Landsat satellite data, acquired and processed by the U.S. Geological Survey, illustrate the effects of Hurricane Isaac on land between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain northwest of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The hurricane made landfall in the region on August 28, 2012, and moved very slowly north. While levees in the New Orleans area prevented massive flooding in that city, strong winds, rain, and storm surges caused massive flooding in the region between the lakes.

The green tones in the images represent vegetation. The black features are the two lakes. The dark tones in the September 2 image show saturated lands. The lighter blue tones of the two lakes represent turbid water bodies and sediment flow.

The Landsat imagery will be used by regional and federal officials to evaluate the extent of flooding, and the August 1 and September 2 images will provide a base information set for reclamation and remediation after the storm weakens.

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