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Our attempts to gain knowledge from studying the effects of a single windstorm might be complicated by one or more other events that pass through the same system before it recovers from prior damage. In this article, we had the opportunity to examine permanent plots affected by two consecutive catastrophic storms of comparable intensity within a short time frame (less than a decade). We compared tree damage patterns resulting from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008, which struck the same five forest plots (40 m × 50 m each; 1 ha total) established in the Big Thicket National Preserve of southeast Texas. The results showed that the post-Rita forest structure was characterized by intense damage to short, shade-tolerant stems and increased canopy openness. Hence, trees damaged by Ike were, in general, taller, more shade intolerant, and more spatially distant from their undamaged counterparts than trees damaged by Rita. These contrasting damage patterns indicate that Ike affected the plots differently to a normal windstorm occurring in isolation (after a long absence of prior windstorms). We anticipate that the cumulative, compounded effects of these two storms will potentially have long-lasting footprints on the structure and function of the study forest. The need to account for compounding disturbance interactions in forest research and management will grow, because many atmospheric scientists predict increases in both the intensity and frequency of hurricanes in conjunction with future climate change scenarios. Key Words: Big Thicket, disturbance interaction, forest structure, hurricane, spatial point pattern analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impacts of assimilating radar radial velocity (Vr) data for the simulation of hurricane Ike (2008) with two different ensemble generation techniques in the framework of the hybrid ensemble-variational (EnVar) data assimilation system of Weather Research and Forecasting model. For the generation of ensemble perturbations we apply two techniques, the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) and the ensemble of data assimilation (EDA). For the ETKF-EnVar, the forecast ensemble perturbations are updated by the ETKF, while for the EDA-EnVar, the hybrid is employed to update each ensemble member with perturbed observations. The ensemble mean is analyzed by the hybrid method with flow-dependent ensemble covariance for both EnVar. The sensitivity of analyses and forecasts to the two applied ensemble generation techniques is investigated in our current study. It is found that the EnVar system is rather stable with different ensemble update techniques in terms of its skill on improving the analyses and forecasts. The EDA-EnVar-based ensemble perturbations are likely to include slightly less organized spatial structures than those in ETKF-EnVar, and the perturbations of the latter are constructed more dynamically. Detailed diagnostics reveal that both of the EnVar schemes not only produce positive temperature increments around the hurricane center but also systematically adjust the hurricane location with the hurricane-specific error covariance. On average, the analysis and forecast from the ETKF-EnVar have slightly smaller errors than that from the EDA-EnVar in terms of track, intensity, and precipitation forecast. Moreover, ETKF-EnVar yields better forecasts when verified against conventional observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental-scale flood discharge modeling requires a high level of efficiency and flexibility. To this end, this study documents the implementation and application of a vector-based river routing model in the community WRF-Hydro modeling framework. Using Hurricane Ike as a case study, the hybrid vector–grid modeling framework's sensitivity to the land grid resolution and the coupling interface is assessed. Results show the model is more sensitive to the coupling interface than the grid resolution, and a 1-km land grid with an area-weighted coupling interface exhibits the optimal simulation results. A geographic information system (GIS) based approach is adopted to improve the regional representativeness of the flow travel time estimation. The model's computational efficiency and complexity are compared to a grid-based routing scheme, demonstrating its advantages for large-scale “offline” hydrological applications with GIS-supported features. Trade-offs between the modeling efficiency and complexity are then discussed to inform future large-scale flood prediction applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike caused massive damages to Galveston Island’s residential structures including four public housing developments. These developments were located in neighborhoods with some of the lowest incomes and highest percentages of people of color on the Island. Four months later, the Galveston Housing Authority (GHA) decided to demolish all four developments consisting of 569 housing units due to the damages to the buildings. Today, despite federal regulations requiring reconstruction, court orders mandating replacement of the demolished units, and available funding, only 142 low-income apartments have been rebuilt. We used the social vulnerability framework to understand these outcomes through the ability of groups to shape post-disaster recovery decisions. This paper argues that one of the overlooked characteristics of social vulnerability is a diminished ability to participate in post-disaster decision-making. We found that social vulnerability limited participation through three