TAMU-G-96-004 C2 lOANCOPY ONLY Texas Sea Grant Program The Texas ARM University Sea Grant College Program is a partnershipof university.government and Industry,focusirig on marine research,education and advisoryservice. Nationally, Sea Grant beganin 1966 with the passaqeof the Sea Grant Program andCollege Act. Patterned after the Iwnd GrantAct of the 1860s, the Sea Grant conceptis a practical, broad-based scientific effort to better the world for all those Irving in and out of the sea. Marine Research From Iayinq the seedsfor a new aquaculture industry in Texas to measuringthe influx of freshwater intothe estuaries,Texas Sea Grarit strivesto increaseknowledge across a broadspectrurri of marine-related fields.Resear< h is the largestof TexasSea Grant's components,accouriting for approximately50 percentof the annualbudqet. The researchprogram areas in<lude aquaculture. environmental studies, fisheries,biotechriology, social and economicpolicy, and marine educatiori. Research grants, which are awardedon a competitiveand peer-reviev'basis, are the foundationfor the futureof our coast. Marine Advisory Service The Texas Marine AdvisoryService is a ceriterpiecein an effort to get informatiorito usergroups in thestate. Marine research from the academic communityis trarisrriittedto the generalpublic throughthis medium. Whether it's throughworkshops, public a- tions or justone-on-on down on the docks. the goa! is i<>help peopledeal more effectivelywith the marine environmentwithout harmingit. The MarineAdvisory Service is a cooperativeeffort of Sea Grant, the TexasAgricultural Extensi<>n Service and comrnissioriers' courts in participatingc<>unties. Texas A&M University In 1968 TexasA8<M Urtiversttyreceived the distinctioriof being named among the riation's first six institutional award recipients. Threeyears Iat<.r the schoolv,as desiqnated a Sea Grant College. The university has a rich heritage of o<eanoqraphy research datinq back to 1949 when the program began. In addition there is an ongoing prograrri to get marine information to ihe public Sea Grant is a matching funds program. The TexasSea Grant Program itself is made possible through an institutional award from the National Oceanicand AtmosphericAdritinistration, U.S. Departmerrtof Commerce.and appropriations from the Texas Legislature and loca! governments. TAMU-SG-96 503 5M June 1996 NA56RG0388 A/I-1 Cc>1996Texas A%.M University Sea Grant College Program Reproduction in part or whole of the contents withoutwrit tert permissionof the publisheris prohibited. Writers. Phillip Sulak, Anessa Heatherinqton Design. Amy Broussard 1900 Storm Photos courtesy Rosenberq Librany, Galveston Sinqle copies free; order from Sea Grant Program Texas AfkM University 1716 Briarcrest,Suite 603 Bryan, Texas 77802 The Issue Carla. beulah, Allen, Alicia, Jerry. They may not sound like,.-' killers, but they were. They were hurricanes that caused death and destruction along the Texas coast. These names have little meaning for newcomers to Texas and the years since a major storm along Texas'coast make even long-time resid e nts cornpl a cent, Where memories of Texas' worst fade, however, it is easier to recall televised scenes of Hugo ... or, mor e recently, Andrew. It.'s hard to f'orget pictures of the aftermath of these storms, and not to wonder,just for a moment, what if'P This publication is designed to makeyou think and plan before the threat occurs.It includesstep-by-step instructions for hurricanepreparation and evacuationplans, a tracking chart, and suggestions for recovery after a storm. westernAfrica and upper larly destr uctive storm. inside the eye and over- level wind conditions that The letters Q, U, X, Y, and cast rainy skies give way nave wor ked to inhibit Z are not used due to lack ta samet.imes nearly hurricane formation. He of names, cioud-free conditions. also believes that the Hurricanes are coun- The official hurricane circulatian pattern will terclockwise-r otating, sea son for t h e Atl a n tie speedup in the future, tightly coiled storms of Basin is from June 1 to leading to mare hurricane such immensity and Nov. 30. There have been a ctivity. magnitude t,hat it may storms form as early as Sucha sceneof affect thousands of May none have struck the What exactly is squaremiles of ocean Texas coast before June!, desolation as met the a hurricane? area and extend above but most storms for m 50,000 feet into the from July through October. eyes of the people of A hurricane is a member lowerstratospnere, plus of' the tropical cyclone Galvestonwhen day several hundred feet inta Storm surge family that also includes the oceandepths. They When viewed an a world- dawned Sunday, typhoons,tropical storms may nat be the largest. wide s