STORM SURGE MAPPING IN THE CARIBBEAN - A CALL FOR REGIONAL GUIDELINES

摘要

Hurricane waves and surges can have a crippling effect on economic growth in Caribbean island states. In reducing the vulnerability to these disasters, areas exposed to storm surge must first be identified and inundation levels predicted. Various methods and models have been applied to estimate storm surge at sub-regional scales and for coastal sites and towns. The approach used to filter and utilize the hurricane data, and the statistical methods employed to develop final values are often different. The territories through different funding agencies have sponsored several projects to map storm surge, but there has not been a single unified project or approach. This paper evaluates the applicability of various methods, and provides recommendations for storm surge mapping towards the development of an established set of guidelines for the region.