Hurricane Fran Revisited
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Richmond, VA Hurricanes
Hurricanes Influencing the Richmond Area Why should residents of the Middle Atlantic states be concerned about hurricanes during the coming hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1 and ends November 30? After all, the big ones don't seem to affect the region anymore. Consider the following: The last Category 2 hurricane to make landfall along the U.S. East Coast, north of Florida, was Isabel in 2003. The last Category 3 was Fran in 1996, and the last Category 4 was Hugo in 1989. Meanwhile, ten Category 2 or stronger storms have made landfall along the Gulf Coast between 2004 and 2008. Hurricane history suggests that the Mid-Atlantic's seeming immunity will change as soon as 2009. Hurricane Alley shifts. Past active hurricane cycles, typically lasting 25 to 30 years, have brought many destructive storms to the region, particularly to shore areas. Never before have so many people and so much property been at risk. Extensive coastal development and a rising sea make for increased vulnerability. A storm like the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, a powerful Category 3, would savage shorelines from North Carolina to New England. History suggests that such an event is due. Hurricane Hazel in 1954 came ashore in North Carolina as a Category 4 to directly slam the Mid-Atlantic region. It swirled hurricane-force winds along an interior track of 700 miles, through the Northeast and into Canada. More than 100 people died. Hazel-type wind events occur about every 50 years. Areas north of Florida are particularly susceptible to wind damage. -
Hurricane & Tropical Storm
5.8 HURRICANE & TROPICAL STORM SECTION 5.8 HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM 5.8.1 HAZARD DESCRIPTION A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or sub-tropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all considered tropical cyclones. These storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere around the center and are accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds (NOAA, 2013). Almost all tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) form between June 1 and November 30 (hurricane season). August and September are peak months for hurricane development. The average wind speeds for tropical storms and hurricanes are listed below: . A tropical depression has a maximum sustained wind speeds of 38 miles per hour (mph) or less . A tropical storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph . A hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 74 mph or higher. In the western North Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons; similar storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones. A major hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 111 mph or higher (NOAA, 2013). Over a two-year period, the United States coastline is struck by an average of three hurricanes, one of which is classified as a major hurricane. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions may pose a threat to life and property. These storms bring heavy rain, storm surge and flooding (NOAA, 2013). The cooler waters off the coast of New Jersey can serve to diminish the energy of storms that have traveled up the eastern seaboard. -
Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence: Building resilience for the new normal April 2019 Contents Foreword 2 An improved and consistent approach is needed to address large concentrations of Executive summary 4 harmful waste located in high hazard areas 23 Section I: The Physical Context 6 Floods contribute to marginalizing vulnerable communities in multiple ways 23 Previous events: Flooding timeline in North Carolina 8 Climate has visibly changed, sea levels have visibly risen, and these Hurricane threat – Can a Category 1 storm trends are likely to continue 23 be more dangerous than a Category 4? 9 Economic motivators can be used as Section II: Socio-Economic levers for both action and inaction 23 Disaster Landscape 10 The Saffir-Simpson Scale is not sufficient Physical Landscape 11 to charaterize potential hurricane impacts 25 Understanding the Risk Landscape 13 Even the best data has limitations and can’t substitute for caution and common sense 25 Socio-Economic Landscape 13 Recovery after Recovery 13 Section V: Recommendations 26 Environmental Risk 14 Now is the time to act – failure to do so will be far more expensive in the long run 27 Coastal Development 15 We need to critically assess where we are Section III: What Happened? 16 building and how we are incentivizing risk 27 Response 17 Shifting from siloed interventions to a holistic approach is key 27 Recovery 17 Change how we communicate risk 27 Section IV: Key Insights 20 Insurance is vital, but it needs to be the Lived experience, even repeat experience, right type of insurance and it should be doesn’t make people take action 21 a last resort 28 As a Nation, we continue to Imagine how bad it could be and plan support high-risk investments and for worse 28 unsustainable development 21 Section VI: Ways Forward 30 Hurricane Florence: Building resilience for the new normal 1 Foreword 2 Hurricane Florence: Building resilience for the new normal When people live through a catastrophic event their experience becomes a milestone moment that colors everything moving forward. -
Regulation Rollback
