Haiti's earthquake aftermath is visible from space

A deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti (opens in new tab) Saturday (Aug. 14) pancaked buildings so badly that the damage was visible from orbit.

Maxar Technologies satellite imagery showed the earthquake devastation in two of the hardest-hit cities in Haiti: Les Cayes in southwest Haiti and Jérémie in northwest Haiti.

"Multiple buildings can be seen in ruins, particularly in Les Cayes, while recovery crews work near the rubble of the collapsed structures," Maxar officials wrote in a description of the imagery.

Related: GPS satellites can provide faster alerts when big earthquakes strike, scientists say

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Hôtel Le Manguier (before)

A view of Hôtel Le Manguier in Les Cayes, Haiti, taken before the Earthquake, on Jan. 24, 2020.

Hôtel Le Manguier (after)

A view of the collapsed Hôtel Le Manguier in Les Cayes, Haiti, taken after the Earthquake, on Aug. 15, 2021.

Sacré coeur des Cayes (before)

A view of the Sacré coeur des Cayes church in Haiti, in January 2020.

Sacré coeur des Cayes (after)

A view of the damage to the Sacré coeur des Cayes church in Haiti, captured after the earthquake, on Aug. 15, 2021.

Les Cayes' cathedral (before)

A view of the area around the Les Cayes cathedral in Haiti, taken Jan. 24, 2020.

Les Cayes' cathedral (after)

A view of the area around the Les Cayes cathedral in Haiti, taken Aug. 15, 2021.

St. Louis Cathedral (before)

A satellite image shows the St. Louis King of France Cathedral in Jérémie, Haiti, on Aug. 14, 2020.

St. Louis Cathedral (after)

Damage to St. Louis King of France Cathedral and surrounding buildings is evident in Jérémie, Haiti, following an earthquake on Aug. 14, 2021.

Les Cayes (before)

A satellite image of Les Cayes, Haiti, captured Jan. 24, 2020.

Les Cayes (after)

A satellite image of Les Cayes, Haiti, captured Aug. 15, 2021.

Hôpital Saint-Antoine (after)

A view of damage to Hôpital Saint-Antoine in Jérémie, Haiti, captured Aug. 15, 2021.

The death toll in western Haiti alone is estimated at at least 1,300 people, according to The New York Times (opens in new tab). The country was already facing a severe shortage of doctors even before the quake, the Times added; the region of Les Cayes had only a few dozen doctors to serve more than a million people, for example.

As of Monday (Aug. 16), Haiti is also being battered by Tropical Storm Grace. The storm and earthquake are the latest calamities for the country, whose president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated July 7 amid massive political and civil instability. Even before the earthquake struck, local media said planned elections were postponed until Nov. 7, according to Reuters (opens in new tab).

Haiti, which the Associated Press (AP) describes (opens in new tab) as "the hemisphere's poorest nation," is also still dealing with the coronavirus and weakened infrastructure, the latter caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the region in 2010.

"Saturday’s earthquake ... left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes," AP wrote. "Survivors in some areas were forced to wait out in the open amid oppressive heat for help from overloaded hospitals."

Organizations ranging from UNICEF to the New York Police Department are accepting donations to assist Haiti. CNNWire has a list (opens in new tab) of donating opportunities available.

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