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Before

After

Here two case studies in Haiti and in Dominican Republic.

Slide over these photos to compare before-and-after satellite images of Hispaniola Island

Before & After

Rising Lakes Enriquillo and Azuéi, Dominican Republic and Haiti

March 13, 2002 - March 11, 2016.

The Dominican Republic’s Lake Enriquillo has doubled in size since 2002. By March 2016, it had engulfed 40,000 acres of farmland and displaced thousands of families. Similarly in Haiti, Lake Azuéi grew by 40 percent in that time period, stretching farther into the neighboring country. Dominican leaders hope damming the Rio Yaque del Sur, the nation’s second-longest river, will keep the lakes from swallowing more farmland and further threatening the fragile ecosystem.

Sources: NASA

Lakes Enriquillo and Azuei

Before & After

Hurricane Matthew pounds southwestern Haiti

September 26, 2016 - October 12, 2016. Hurricane Matthew pounded southwestern Haiti on October 4, 2016, washing away crops and other vegetation (green areas in the September image), which were often on steep slopes. Some of the eroded soil is visible as sediment at the mouth of the Ravine du Sud River. The storm dropped some 30 inches of rain on parts of the country and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

Sources: NASA

Haiti - Hurrican Matthew
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