Unprecedented TIMELINE: Looking back at North Carolina’s response to the coronavirus outbreak PAGE 11 FOR DAILY UPDATES VISIT CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNAL OF NEWS, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION FROM THE JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM VOL. 29 • NO. 4 • APRIL 2020 • STATEWIDE EDITION Where’s my REGULATION Carolina Journal? ROLLBACK DEAR FRIENDS AND In policy fight against SUPPORTERS, hank you for your loyal readership. The coronavi- rus has rocked the econ- COVID-19, less is more omy and our daily lives. With Tevents surrounding the crisis of more than 100 people — evolving rapidly, the shelf life then shrank the number of our news is sometimes mere to 50 within a week. Races hours. As a result, we’ve put and concerts were canceled. more resources toward publish- Schools shut down. Dining ing news and updates immedi- KARI TRAVIS rooms in restaurants and pri- ately online. Because of this, for ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR vate clubs closed under exec- the first time in 20 years, CJ read- utive order. ers won’t get a hard-copy edition North Carolina’s path for- of the newspaper in April. nprecedented times ward is paved with sensi- We’ve done some of our most call for unprece- ble policies, JLF experts say. important work since the March dented measures. So As the state is overwhelmed print CJ came out, as you can North Carolina’s leaders and with more than 100,000 see with our continual cover- Ulawmakers say of the fight claims for unemploy- age of COVID-19 at https://bit. against coronavirus. -
About Hurricanes
ABOUT HURRICANES Hurricanes are severe tropical storms, massive storm systems, that form over the open water. Threats from hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, rip currents and tornadoes. A hurricane’s high winds may spawn tornadoes. Torrential rains cause further damage by causing floods and landslides, which not only threaten coastal communities but may impact communities many miles inland. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak occurring between mid-August and late October. SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE Category Wind Speed Damage 1 74-95 MPH Some 2 96-110 MPH Extensive 3 111-129 MPH Devastating 4 130-156 MPH Catastrophic 5 157+ MPH Catastrophic Virginia Department of Emergency Management www.vaemergency.gov VAemergency @VDEM ABOUT HURRICANES STORM SURGE RAINFALL AND INLAND FLOODING Storm surge is an abnormal and dangerous rise of water pushed Intense rainfall is not directly related to the wind speed of a onto the shore by strong winds from a hurricane or tropical storm. hurricane. Some of the greatest rainfall amounts occur from A storm surge can increase the normal high tide by 15 feet or weaker storms that drift slowly or stall over an area. Inland flooding more and is the main reason why evacuations are ordered. can be a major threat to communities hundreds of miles from the coast as intense rain falls from these huge tropical air masses. RIP CURRENTS, DANGEROUS SURF Inland flooding is responsible for more than half of the deaths Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water associated with hurricanes. -
Historical Perspective
kZ _!% L , Ti Historical Perspective 2.1 Introduction CROSS REFERENCE Through the years, FEMA, other Federal agencies, State and For resources that augment local agencies, and other private groups have documented and the guidance and other evaluated the effects of coastal flood and wind events and the information in this Manual, performance of buildings located in coastal areas during those see the Residential Coastal Construction Web site events. These evaluations provide a historical perspective on the siting, design, and construction of buildings along the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes coasts. These studies provide a baseline against which the effects of later coastal flood events can be measured. Within this context, certain hurricanes, coastal storms, and other coastal flood events stand out as being especially important, either Hurricane categories reported because of the nature and extent of the damage they caused or in this Manual should be because of particular flaws they exposed in hazard identification, interpreted cautiously. Storm siting, design, construction, or maintenance practices. Many of categorization based on wind speed may differ from that these events—particularly those occurring since 1979—have been based on barometric pressure documented by FEMA in Flood Damage Assessment Reports, or storm surge. Also, storm Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) reports, and effects vary geographically— Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) reports. These reports only the area near the point of summarize investigations that FEMA conducts shortly after landfall will experience effects associated with the reported major disasters. Drawing on the combined resources of a Federal, storm category. State, local, and private sector partnership, a team of investigators COASTAL CONSTRUCTION MANUAL 2-1 2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE is tasked with evaluating the performance of buildings and related infrastructure in response to the effects of natural and man-made hazards. -
1.1 the Climatology of Inland Winds from Tropical Cyclones in the Eastern United States
