The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects

The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects PDF Author: Craig F. Harter
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In many places along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast, barrier islands are the first line of defense against extreme weather events threatening our coastlines. Follett's Island is a sediment-starved barrier island located on the Upper Texas Coast; a stretch of coastline that experiences on average four hurricanes and four tropical cyclones per decade. As the topic of this thesis the impact of Hurricane Ike on Follett's Island (FI), TX is studied. The goal of this study is to address how Hurricane Ike affected the sediment supply on the subaerial beach and foredune of FI, how the island recovered following the hurricane, and what physical processes governed the response of the island during the hurricane. This study first outlines the collection of available hydrographic, atmospheric, aerial and survey data and provides an analysis of these data to characterize the long term metocean and geomorphological state of the island. It was found that water levels at FI during Hurricane Ike exceeded the 100 year water levels, and wave heights matched roughly the 40 year exceedance levels. From LiDAR surveys, it is clear that despite an initial sediment volume loss after the hurricane, the foredune and subaerial beach ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume (up to 25%), and an extension of the shoreline (up to 25 m) after a five year recovery period. Numerical modeling tools XBeach and CSHORE were employed in an attempt to numerically reproduce the observed effects of the hurricane on FI. The ultimate goal of the numerical modeling is to show a real time response of the island during the passing of the storm, rather than the before and after snapshots provided by LiDAR data. XBeach displayed a decent model skill of 0.34 and was very useful in qualitatively visualizing erosion and deposition patterns. CSHORE also displayed a decent model skill of 0.33 and was able to accurately predict the post-storm beach slope and shoreline, but was less effective at simulating the foredune morphology. Based on these data, the subaerial beach and foredune ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume after recovering from Hurricane Ike. This is a phenomenon that is contrary to the findings of other studies, and thus it is clear that sediment-starved barrier islands like FI need fundamentally different coastal protection considerations than other coastal systems. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/155506

The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects

The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects PDF Author: Craig F. Harter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In many places along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast, barrier islands are the first line of defense against extreme weather events threatening our coastlines. Follett's Island is a sediment-starved barrier island located on the Upper Texas Coast; a stretch of coastline that experiences on average four hurricanes and four tropical cyclones per decade. As the topic of this thesis the impact of Hurricane Ike on Follett's Island (FI), TX is studied. The goal of this study is to address how Hurricane Ike affected the sediment supply on the subaerial beach and foredune of FI, how the island recovered following the hurricane, and what physical processes governed the response of the island during the hurricane. This study first outlines the collection of available hydrographic, atmospheric, aerial and survey data and provides an analysis of these data to characterize the long term metocean and geomorphological state of the island. It was found that water levels at FI during Hurricane Ike exceeded the 100 year water levels, and wave heights matched roughly the 40 year exceedance levels. From LiDAR surveys, it is clear that despite an initial sediment volume loss after the hurricane, the foredune and subaerial beach ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume (up to 25%), and an extension of the shoreline (up to 25 m) after a five year recovery period. Numerical modeling tools XBeach and CSHORE were employed in an attempt to numerically reproduce the observed effects of the hurricane on FI. The ultimate goal of the numerical modeling is to show a real time response of the island during the passing of the storm, rather than the before and after snapshots provided by LiDAR data. XBeach displayed a decent model skill of 0.34 and was very useful in qualitatively visualizing erosion and deposition patterns. CSHORE also displayed a decent model skill of 0.33 and was able to accurately predict the post-storm beach slope and shoreline, but was less effective at simulating the foredune morphology. Based on these data, the subaerial beach and foredune ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume after recovering from Hurricane Ike. This is a phenomenon that is contrary to the findings of other studies, and thus it is clear that sediment-starved barrier islands like FI need fundamentally different coastal protection considerations than other coastal systems. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/155506

The Charging of the Flood

The Charging of the Flood PDF Author: Jerry Joseph Lord
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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This ethnographic analysis of the social and physical effects of Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas and the consequent recovery that emerged afterward is based on 20 months of field research conducted immediately before and after the storm's landfall. The introductory chapter locates the ethnographer just prior to the hurricane as he prepared for an unexpected evacuation. It then presents the conceptual framework for a multi-sited ethnography of "disaster culture" and introduces analytic keywords of "vulnerability," "resilience," "dreamworlds," and "catastrophe." It concludes by discussing a set of historical and contemporary socio-economic conditions in Galveston. This provides a frame of reference of both the social formations of storm experiences and the public recovery dynamics that attended with Ike's aftermath that are discussed throughout the text. This is further supplemented with an explanation of Ike's flooding and the geographic distribution of storm damage. Chapter two begins with an ethnographic vignette of the first townhall meeting held in Galveston after Ike. This introduces several recurrent topics of concern that were formative of disaster-culture dynamics. It then provides a literature review of the anthropology of disaster before segueing into a presentation of storm narratives. It ends with an analysis that further elaborates on the formative dynamics of Galvestonian disaster culture. Chapter three provides an analysis of the public deliberations that emerged over long-term redevelopment initiatives; particularly, the advocacy practices of a faith-based consortium; advocacy on behalf of restoring the University of Texas Medical Branch; the public Long Term Recovery Committee, and a FEMA buyout program that benefited higher income property owners on the western end of the island. The fourth chapter provides an extended case study concerning the rebuilding of 569 units of public housing that were subsequently destroyed after the hurricane. The rebuilding of public housing became the most vitriolic public issue during the course of fieldwork. The concluding chapter invokes the concepts of "dreamworlds" and "catastrophe" used by historian and philosopher Walter Benjamin to show the processual dynamics between the initial hopes for collectively strengthening Galveston through federally funded redevelopment and the increasingly negative assessments of the city's long-term urban fortunes.

