# Google Satellite Maps Show Tsunami Damage

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 11, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972 "2011-04-11T17:02:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972/1 "2011-04-11T17:02:29Z")

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I may be a bit behind the power curve but I searched 3 different ways and didn’t find a previous thread.

I was looking at Google satellite images of the devastation in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. First of all I was surprised that the images were updated already. Some of the Google map images I’ve looked at in the past have been 3+ years old. Then, when I zoomed in to street view, I found what it used to look like!

Very interesting to see the before/after.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972/2 "2011-04-11T17:06:49Z")

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Links might help.

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**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972/3 "2011-04-11T17:10:00Z")

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Well here’s a stupid question. The only thing in the address bar is [www.maps.google.com](http://www.maps.google.com) which doesn’t take you to the area that I’m looking at.

How do I capture the exact location that I’m looking at?

I just entered **Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan** in Google maps.

ETA: Oops, think I found it…

[Random devastation](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Sendai,+Miyagi+Prefecture,+Japan&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.223579,95.449219&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Sendai,+Miyagi+Prefecture,+Japan&ll=38.047179,140.912531&spn=0.000753,0.001456&t=h&z=20)

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**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972/4 "2011-04-11T17:17:24Z")

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Here are interactive before and after images:

> **[Satellite Photos - Japan Before and After Tsunami](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html)**
>
> Compare satellite images of areas of Japan before and after the disaster.

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**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-satellite-maps-show-tsunami-damage/577972/5 "2011-04-11T17:27:07Z")

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Those are very cool **vertizontal**. The power of water simply stuns this land-locked mid-western girl.