Virgin Islands Satellite Photos - Before & After

[hawkman402]

If the vegetation changed this much, just think of what happened to the structures etc...

 

[shof515]

it might take years for the green to come back :(

[hawkman402]

it might take years for the green to come back :(

Unfortunately I think you are right. That isn't just leaves blown off. A lot of it is large swaths of trees completely uprooted.

[don't-use-real-name]

So much for cooling shade under a palm tree or any other tree for that matter !

It will be years before the native foliage can be replicated to offer such cover.

 

A storm of the century or one of many man-made global warming events to come ?

[Victory!]

This is heartbreaking.

 

 

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[j603]

Words can't even describe my sadness for those islands. :(

[poffles]

If the vegetation changed this much, just think of what happened to the structures etc...

 

 

Shocking. No matter how many pictures we may see, it is still hard to really grasp the magnitude of impact this hurricane will have for a long time to come.

[Billteg]

Very sad... I spent many wonderful days in the USVI and BVI back in my day. It will come back, quicker than you expect, but not by tomorrow for sure.

 

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[boscobeans]

Aside from the repairs to the people's way of life, health and everything else a massive replanting of vegetation including trees must be started or the islands could remain as barren as they are now.

 

bosco.

[poffles]

They were showing this picture on the news last night and I didn't realize the picture doesn't depict lost trees (my thoughts), it is a result of the salt water wash over the island and it burning the landscape and turning it brown. Still not good but not what I was thinking when I looked at the difference, I thought it was showing all trees and vegetation actually ripped out and gone.

[boscobeans]

They were showing this picture on the news last night and I didn't realize the picture doesn't depict lost trees (my thoughts), it is a result of the salt water wash over the island and it burning the landscape and turning it brown. Still not good but not what I was thinking when I looked at the difference, I thought it was showing all trees and vegetation actually ripped out and gone.

 

I don't think the ocean over washed the islands except close to the shoreline. The towns and some of the hills and mountain areas were flooded or washed with fresh rain water. What is missing from one photo to the next is GREEN. All the trees including the palms have been denuded of all their leaves, fronds and many have been shredded in half or just toppled. Will those still standing survive??? I hope so but if not a major part of rebuilding must be replanting vegetation..

 

OMO

bosco

[rmf11699]

wow, speechless. God speed V.I.

[poffles]

I don't think the ocean over washed the islands except close to the shoreline. The towns and some of the hills and mountain areas were flooded or washed with fresh rain water. What is missing from one photo to the next is GREEN. All the trees including the palms have been denuded of all their leaves, fronds and many have been shredded in half or just toppled. Will those still standing survive??? I hope so but if not a major part of rebuilding must be replanting vegetation..

 

OMO

bosco

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVWDr3g_Xg

 

I had to go find the interview and it is with Stacey Plasket and it is an eye opener. If you fast forward to around 5.34 in the video you will hear her speak to the brown and the salt water blast, I am not speaking on assumptions or opinions.

 

I am not saying trees and vegetation are not affected but her words speak to the brown specifically and she is there. I also certainly did not think the water took over the island, if it did then everyone would have been washed out to sea and we know that did not happen.

[hawkman402]

I think it's a mix of things. The flyover videos show acres of uprooted trees. Either way it will take a long time to recover.

 

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[poffles]

I think it's a mix of things. The flyover videos show acres of uprooted trees. Either way it will take a long time to recover.

 

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Agree. Was just pointing out that very thing that it was a mix of damage and not just pulled trees as I immediately thought when looking at the photo. Definitely damage either way and a very long road to recovery.

[ncklhaus]

From my mom's friend that has (had) a vacation home in Tortola. We weren't able to reach them to make sure they were safe. We finally heard from them on Monday evening.

 

"We're ok, I messaged ur Mom. They evacuated us to P. R., finally got a plane out of here on Thursday night. What a 50th anniversary!

We and the people we know r physically ok. The island is destroyed, I cant even find the words to describe it. We certainly celebrated our 50th with a bang! I told my friend , who was worried before the hurricane that it would be an adventure... Holy S#!+ "

[poffles]

From my mom's friend that has (had) a vacation home in Tortola. We weren't able to reach them to make sure they were safe. We finally heard from them on Monday evening.

 

"We're ok, I messaged ur Mom. They evacuated us to P. R., finally got a plane out of here on Thursday night. What a 50th anniversary!