Lessons from Hurricane Ike

Lessons from Hurricane Ike PDF Author: Philip B. Bedient
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603445889
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
If Hurricane Ike had made landfall just fifty miles down the Texas coast, the devastation and death caused by what was already one of the most destructive hurricanes in US history would have quadrupled. Ike made everyone realize just how exposed and vulnerable the Houston-Galveston area is in the face of a major storm. What is done to address this vulnerability will shape the economic, social, and environmental landscape of the region for decades to come. In Lessons from Hurricane Ike, Philip Bedient and the research team at the Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center at Rice University provide an overview of some of the research being done in the Houston-Galveston region in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. The center was formed shortly after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Its research examines everything from surge and inland flooding to bridge infrastructure. Lessons from Hurricane Ike gathers the work of some of the premier researchers in the fields of hurricane prediction and impact, summarizing it in accessible language accompanied by abundant illustrations—not just graphs and charts, but dramatic photos and informative maps. Orienting readers to the history and basic meteorology of severe storms along the coast, the book then revisits the impact of Hurricane Ike and discusses what scientists and engineers are studying as they look at flooding, storm surges, communications, emergency response, evacuation planning, transportation issues, coastal resiliency, and the future sustainability of the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area.

Hurricane Ike Field Investigations: Setting; Chapter 3 Hurricane Ike; Chapter 4 Geologic Conditions; Chapter 5 Shoreline Structure Issues; Chapter 6 Buildings; Chapter 7 Lifelines and Infrastructure; Chapter 8 Marina Performance; Chapter 9 Policy Issues; Chapter 10 Lessons Learned; Appendix Storm Hydrographs at Area NOAA Stations

Hurricane Ike Field Investigations: Setting; Chapter 3 Hurricane Ike; Chapter 4 Geologic Conditions; Chapter 5 Shoreline Structure Issues; Chapter 6 Buildings; Chapter 7 Lifelines and Infrastructure; Chapter 8 Marina Performance; Chapter 9 Policy Issues; Chapter 10 Lessons Learned; Appendix Storm Hydrographs at Area NOAA Stations PDF Author: Hurricane Ike Field Assessment Team of American Society of Civil Engineers
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780784476888
Category : Beach erosion
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Prepared by the Hurricane Ike Field Assessment Team of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute of ASCE. Hurricane Ike Coastal Impact Assessment: Field Observations from October 3-6, 2008 describes the environmental and infrastructure impacts of Hurricane Ike on the upper Texas coast. Most important, the report identifies factors that appeared to provide protection from storm damage and presents some policy implications. After a general introduction to the area, its geology, historical storm events and rehabilitation, and coastal processes, the book describes Hurricane Ike, including water levels, storm surge measurements, and comparisons with other storms. It portrays the physical impacts of the storm, such as geomorphic changes, erosion rates, shoreline position, and impact of winds on engineered structures. Damage to and survival of shoreline structures--piers, seawalls, geotextile tubes, groins, and inlet jetties--are also discussed. Subsequent chapters address structural damage to buildings, lifelines and infrastructure, and marinas from wind, flooding, waves, and erosion. Finally, the book raises policy issues and summarizes lessons learned. Civil engineers engaged in projects related to coasts, oceans, ports, and rivers, especially in hurricane-prone areas; facilities managers in coastal areas; government officials from agencies that participate in coastal zone management or manage emergency preparedness will find the observations and conclusions of this book valuable.

After Ike

After Ike PDF Author: Bryan Carlile
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603441506
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
The day after Hurricane Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, photographer Bryan Carlile was in a helicopter, working a service contract as a first responder. He took with him a native Texan’s good memories of the Gulf Coast but brought back images that tell the sobering story of this massive and historic storm. After Ike includes more than one hundred aerial photographs Carlile took of the hurricane’s grim aftermath accompanied by Carlile’s eyewitness captions. In some places, Carlile is able to show images from “before Ike” that bring home the magnitude of the changes wrought to both natural and human habitats. In a thoughtful, personal essay, Andrew Sansom, who was raised on the Texas coast, reflects on the realities of living in “Hurricane Alley.”

Uninvited Guest

Uninvited Guest PDF Author: Pamela Lynne Goza
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781480118218
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
News of Hurricane Ike's impending catastrophic landfall on Texas' Gulf Coast resembled the "Crying Wolf" residents experienced many times in year's past. A Catagory 2 storm had always proved nonthreatening and I had no intention of running again only to be tied up in traffic lines for 20 hours just to travel a distance that normally took five hours to drive. The inconvenience and financial expenses for lodging, food, and gas seem to outway the mandatory evacuation. These photos are a journal of events that preceeded and aftermath of Hurricane Ike's uninvited visit to Galveston Island, Bolivar Peninsula and surrounding communities.

Field Investigation of Hurricane Ike Impacts to the Upper Texas Coast

Field Investigation of Hurricane Ike Impacts to the Upper Texas Coast PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hurricanes
Languages : en
Pages : 15

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The Damage Assessment Process

The Damage Assessment Process PDF Author: Henry B. Hodde (III.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Disaster relief
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Contribution of Hurricane Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana

Contribution of Hurricane Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana PDF Author: Emily E. Denlinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Gulf Coast (La.)
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Was Hurricane Ike the Big One?

Was Hurricane Ike the Big One? PDF Author: Chris A. Barker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Geology
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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