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Flood in Khartoum, Sudan? No, photo of Hurricane Katrina aftermath in US city 15 years ago

A photo posted on Facebook gives an aerial view of a flooded city, with buildings and roads submerged in water. Its brief caption identifies the city as Khartoum, capital of the North African country of Sudan.

Posted on 10 September 2020, the photo has been shared more than 1,100 times. But is it recent, and is it of Khartoum?

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Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina


A reverse image search reveals that the photo is more than 15 years old and from another continent.

It’s in the Getty Images collection of stock photos, dated 29 August 2005 and credited to the US Coast Guard. It shows the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, a city in the southern US state of Louisiana. 

“Flooded roadways can be seen as the Coast Guard conducts initial Hurricane Katrina damage assessment over flights August 29, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana,” the caption reads.

The tropical cyclone is said to have been the costliest natural disaster in US history.
 

Floods in Sudan displace more than 500,000 people


Hugely destructive flooding in Khartoum was reported in early September 2020. Across Sudan, the floods have displaced about half a million people. This disaster has been extensively covered by international media

But this photo is from 2005 and of another catastrophe. – Dancan Bwire

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