distinct mechanisms: the physical displacement of public housing residents, the stigmatization of public housing, and the reduction of residents to housing units in the debates. There were few local advocates arguing for the preservation of public housing units and even fewer remaining residents to speak up for themselves in the face of strong local resistance to the reconstruction of public housing units or the return of public housing residents. The void of a strong and authentic local pro-public housing perspective in Galveston provided an opening for various local campaigns to claim that their desired plan benefited the poor. The disaster recovery became an opportunity to remove or reduce public housing units and therefore public housing residents. Our findings show the dynamic features of vulnerability. While static factors of vulnerability can limit access to resources for recovery, dynamic processes of social marginalization and exclusion limit the voices of socially vulnerable groups in recovery decisions and exacerbate marginalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Yao, Q.; Liu, K.-B., and Ryu, J., 2018. Multi-proxy Characterization of Hurricane Rita and Ike Storm Deposits in a Coastal Marsh in the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Southwestern Louisiana. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 841–845. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In 2005 and 2008, Hurricanes Rita and Ike made landfalls as category 3 and 2 hurricanes to the west of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge (RWR) in southwestern Louisiana. In 2013, three ~30 cm sediment monoliths dominated by brown clay were recovered along a ~30 m transect perpendicular to the shoreline from the RWR. Each monolith contains two distinct light-colored calcareous storm deposits that are attributable to these two landfalling hurricanes. Loss-onignition and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses were performed on all three sediment monoliths to study the sedimentological and geochemical characteristics of these two storm deposits. The geochemical results show that the storm deposits are characterized by higher-than-average values of Ca, Sr, Zr, and carbonates and low percentages of water and organics. In addition, remote sensing images show that the rate of average shoreline retreat at the RWR is ~14.5 m/yr from 1998 to 2017, and 19 m/year and 25.5 m/yr during the Hurricane Rita and Ike years, respectively. Both loss-on-ignition and XRF results also show that despite being a stronger storm, the Hurricane Rita layers are much thinner than those of Hurricane Ike in all monoliths. Remote sensing data support our interpretation that Hurricane Rita caused significant shoreline erosion and coastal recession in 2005, rendering the sampling locations at least 30 m closer to the ocean and thereby more susceptible to storm surges when Hurricane Ike struck in 2008. Thus, these results suggest that site-to-sea distance is an important factor in determining the thicknesses of storm deposits in coastal wetlands, particularly along shorelines undergoing rapid marine transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage and destruction to schools from climate-related disasters can have significant and lasting impacts on curriculum and educational programs, educational attainment, and future income-earning potential of affected students. As such, assessing the potential impact of hazards is crucial to the ability of individuals, households, and communities to respond to natural disasters, extreme events, and economic crises. Yet, few studies have focused on assessing the vulnerability of schools in coastal regions of the USA. Using Hurricane Ike's tropical storm wind swath in the State of Texas as our study area, we: (1) assessed the spatial distribution patterns of school closures and (2) tested the relationship between school closure and vulnerability factors (namely physical exposure and school demographics) using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. The regression results show that higher probabilities of hurricane strikes, more urbanized school districts, and school districts located in coastal counties on the right side of Ike's path have significant positive associations with an increase in the number of school closure days. Socioeconomic characteristics were not significantly associated with the number of days closed, with the exception of proportion of Hispanic youth in schools, a result which is not supported by the social vulnerability literature. At a practical level, understanding how hurricanes may adversely impact schools is important for developing appropriate preparedness, mitigation, recovery, and adaptation strategies. For example, school districts on the right side of the hurricane track can plan in advance for potential damage and destruction. The ability of a community to respond to future natural disasters, extreme events, and economic crises depends in part on mitigating these adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal regions are increasingly vulnerable to damage from storm surge and inundation. Delft3D is used by the Naval Oceanographic Office to model the ocean dynamics in the near shore. In this study, the performance of Delft3D in predicting the surge and inundation during Hurricane Ike, which impacted the northern Gulf of Mexico in September 2008, is examined. Wave height, water level, and high-water mark comparisons with a number of observations confirm that the model does well in predicting the surge and inundation during extreme events. The impact of using