1. A Comprehensive Database Of Storm Surge Data For Use In Coastal Hazards Research And Storm Surge Model Calibration Andrew Maloof 1 Rochelle Legaspi 1 Rob Young 2 Dave Bush 1 1 University of West Georgia 2 Western Carolina University

2. Storm Surge: The Signature of a hurricane An accurate record of storm surge is vital to a thorough understanding of the impacts of a passing or landfalling hurricane. Timing of hurricane landfall with astronomical tides can raise or lower the storm high-water level. It is unfortunate that there are so many gaps in the data, or that information is difficult to find.

3. Storm Surge Storm physical characteristics Movement of the storm Shape of the shoreline

4. Gilbert, 1988, Yucatán north coast water line This house is over 500 meters from the water. Indoor water marks are the best indicators of high water levels.

5. Hugo, 1989, Pawleys Island, SC Surge floated houses from foundations; most of the front row is gone.

6. Hugo, 1989, Garden City, SC Floated houses, sand overwash, older homes built before building codes.

7. Emily, 1993, Cape Hatteras, NC Offshore blowing winds created debris line on the back of the islands. debris line is surge level

8. Hugo, 1989, Puerto Rico Sand washover along the Pi  ones shoreline (east of San Juan) after Hurricane Hugo. An estimated 500,000 cubic meters of sand was washed ashore along this stretch.

9. Opal, 1995, Florida Panhandle Surge allowed waves to directly attack and destroy first story of motel.

10. Temporary rise is sea level resulting from storm processes: Wind, waves, barometric effect

11. Terminology Storm surge—water above normal astronomical tide High water level—maximum still water height reached during storm Storm tide—NOAA term for high water level

12. storm surge high water level tide level Observed (high water level) - Predicted water level (tides) = Storm Surge Storm-surge levels along South Carolina coast (from FEMA).

13. Eye at landfall Radius of maximum winds Charleston Hurricane Hugo (1989), South Carolina, Storm Surge Profile 20 miles

15. Storm Surge-Ebb Storm surge water rushes back to sea after the hurricane passes, often causing much damage Hurricane Ivan, 2004, USGS photo pair Hurricane Isabel inlet, 2003, North of Cape Hatteras, NC

16. Storm Surge Data are Often Lacking Data not routinely collected No formalized procedure Several agencies Most data unpublished

17. Hurricane Opal

18. Storm Surge Hurricane Katrina Even with all this death and destruction resulting from hurricanes storm surge, documentation for storm surge is very limited, and in some cases does not exist.

19. GOAL Create the world’s first storm surge database Aid research for coastal hazards assessment

20. http://www.stormsurgedatabase.org/

21. Home Page

22. Link to real time imagery

23. Home Page Select hurricane year of interest for more information

24. Home Page Links to satellite imagery by ocean basin

25. Home Page Let’s click on 2008

26. Listing gives name, dates, date and time of U.S. landfall.

27. Let’s click on Ike

28. Links to available reports

29. Satellite image and link to National Hurricane Center

31. Panable Google map of area of greatest impact.

35. Aspects of storm surge for database Location of data point Maximum water level Method of measurement Who took the measurement Reliability of measurement