasonal floods affected thousands of people in Angola and Namibia during a rainy season that stretched through April 2011. Flood waters finally receded in May, but not before an estimated 260,000 residents had been affected. Around the city of Ondjiva, in southern Angola, water levels dropped significantly between late March and mid-May.

The satellite captured this "after" image of the area on 13 May 2011. Made from a combination of shortwave infrared, near infrared, and red light, these images distinguish between water and land better than natural-color images. Vegetation appears bright green, and water appears bright blue. Thin white lines show embankments, which afforded Ondjiva some protection from the high waters in early 2011. Rainy season in this region can last from November to April.