Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features the Orontes River in Syria, which flooded in the days following 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in the region. 

The photo, captured by the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on Landsat 9, shows flooded farmland and communities along the river on February 14, 2023. 

According to NASA, much of the flooding occurred about 60 miles south of the epicenter of the quake in the Idlib governorate of Syria.

“Observations collected daily by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites indicate that floodwaters likely covered the most area on February 8-12. Significantly less floodwater was visible by February 20,” says NASA.

“News outlets reported damage to some bean and wheat crops in the area, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes. Communities affected by the flooding include Et Tloul, Jisr al Maksūr, Al Mashrafīyah, Jakara, and Hamzīyah.”

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor

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