The Landsat Program - Images
Flooding of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers 2011
A Landsat 5 image of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers acquired on April 14, 2010 (left) and May 3, 2011 (right).
On May 2, 2011 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used explosives to open a levee at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. This was done in an attempt to divert floodwaters from damaging the city of Cairo, Illinois which lies north of the Mississippi River, southwest from the Wabash and Ohio River confluence. The Ohio River, by volume, is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River.
In these images water is midnight blue. To the left is an image of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers before the flood and on the right is an image of the rivers during the flooding. Vegetation appears in green and bare ground is pink and red. In the past, Landsat data have been used to map Mississippi flood extent and to help provide information needed for federal natural disaster designation.
These Landsat 5 images were acquired April 14, 2010 (left) and May 3, 2011 (right). They are false color images using TM bands 7, 4 and 2. These images fall on WRS-2 Path 22 Rows 33 and 34.
References
Earth Observatory. Flooding in Wake of Levee Breach. Accessed May 5, 2011
Wikipedia. Ohio River. Accessed May 5, 2011[external link]
More event images.