1.1 THE CLIMATOLOGY OF INLAND WINDS FROM TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES Michael C. Kruk* STG Inc., Asheville, North Carolina Ethan J. Gibney IMSG Inc., Asheville, North Carolina David H. Levinson and Michael Squires NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC landfall than do weaker storms. For these reasons, the 1. Introduction primary impact areas of tropical cyclones are generally found along coastal (or near coastal) regions. Most In the United States, the impacts from tropical previous studies involving the inland-extent of tropical cyclones often extend well-inland after these storms cyclones have generally focused on their expected or make landfall along the coast. For example, after the modeled rate of decay post landfall (e.g., Tuleya et al. passage of Hurricane Camille (1969), more than 150 1984, Kaplan and DeMaria 1995; Kaplan and DeMaria casualties occurred in the state of Virginia, some 1300 2001), while others have focused on recurrence km inland from where the storm originally made landfall thresholds or probabilities of landfalls along a given along the Louisiana coast (Emanuel 2005). According to portion of the United States coastline (e.g., Bove et al. Rappaport (2000), a large portion of fatalities often occur 1998; Elsner and Bossak 2001; Gray and Klotzbach inland associated with a decaying tropical cyclone’s 2005; Saunders and Lea 2005). Results from Kaplan winds (falling trees, collapsed roofs, etc.) and heavy and DeMaria (1995) showed an idealized scenario for flooding rains. In the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, freshwater the maximum possible inland wind speed of a decaying floods accounted for 59 percent of the recorded deaths tropical cyclone based on both intensity at landfall and from tropical cyclones (Rappaport 2000), and such forward motion for the Gulf Coast and southeastern floods are often a combination of meteorological and United States, and for the New England area (Kaplan hydrological factors. -
I. INTRODUCTION As Part of the Beaufort
PAMLICO SOUND REGIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN SECTION 3. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS I. INTRODUCTION As part of the Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Hyde, and Pamlico counties hazard mitigation efforts and the preparation of this plan, the five-county region will need to decide on which specific hazards it should focus its attention and resources. To plan for hazards and to reduce losses, the Pamlico Sound Region needs to know: 1) the type of natural hazards that threaten the region, 2) the characteristics of each hazard, 3) the likelihood of occurrence (or probability) of each hazard, 4) the magnitude of the potential hazards, and 5) the possible impacts of the hazards on the community. The following section identifies each hazard that poses an elevated threat to the counties and municipalities located within the Pamlico Sound Region. A rating system that evaluates the potential for occurrence for each identified threat is provided (see Table 39). The following natural hazards were determined to be of concern for the five-county region: 1. Hurricanes 2. Nor’easters 3. Flooding 4. Severe Winter Storms 5. Thunderstorms/Windstorms 6. Tornados 7. Wildfire 8. Earthquakes 9. Dam/Levee Failure 10. Tsunamis 11. Droughts/Heat Waves 12. Coastal Hazards A detailed explanation of these hazards and how they have impacted the five-county region is provided on the following pages. The weather history summaries provided throughout this discussion have been compiled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as provided through the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The NCDC compiles monthly reports that track weather events and any financial or life loss associated with a given occurrence. -
Hurricane Floyd / Hurricane Matthew Empirical Disaster Resilience Study
Hurricane Floyd / Hurricane Matthew Empirical Disaster Resilience Study 2015-ST-061-ND001-01 Project Number: 5107321 March 22, 2019 Prepared for: Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs and The University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence 100 Europa Drive, Suite 540 Chapel Hill, NC 27517 Prepared by: AECOM 12420 Milestone Center Drive Suite 150 Germantown, MD 20876 T: +1 (301) 820 3000 F: +1 (301) 820 3009 aecom.com Hurricane Floyd/Hurricane Matthew Empirical Disaster Resilience Study Project Reference: 2015-ST-061-ND001-01 Project Number: 5107321 Abstract Two types of studies were conducted. An exploratory study examined whether 17 theoretical indicators of resilience demonstrate whether communities saved time and money as they recovered from Hurricane Matthew. The other study, a losses avoided study, examined whether the acquisition of flood-prone properties by county and municipal governments increased resilience following Hurricane Matthew. The hazard mitigation projects in the study were implemented after Hurricane Floyd, which struck the coast of North Carolina in 1999 and caused $2 billion of damage, and before Hurricane Matthew, which struck the coast of South Carolina in 2016 and moved north, causing $967 million in North Carolina. Exploratory Study The exploratory study used empirical measures of pre-Hurricane Matthew conditions (indicators of resilience) and Hurricane Matthew outcomes in six eastern North Carolina counties. Measures of 17 indicators of resilience (independent variables) were compared to post- Hurricane Matthew outcomes (dependent variables) (dependent variables. Each hypothesized outcome was that higher levels of an indicator of resilience led to less damage to privately owned structures or public infrastructure and a less time-consuming recovery from Hurricane Matthew. -
