Flooding in Nigeria

Between early July and early September 2012, flooding claimed an estimated 137 lives, and forced thousands more to relocate, according to Reuters. Added to the challenges posed by heavy rains, Nigerians had to cope with the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in neighboring Cameroon, which swelled the Benue River. Flooding from the dam release was blamed for 30 deaths in Nigeria, Agence France-Presse reported.
These images show a stretch of the Benue River in eastern Nigeria, around the city of Lau. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image on September 8, 2012. For comparison, the bottom image shows the same area nearly three years earlier, on September 23, 2009. These images use a combination of visible and infrared light to better distinguish between water and land. Water varies from electric blue to navy, vegetation is bright green, and clouds range in color from nearly white to pale blue-green.
In 2009, the Benue River was a relatively thin river bordered by small, isolated water bodies. Three years later, the river had spilled over its banks, engulfing the small lakes on either side.
Despite thousands of displaced residents, major damage to agriculture and industry had not yet been reported, Reuters stated.

1. References

2. Agence France-Presse. (2012, September 9) Thirty dead in Nigeria flood, 120,000 displaced. Accessed September 10, 2012.
3. Reuters. (2012, September 9) Nigeria floods kill 17, displace thousands. Accessed September 10, 2012.

NASA image courtesy LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: 

Terra - MODIS - NASA