Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge Reconnaissance
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 5
Abstract
Hurricane Katrina (August 23–30, 2005) was one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States, impacting low-lying coastal plains particularly vulnerable to storm surge flooding. Maximum storm surges, overland flow depths, and inundation distances were measured along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The vehicle-based survey was complemented by inspections with the reconnaissance boat along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi Barrier Islands. The survey covered both the impact on the built and the natural environments. The storm surge peaked to the east of Katrina’s path exceeding in several locations along the Mississippi coastline. The storm surge measurements show that the lower floors of specially designed buildings were damaged by the surge of seawater and associated wave action, while the upper floors sustained minimal wind damage. The storm surge measurements along New Orleans Lakeshore allowed the investigators to exclude overtopping as failure mechanism for the 17th Street outfall canal levee. Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge distribution (Category 3 at landfall) is compared against Hurricane Camille’s storm surge distribution (Category 5 at landfall). The land loss on the barrier islands and the increased vulnerability of the US Gulf Coast to future hurricane storm surges is discussed.
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Acknowledgments
This post-Katrina reconnaissance was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) SGER program Award No. NSFCMS-0553144. The writers would like to thank the National Park Services (NPS) for providing boat rides to Petit-Bois, Horn, and Ship Islands. George Boddie—co-owner of Cat Island—provided valuable information and access to the private part of Cat Island with our SeaCat reconnaissance boat.
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© 2008 ASCE.
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Received: Mar 16, 2007
Accepted: Nov 30, 2007
Published online: May 1, 2008
Published in print: May 2008
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