Japan earthquake: before and after

German Aeorpace Center DLR/ZKI via Getty Images

These two handout satellite photographs provided by the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information of the German Aeropsace Center show the Matsushima Airport and surrounding area before, left, and after the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 in Higashi-Matsushima, Japan.

These two handout satellite photographs provided by the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information of the German Aeropsace Center show the Iwanuma-Matsushima area before, left, after the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 12, 2011 at Torinoumi, Japan.

These two handout satellite photographs provided by the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information of the German Aeropsace Center show the city of Soma and surrounding area before, left, and after the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 in Soma, Japan.

This combo made from images provided by GeoEye shows the Arahama area of Sendai, Japan on April 10, 2010, left, and March 12, 2011, after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck causing a tsunami that devastated the region.

Soma, Japan, before and after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

This combo made from images provided by GeoEye shows an area of Yuriage near Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on April 4, 2010, left, and March 12, 2011, after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, causing a tsunami that devastated the region.

This combo made from images provided by GeoEye shows an area of Natori, Japan on April 4, 2010, left, and March 12, 2011, after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck causing a tsunami that devastated the region.

Minamisoma, Japan, before and after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Soma, Japan, before and after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

This combo made from images provided by GeoEye shows shows an area of Ishinomaki, Japan on April 4, 2010, left, and March 12, 2011, after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, causing a tsunami that devastated the region.

Japan, before and after — The German Aerospace Center (DLR)

The German Aerospace Center released this before- and-after-the-quake image from Japan through its Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information, based at its site in Oberpfaffenhofen. It did not provide the exact location of the image.