Disaster Relief History
2020 2020 2020 544 Jonesboro, AR. Tornado 20-Mar 543 Tishomingo, MS. Tornado 20-Mar 542 Williamsburg, KY., Jackson, MS, Ridgeland,MS. & Walla Walla, WA. Flooding 20-Feb 542 Nashville, Mt. Juliet, & Cookeville, TN. Tornado 20-Mar 2019 2019 2019 541 Decatur County, TN. Severe Storm 19-Oct 540 Beaumont, Baytown, Orange, & Port Arthur, TX. Flooding 19-Sep 539 New Iberia & Sulphur, LA. Hurricane Barry 19-Jul 538 Dayton, OH. Tornado 19-May 537 Jay, OK. Tornado 19-May 536 Alteimer, Dardanelle, Pine Bluff & Wright, AR; Fort Gbson, Gore & Sand Springs, OK. Flooding 19-May 535 Longview, TX. Tornado 19-May 534 Rusk, TX. Tornado 19-Apr 533 Hamilton, MS. Tornado 19-Apr 532 Bellevue, Fremont, & Nebraska City, NE; Mound City, & St. Joseph, MO. Flooding 19-Mar 531 Savannah, TN Flooding 19-Mar 530 Opelika, & Phenix City, AL; Cataula, & Talbotton, GA Tornado 19-Mar 529 Columbus, MS Tornado 19-Feb 2018 2018 2018 528 Taylorville, IL Tornado 18-Dec 527 Chico, & Paradise (Butte County), CA Wildfire 18-Nov 526 Kingsland, & Marble Falls, TX Flooding 18-Oct 525 Carabelle, Eastpoint, Marianna & Panama City, FL; Blakely, Camilla, Hurricane Michael 18-Oct Dawson, & Donalsonville, GA 524 Sonora, TX Flooding 18-Sep 523 Elizabethtown, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Grantsboro, Havelock, Jacksonville, Hurricane Florence 18-Sep Laurinburg, Lumberton, Morehead City, New Bern, Riverbend & Wilmington, NC; Dillon, Loris & Marion, SC 522 Shasta County, & Trinity County, CA Wildfires 18-Jul 521 Blanca, Alamosa, & Walsenburg, CO Wildfires 18-Jul 520 Des Moines, & Marshalltown,IA -
North Carolina's Monopolistic System of Controlling Liquor Is Broken, but Will Lawmakers Fix
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS 2018 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS HIGHER EDUCATION Federal judges General Assembly What to do with reject N.C. con- approves rewritten Silent Sam? UNC gressional districts amendments for Board of Trustees after review November ballot will present plan ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE FOR DAILY UPDATES VISIT CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNAL OF NEWS, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION FROM THE JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM VOL. 27 • NO. 9 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • STATEWIDE EDITION JOHN TRUMP Forgetting MANAGING EDITOR ead distiller Chris Jude steps through a door at the High Wire Distilling Co. in Charleston, South Carolina. Jude, Hwho’s from Boone, enters the tast- ing room and bar, making the short trip from the place spirits are made to the place spirits are served. our ABCs Customers sitting at the long bar can distract themselves by peer- ing through large glass windows, revealing the distillery. At the still and mash tuns, the grain and the barrels, filled with aging bourbon, sorghum, rye, and single malt whis- North Carolina’s monopolistic kies. A series of shelves to the left of the bar are filled with the distillery’s products, including amaro — a com- system of controlling liquor is pilation of macerated herbs, botan- icals, fruits — including Charleston Black Tea — and sweetened with broken, but will lawmakers fix it? sugar cane. So, what do you want to try, Ju- de, every bit the proud father, asks from behind the bar? A listing of the spirits has been laid in front of each bar stool, along with a small card — a cocktail rec- MORE STORIES IN THIS ISSUE: ipe made with High Wire products. -
Soil Moisture Responses Associated with Significant Tropical Cyclone Flooding Events
Case, J. L., L. T. Wood, J. L. Blaes, K. D. White, C. R. Hain, and C. J. Schultz, 2021: Soil moisture responses associated with significant tropical cyclone flooding events. J. Operational Meteor., 9 (1), 1-17, doi: https://doi.org/10.15191/nwajom.2021.0901. Soil Moisture Responses Associated with Significant Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Events JONATHAN L. CASE* ENSCO, Inc./Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center, Huntsville, Alabama LANCE T. WOOD NOAA/National Weather Service, Houston/Galveston, Texas JONATHAN L. BLAES NOAA/National Weather Service, Raleigh, North Carolina KRISTOPHER D. WHITE NOAA/National Weather Service, Huntsville, Alabama CHRISTOPHER R. HAIN and CHRISTOPHER J. SCHULTZ NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama (Manuscript received 3 April 2020; review completed 6 December 2020) ABSTRACT Several historic rainfall and flooding events associated with Atlantic Basin tropical cyclones have occurred in recent years within the conterminous United States: Hurricane Joaquin (2015) in early October over South Carolina; Hurricane Harvey (2017) in late August over southeastern Texas; Hurricane Florence (2018) in September over North Carolina; and Tropical Storm Imelda (2019) in September, again over southeastern Texas. A common attribute of these events includes a dramatic transition from dry soils to exceptional flooding in a very short time. We use an observations-driven land surface model to measure the response of modeled soil moisture to these tropical cyclone rainfall events and quantify the soil moisture anomalies relative to a daily, county-based model climatology spanning 1981 to 2013. Modeled soil moisture evolution is highlighted, including a comparison of the total column (0-2 m) soil moisture percentiles (derived from analysis values) to the 1981-2013 climatological database.