We and the people we know r physically ok. The island is destroyed, I cant even find the words to describe it. We certainly celebrated our 50th with a bang! I told my friend , who was worried before the hurricane that it would be an adventure... Holy S#!+ "

 

Glad they are okay .... :( for the future.

[zqvol]

it might take years for the green to come back :(

 

The green will be the first thing back. Plants grow like weeds in the islands.

[hawkman402]

Yeah but the problem is large swaths of those trees were completely uprooted.

 

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[bluesea777]

it might take years for the green to come back :(

 

Unfortunately I think you are right. That isn't just leaves blown off. A lot of it is large swaths of trees completely uprooted.

 

We are in Bermuda which is in the hurricane alley. We have had direct hits several times and dozens of brush-bys.

 

When strong winds came ablowin' during the direct hits they gave all the greenery hard bashing and bruising that they (the greenery) turned brown. Let's call it the Caribbean autumn/fall or major pruning time. The leaves die out and fall off, but come after the winter they sprout new branches and leaves and all is green again.

 

As for the trees having been uprooted, they are usually old and rigid trees. As the hurricane moves the winds are in one direction and the rigid trees get slanted and pulled off their roots a bit. Then the eye comes over, and then the winds change direction. The trees then start to slant in opposite direction and get blown off their already weakened roots.

 

The younger trees remain, though bruised and pruned, to thrive for another year and years to come.

 

Bermuda DID get brown just like the satellite maps but come the springtime it becomes green again.

 

The real reason it will take those islands more time to recover is the rebuilding and the time to import the building supplies, and the labour. This will take months.

 

What makes Bermuda different from those islands is that almost 100% of the buildings here are made of concrete. Major hurricanes do get roof (or part of) blown off some houses but nothing so major that the house insurances do not cover.We learnt to open the leeside (opposite part of house) windows when the winds are blowing, and to close them and open windows on opposite side of house when the eye has passed. This is to reduce the pressure within the house that would cause the roof to be blown off.

 

Unfortunately the non-concrete houses on those islands cannot withstand strong winds from Cat 3+ hurricanes.

 

Those islands will recover, but not as quickly as Bermuda.

[untailored bostonian]

Aside from the repairs to the people's way of life, health and everything else a massive replanting of vegetation including trees must be started or the islands could remain as barren as they are now.

 

bosco.

 

Realize also that these islands fed themselves with a subsistence/farmers market type of agriculture. Their major source of income, perhaps 25% of their economy, was tourism and the cruise industry.

[bluesea777]

One more thing, those islands are getting help in human form of the army, forces, etc from other islands (including Bermuda who has deployed the regiment over) and countries. The more help the better.

[Maya1234]

Scott and Brittany Myers who lived aboard a boat in Nanny Cay and owned Aristocat Charters on Tortola have personally raised over $100K this week for relief for the BVI. They are US citizens with 3 small children who have plenty of insurance and personal resources ( Brittany has written for sailing magazines about getting insurance and knows her stuff) but they have devoted themselves to helping rebuild Tortola. Anyone intersted can find more about what's going on in Tortola on the FB page for her blog Windtraveler.

[AtlantaAlly]

Scott and Brittany Myers who lived aboard a boat in Nanny Cay and owned Aristocat Charters on Tortola have personally raised over $100K this week for relief for the BVI. They are US citizens with 3 small children who have plenty of insurance and personal resources ( Brittany has written for sailing magazines about getting insurance and knows her stuff) but they have devoted themselves to helping rebuild Tortola. Anyone intersted can find more about what's going on in Tortola on the FB page for her blog Windtraveler.

 

I have been following along with her updates as my parents have a brand new sailboat in Nanny Cay-they just sailed it down this spring from the US. I am beyond impressed with the Nanny Cay rebound. It's just on its way up, but you know it will bounce even higher than it ever was based on the resiliance and heart of all there. They are providing potable water to locals, they have sewer running, they are cleaning up the mess of boats on boats in hopes to attract some of the usual sailing charters for the spring. Those alone will breathe life into parts of the island (and bring money).

 

As for the vegetation: My grandmother owns the property next to Maya Chan and in 2007, when Dean (Cat 5) hit, the same thing happened where everything turned brown. We visited in 2010 and if you were driving to Maya Chan, all the vegetation to the right of the road was still stripped and brown. It is just now coming back in its fullest. That close to the sea, the salt water really burned it all. That said, further inland where there was wind and rain but no storm surge, it was green again very quickly. So if the same holds true with the islands, I would guess that the mountains would be green again quickly and the lower lands would be brown for many years to come, unless new vegetation was transplanted.