Mar 11, 2022 - Energy & Climate

Satellite images show the before-and-after of Queensland's devastating floods

Andrew Freedman

Satellite images showing before and after heavy rains in February and March 2022 in Coolangatta, Australia. Credit: Planet Labs PBC — Satellite images showing before and after heavy rains in February and March 2022 in Coolangatta, Australia. Source: Planet Labs PBC

The flooding in Australia is so extensive it's easy to spot via satellites.

Driving the news: Planet Labs captured the transformation of the environment in and around the deluged Gold Coast city of Coolangatta, Australia, from mid-February to early March.

Zoom in: The brown shading seen in the "after" image indicates flooded areas, with sediment-filled runoff extending into the ocean.

The big picture: Scenes of flash flooding turning city streets and country streams into raging rivers have played out from Queensland, including Australia’s third-largest city of Brisbane, south to New South Wales, including Sydney.

So far, at least 22 people have perished in the floods, and tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes.

Go deeper: Deadly climate change-fueled floods inundate Australia's east coast

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Satellite images show the before-and-after of Queensland's devastating floods

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