forecast winds based on the best-track data as opposed to hindcast winds is also investigated, and it is found that the extent of inundation is represented reasonably well with the forecast winds. InDelft3D, waves can be coupled to the hydrodynamic component using the radiation stress gradient method or the dissipation method. Comparing the results of using the two shows that for low-resolution grids such as that needed for a forecast model the dissipation method works better at reproducing the water levels and inundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of Houston-area households reveals responses to Hurricane Ike in 2008 were as diverse as the households themselves. Review of evacuation literature shows this remains a fundamental problem. In our analysis no clear correlations between household attributes and evacuation motivators emerge unless the respondents are organized into subpopulations based on household attributes and the stated concerns of survey respondents. These subpopulations overlap so that most households fall within multiple classifications, evidence that heterogeneity across households is also present within them. To address heterogeneity within households, an information content metric (information entropy) is considered a proxy for issue saliency. Focusing on the most salient responses to survey questions makes it possible to isolate some of the factors important in the decision to evacuate and the characteristics of the households for which those factors are most important. Regression analysis of the most salient issues of the most concerned respondents informs the creation of behavioral rules for an agent-based model populated with the survey data. The relative strengths of the risk-averting behavior rules are tuned through Monte Carlo simulations using the actual evacuation time of each household as the fitness metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main objectives of this paper is to provide insight to understand the effect of natural disasters on local government finance. That is, to analyze local governments' sales tax revenues after Hurricane Ike. Three Texas cities are examined: League City, Pearland, and Sugarland. Based on data collected from the Texas Comptroller's Office and the US Census, we found local governments experience a short-term increase in sales tax revenues and a long-term decline after the hurricane strike the region. On average, a major hurricane has a two-year impact on local government economy. The findings are essential for practitioners because in order to have a prosperous recovery after natural disasters, public managers have to prepare financially for short term changes in their sales tax revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following growing public awareness of the danger from hurricanes and tremendous demands for analysis of loss, many researchers have conducted studies to develop hurricane damage analysis methods. Although researchers have identified the significant indicators, there is currently a shortage of comprehensive research for identifying the relationship among the vulnerabilities, natural disasters, and insured losses associated with individual buildings. To address this lack of research, this study will identify vulnerabilities and hazard indicators, develop metrics to measure the influence of economic losses from hurricanes, and visualize the spatial distribution of vulnerability to evaluate overall hurricane damage. This paper has utilized the Geographic Information System to facilitate collecting and managing data, and has combined vulnerability factors to assess the financial losses suffered by Texas coastal counties. A multiple regression method has been applied to develop hurricane damage prediction models. To reflect the pecuniary loss, insured loss payment was used as the dependent variable to predict the actual financial damage. Exposures, built environment vulnerability indicators, and hazard indicators were all used as independent variables. Accordingly, the models and findings may possibly provide vital references for government agencies and emergency planners to establish the hurricane damage mitigation strategies. In addition, insurance companies could utilize the model to predict hurricane damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing occurrence of natural disasters and their related damage have led to a growing demand for models that predict financial loss. Although considerable research on the financial losses related to natural disasters has found significant predictors, there has been a lack of comprehensive study that addresses the relationship among vulnerabilities, natural disasters, and the economic losses of individual buildings. This study identifies the vulnerability indicators for hurricanes to establish a metric to predict the related financial loss. We classify hurricane-prone areas by highlighting the spatial distribution of losses and vulnerabilities. This study used a Geographical Information System (GIS) to combine and produce spatial data and a multiple regression method to establish a wind damage prediction model. As the dependent variable, we used the value of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) claim payout divided by the appraised values of the buildings to predict real economic loss. As independent variables, we selected a hurricane indicator and built environment vulnerability indicators. The model we developed can be used by government agencies and insurance companies to predict hurricane wind damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few variables consistently