Friday November 10 CSL Meeting

Analysis of Geographic Vulnerability of Areas Impacted by Hurricanes and Tropical Storms Using GIS

Presenter: Nicole Casamassina
Time: Friday, 10 November 2017, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: 805 O&M

Abstract: The 2012 North Atlantic Hurricane Season was one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record. However, no major hurricanes made landfall to the United States. The cyclones that did make landfall, Tropical Storms Beryl and Debby, Hurricane Isaac, and Post-Tropical Storm Sandy, had significant impact on society and geography in many areas of the country. The use of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to show vulnerability can help emergency decision makers for the public by providing maps of potential coastal flooding, storm surge, and the number of people affected by severe weather events. In addition, these maps can be used in future natural disasters as a reference.

For this project, Esri ArcGIS Version 10.4.1 was used to evaluate geographic vulnerability of the counties impacted by the storms previously listed. An assessment of storm surge using land cover shows which areas were most impacted by coastal flooding. Damage done to infrastructure is also mapped to show where areas needed the most restoration. Estimating the number of households that need to be evacuated in an emergency situation can also help to show how many shelters are necessary and their proximity to hurricane evacuation routes. Data was used from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Census Bureau, Esri, and the United States Geological Survey.

Using a geospatial analysis, one would find that the effects of storm surge is greater toward the shoreline, rather than inland, and damage to infrastructure is greatest in areas of coastal flooding. Multiple emergency evacuation routes, as well as emergency shelters, are necessary in regions of higher population and households. Using these maps and data, people living in counties vulnerable to being impacted by tropical cyclones can better assess their risk using visual aids and government officials can create better safety and evacuation plans for when these events occur.

Map of elevation for counties impacted by Hurricane Isaac.