FEMA Sponsored Coastal Structures Damage Assessment in North Carolina for Hurricane Isabel (HMTAP Task Order 274 Sep 2003)

摘要

Hurricane Isabel made landfall at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, at approximately 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 18, 2003. The maximum sustained wind speed at the time of landfall was forecasted by the National Weather Service (NWS) National Hurricane Center (NHC) to be approximately 105 miles per hour (mph). The maximum storm surge was reported to be approximately 12 feet. The NWS classified the storm as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale at landfall. The effects of the storm were felt not only in North Carolina, but far into Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Wind gusts were greater than 50 mph in Richmond, Virginia. The maximum normalize wind speeds found during this field assessment were found to be a 79 mph (1-min avg.) sustained wind at Cape Hatteras, a 74 mph (10-minute avg.) sustained wind a Duck Pier, and a 101 mph (3-second) gust at Cape Hatteras Airport. The primary effect in the inland areas of North Carolina was damage to some homes and portions of the electric power infrastructure caused by fallen trees. The focus of this task was to collect and document perishable data related to building foundations, coastal erosion and scour issues related to foundation damage, and flood damage related to wave action along coastal areas of North Carolina that were directly impacted by Hurricane Isabel. A team of building science and coastal engineers was sent into the field to conduct damage surveys to document perishable data related to the hurricane and storm surge.