You are here

Virgin Islands National Park, Before And After Hurricane Irma

Share

The difference is absolutely shocking. Before Hurricane Irma raked Virgin Islands National Park, the landscape of St. John was lush and green. Afterwards, it appeared brown and barren.

These natural-color images, captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite, show some of Irma’s effect on the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. The views were acquired on August 25 and September 10, 2017, before and after the storm passed. They are among the few relatively cloud-free satellite images of the area so far.

The most obvious change is the widespread browning of the landscape. There are a number of possible reasons for this. Lush green tropical vegetation can be ripped away by a storm’s strong winds, leaving the satellite with a view of more bare ground. Also, salt spray whipped up by the hurricane can coat and desiccate leaves while they are still on the trees. -- Kathryn Hansen, NASA Earth Observatory

This photo of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands was taken August 25, 2017, by NASA's Earth Observatory

This photo of St. John was taken September 10 by NASA's Earth Observatory

Comments

One of my favorite parks!  Trials of the Anthropocene.


So sad. Forty years now since I visited there but, foolishly, I've always thought oif it as a pristine place of beauty that would always be there.


This is so heartbreaking for the people of BVI and their beautiful country. Hoping they find the will and resources to rebuild. 


Curious to know what the underground landscape looks like.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.