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Learning the Lessons of Hurricane Ike
In 2009, the Houston Endowment awarded SSPEED a grant to research the problems caused by Hurricane Ike in the Houston/Galveston area and to identify management practices that have the potential to provide input to future storm mitigation strategies. The results of this study will help us better understand the complex and interconnected nature of severe storms and how we should go about preventing damage from occurring in future storms. Although research is continuing and the final results are not due until summer 2011, several interesting findings are emerging. 2. Hurricane surge and wave elevations are seriously underrepresented in engineering literature. 3. The convergence of hurricane storm surges and rainfall-related stream flooding represents a new and under-examined flooding phenomenon that could worsen damages due to surge flooding alone. 4. Over 65% of the water-crossing bridges in the Galveston Bay area require further investigation of their damage potential. It is these water-crossing bridges that have exhibited vulnerability in past hurricanes events. Damage to these structures could pose a threat to emergency response and recovery. 5. The mass movement of the estimated one million people that live in the evacuation zones is a challenge for existing emergency evacuation corridors. Furthermore, it does not appear that future transportation projects will be able to adequately support the current population nor the projected population growth of 500,000 people. 6. Refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel are typically protected to the mapped flood plain elevation of approximately 14-15 feet, an elevation only a few feet higher than that experienced in Hurricane Ike and ten feet lower than a reasonable worst case surge of about 25 feet from a Carla-type storm. 7. A number of structural and non-structural alternatives exist that offer varying levels of protection to the Houston/Galveston region from hurricane surge flooding, rainfall and wind. A thorough examination and comparison of the economic costs, environmental impacts, social hazards and overall reliability and effectiveness of these alternatives should be completed before any final selections. 8. Researchers have identified 14 zones in the Galveston Bay region where different structural and non-structural alternatives could be used. Additionally, certain aspects of the proposed Ike Dike were evaluated. 9. In studies conducted in Florida and Texas, non-structural alternatives have been found to be consistently more effective in reducing flood damage than structural control measures. As such, they are being evaluated as an alternative to traditional structural options. 10. The ultimate solution(s) chosen to address the vulnerability of the Houston-Galveston area to hurricanes will dictate the social, economic and environmental future of the upper Texas coast.
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The Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center located at Rice University is dedicated to scholarly research and education on severe storms that impact the Gulf Coast. SSPEED is comprised of world-class researchers from around the state of Texas with a common concern about the seriousness of the risks the Houston/Galveston region faces every hurricane season and the urgency with which critical and creative thinking is needed to avoid calamity.