predict evacuation across regions, although most regions find that 30 to 40% of residents in official evacuation zones fail to evacuate. To better understand the failure to evacuate, this study used open-ended interviews to elicit rationales for evacuation and nonevacuation in Galveston, Texas, following Hurricane Ike. Residents were selected in pairs (evacuee/nonevacuee) from the same neighborhoods to control for socioeconomic factors and storm damage. Themes concerning risk evaluation suggest an underlying difference in risk threshold based on wind category. Groups differed in degree of perceived threat and response to that threat. Evacuees perceived threat as high because of rising water levels and sought to protect vulnerable household members. Nonevacuees perceived threat as lower compared to getting caught in traffic; they had a sturdy house, were experienced, and sought to protect their property. Some did not have time to evacuate and flooding was worse than anticipated. Future communication about storm risk should include expected wind, surge (expressed as flood risk), storm size, and rainfall, with adequate time for evacuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting hurricane impacts of extreme winds and flooding requires accurate prediction of hurricane structure and storm-induced ocean surface waves days in advance. The waves are complex, especially near landfall when the hurricane winds and water depth varies significantly and the surface waves refract, shoal and dissipate. In this study, we examine the spatial structure, magnitude, and directional spectrum of hurricane-induced ocean waves using a high resolution, fully coupled atmosphere–wave–ocean model and observations. The coupled model predictions of ocean surface waves in Hurricane Ike (2008) over the Gulf of Mexico and Superstorm Sandy (2012) in the northeastern Atlantic and coastal region are evaluated with the NDBC buoy and satellite altimeter observations. Although there are characteristics that are general to ocean waves in both hurricanes as documented in previous studies, wave fields in Ike and Sandy possess unique properties due mostly to the distinct wind fields and coastal bathymetry in the two storms. Several processes are found to significantly modulate hurricane surface waves near landfall. First, the phase speed and group velocities decrease as the waves become shorter and steeper in shallow water, effectively increasing surface roughness and wind stress. Second, the bottom-induced refraction acts to turn the waves toward the coast, increasing the misalignment between the wind and waves. Third, as the hurricane translates over land, the left side of the storm center is characterized by offshore winds over very short fetch, which opposes incoming swell. Landfalling hurricanes produce broader wave spectra overall than that of the open ocean. The front-left quadrant is most complex, where the combination of windsea, swell propagating against the wind, increasing wind–wave stress, and interaction with the coastal topography requires a fully coupled model to meet these challenges in hurricane wave and surge prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent natural extreme events, such as Hurricane Ike in the U.S. (2008), Tohoku tsunami in Japan (2011), and Typhoon Haiyan in Southeast Asia (2013), have caused significant damage to the decks of coastal bridges. The failure of the structure occurs when wave-induced loads on the decks of coastal bridges exceed the bridge capacity, resulting in partial removal or a complete collapse of bridge decks. Tsunami, storm waves, and storm surge are known to be the ultimate agents of such failures. An understanding of the failure mechanism and possible solutions require a better knowledge of the destructive loads on the structure. Interaction of surface waves with the bridge deck is a complex problem, involving fluid-structure interaction, wave breaking, and overtopping. Possible submergence of the deck and entrapment of air pockets between girders can increase destructive forces and add to the complexities of the problem. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made on this topic, resulting in some new findings about the failure mechanism and the destructive wave loads. A review of the key studies on wave loads on the coastal bridge decks, including those in the past and very recently, is presented here. Emphasis is given to the pioneering works that have significantly improved our understanding of the problem. Challenges associated with the existing solutions are highlighted, and suggestions for future studies are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The statistical behavior of wave heights obtained from short-term (i.e., 30-min) wave records during Hurricane Ike was investigated. Spectral data from seven temporary pressure gauges and one National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy moored off the coast of Texas, covering a 12-day period, were used. The wave heights, based on time series reconstructed from the spectra, showed a very good fit to the form of the Rayleigh distribution with Hrms as the parameter of the distribution, whereas the use of the spectrally derived parameter √ 8m0 led to overprediction of the wave heights. Incorporating the spectral band width (α) in the Rayleigh distribution reduced this overprediction. The empirical two-parameter Weibull distribution was also found to represent the wave-height distribution well, but with parameters different from a = 2.126 and b = 8.42. The Tayfun model, used as a representative of Rayleigh-like models, provided the best fit. When