Calm Before the Storm
First Spatial, a mapping technology company, has issued a report analyzing the impacts of hurricane storm surges on U.S. cities on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Storm surges are walls of water created under hurricanes when high winds push the water to the edge of the storm. The surge wall rises higher as the ocean floor becomes shallower as the storm approaches the coastline. According to this report, New Orleans and Miami are most vulnerable to a Category-1 hurricane. The researchers evaluated residential valuation data against a storm surge model to determine potential losses under different scenarios. They found, for example, that a Category-4 hurricane would cause $11 billion in damages to Long Island. Of course, if commercial properties were included in the analysis, the impacts would be much greater. What the report does not measure are the human losses; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, flooding induced by storm surges has killed more people in the U.S. than any other consequence of hurricanes, such as high winds or fresh-water flooding. For this reason, the NOAA is working to improve its forecasts of storm surge warnings. Given that AccuWeather forecasts an “extreme” hurricane season for 2010, these advisories are critical.