ale, most hurricane and tropical depressions, sto r msystem s, o r the deaths came fram the sea September 9, has Cyclones with sustained most violent, in our in the form of stor m surge, winasexceeding 73 mph rarrelybeen witnessed hemisphere,but they which claims nine out of 10 are called hurricanes in the combinethose qualities victims. Atlantic, Ca ribbea n Sea as no other phenamenor, on earth. Rfteen While over water and and Gulf o~ Mexico and in does, as if they were away from land, wind- the eastern and central designed solely ta be hundredacres of the driven waves in a hurricane Pacific Ocea n. messengers af death and may reach heights of 50 city had beenswept Thos e sam etypes of destruction. feet or higher, As the storms would be called a Thestorms are tropical star m leavesthe open clear of eoery typhoon in the western chilaren, born aver the ocean and crosses the Pacific and a cyclone in the ocean,powered by heat continental shelf, moving habitation.Euery Indian Ocea n. from the seas and the closer to the coast, Tropical cyc lanes with s un, stee red by th e average water levels may street was chocked sustainedwind speeds af easterly trade winds and 39 through 73 mphare increase 15 feet or more. with ruins, while the temperate westerlies,a nd The advancing storm surge calledtropica I star ms, their own fierce energy. combines wit.h the normal Whena tropical storm Aroundtheir tranquil sea, not content with astronomical tide to reaches sustained winds of c ores, wi nd s bi o wwith c.reate the hurricane 39 mph it is givena name. lethal velocity, the ocean tearing away a gnmt storm tide. In addition, The rirst letter af the developsa ninund a ting wind waves to 10 feet high st along the beach namewill correspondwith surge, and, as they move or moreare superimposed what number storm it is onshore, tornadoes may on the storm tide. This front, had piled the for the year. The fir st descend fram the advanc- storm of the year will begin buildupof' water levelcan ing spiral bandsof cumu- wreckage in one great with the letter A, the ca use severe flooding in lonimbus clouds, coasta I area s, partic ularly scca nd with I et ter P a n d At th e center of' th e when the storm surge long massfrom city so on, storm is the "eye,"which is coincides with normal high There are only six sets uniqueto the hurricane. end to city end. tides. of names for Atlantic No other atmospheric Because much of the storms. The list for 1996 phenomenonhas this calm is the same as tl.e list, U nited State s' densely core, Eye diameters populatedcoastline along that was used in 1990 and average about 15 miles, the Atlantic and Gulf 1997 storms will follow the although diameters of 24 coasts lies less than 15 same list as used in 1991, miles are not unusual. feet above mean sea level, A name can be retired fram Winds diminish ta some- the danger from storm the list if it was a particu- thing less than 15 mph Texassea Grant , 3 Beneaththese masses of brokenbuttdfngs, tn the streets,tn the The hurricanemoves ashore. A 15-foot surgeadded to the normal 2-foot tide createsa stormtide yank, in fence of 17 feet. This moundof water,topped bv batteringwaves, moves ashore along an areaof the coastline as much as 100 miles wide. The combination of the storm surge, battering waves and high corner3, tn cfsterns, fn winds is deadly. the bay,far out acrtoss surge is great. The more Wind object is added at a the ueters on the tha n 6,000 lives cia irned disproportionaterate. Hurricane winds within in th e Ga Iveston hurri ca n e I'ressure mounts with the matntand shores, 50 miles of the storm of 1900 mostly came from squareof windvelocity. A center may reachspeeds drowning as the storm 10-fold increase in wind eoeryaheretn fact, of 200 mphor moreand surgeswept across the speedadds a 100-fold should be considered by isla nd, ta king buildings increasein pressure,That oem corpses.Galen ca asta I communities a nd wit.h it. can meantata I collapse residents when determin- mrs a verltabre Estimates of the storm for some buildings. Most of ing building codes, or how surge in Hurricane Camille the damage caused in the strong ta build a struc- in 1970 were as high as 25 CorpusChristi area during ture, Most of the damage feet above mean sea level. 1971's Hurricane Celia was in southern Florida The storm surge can also ca used by high winds. associated with Hurr icane extend more than SO miles Andrew was wind-related. inlanddepending on the Rain and floods Evidence indicates that a rea's topogr ap hy, the wind may have become Once a hurricane moves Wave a nd cur r e nt acti on the major threat to life in over land, it is removed a ssoci ated with sur g ea soI a hurricane, Hurricane from its energy source cause extensive damage.