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Google Offers a Glimpse of Haitian Quake's Toll

by Terrence O'Brien on January 14, 2010 at 03:55 PM

Google Offers a Glimpse at Toll of Haitian Quake
While the people of Haiti are struggling to find survivors and loved ones, not to mention food, shelter, and water, many of the rest of us are simply trying to wrap our heads around the level of sheer destruction and incomprehensible death toll. Like the tsunami of 2004 that killed almost 300,000 people, the scope of the tragedy in Haiti is beyond words, tears, and human understanding. And while the more vile members of our society are going on television and blaming a supposed Haitian pact with the devil for this natural disaster, most of the rest of us are straining to grasp the magnitude of the situation, and wondering how we can help.

Those simply seeking a better understanding can turn to Google, which through a partnership with GeoEye, is bringing up-to-date satellite imagery of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas to Google Earth. You can download a KML overlay file for Google Earth that contains photographs taken just yesterday. Once you've downloaded the file, Google will provide automatic updates as new images become available.

The glimpse of the city from above may not provide the intensity of a news camera on the ground, or the shock of seeing a dead child in the streets, but the picture it paints of the widespread destruction may be more emotionally distressing.

At the risk of sounding maudlin, may we say that now is as good a time as ever to remember that, regardless of borders, political or religious affiliation, or any other dividing line you care to draw, we're all citizens of the world, and the people of Haiti need our help. We strongly urge you to do or to give whatever you can to aid in the relief efforts. Even if it's just a dollar donation to the Red Cross, every little bit helps. [From: Google Lat Long]

Tags: google, google earth, GoogleEarth, haiti, haiti earthquake, HaitiEarthquake, top, tragedy

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