converting modelderived significant wave heights to other quantities, such as H1/10, H1/100; and Hmax, the standard Rayleigh coefficients are often used in practice. These led to considerable errors in the present analysis, which also shows that the use of correction factor or a can enhance the results. However, direct estimates of these quantities from a time series simulated using the model-derived spectrum may be an even better alternative to using the standard Rayleigh coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of assimilation of radar radial velocity (Vr) data for the application of analyses and forecasts for Hurricane Ike (2008) are investigated using hybrid ensemble transform Kalman filter–three-dimensional variational data assimilation method (Hybrid ETKF–3DVAR) in this study. Radar Vr observations are pre-processed with quality control procedures before they are assimilated using Weather Research and Forecasting and Data Assimilation model (WRFDA) with three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) and hybrid method respectively. With the hybrid method, the ensemble mean is updated with the variational method, while the ensemble perturbations are updated by the ETKF. It seems that assimilating Radar Vr data with Hybrid ETKF–3DVAR method is able to adjust the hurricane initial position and dynamic structure significantly, yielding better track and intensity forecast in the data assimilation experiments. Positive temperature increments are found in Hybrid ETKF–3DVAR experiment, indicating a more realistic thermal structure of Hurricane Ike, while 3DVAR experiment produces much smoother and weaker increments with cold temperature increments near the hurricane vortex center at lower levels. Hybrid ETKF–3DVAR further improves the track and intensity forecast accuracy compared to 3DVAR. The ability of the hybrid method in providing flow-dependent background error covariance is the primary reason for its superior performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study explored predisposing, illness-related, and enabling factors as predictors of mental health service use among disaster survivors with perceived need for services.Methods: Participants (N=658) were part of a three-wave, population-based study of Hurricane Ike survivors. At each wave, participants were asked whether they perceived having a need for mental health services, for example, information about stress reactions and medication for emotional problems. Those with perceived need were asked about use of eight services, such as a psychiatrist or physician, to address needs. Generalized estimating equations examined predisposing, illness-related, and enabling factors as predictors of service use among participants with perceived need (N=304).Results: More general stressors (predisposing factor) and insurance coverage (enabling factor) predicted service use among participants with perceived need.Conclusions: The results suggest that expanded access to services that do not require insurance coverage could better address survivors' mental health needs after a disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To estimate the impact of Hurricane Ike of 2008 on local communities, service areas of hospitals and corresponding service populations were calculated at both the county and facility levels within the Houston metropolitan statistical area. A hospital access indicator was defined to measure the level of access to medical services when compared to the prestorm level. The result indicated that the hospital access indicator reached its lowest value on the next day after the hurricane landfall due to lane closures and hospital shutdowns before showing a steady comeback. However, the recovery was briefly interrupted around September 18, 2008, as a result of road closures to remove debris on State Highway 146. Access to hospitals nearly returned to the prestorm level by the end of October 2008. Simulations were then performed to identify priorities for repairing damaged roads in order to minimize storm's adverse impact. This paper offered a simplified method to measure, monitor, and analyze the effect of transportation network on access to healthcare facilities in the aftermath of a hurricane. Since only a small number of publicly available variables were required, the method could be applied to other catastrophic events in support of disaster response and recovery decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the stratigraphy preserved in a washover fan to reconstruct the timing or emplacement and environmental conditions along the Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, during Hurricane Ike in 2008. Washover fan stratigraphy preserves a topset-foreset break (TFB) that rises 0.42 m in elevation as the fan built landward. We constrain overwash flow depths to 0.1-0.32 m through deposit sedimentology, and tie the rising trajectory of the TFB to rising storm surge water levels measured in the back-barrier bay (0.03 m h-1) as the hurricane approached the coast. This relation allows us to estimate that the fan took 0.52-0.90 days to build, and was finished building before the storm surge peaked. This is 15-25% of the 3.5 days of hurricane- induced storm surge near the site. We show how washover stratigraphy can be used to constrain the timing and amount of sediment redistribution on a coast associated with a hurricane; information that is necessary to test and/or calibrate existing numerical models that predict shoreline change during hurricanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The summer of 2008 challenged gasoline retailers. Crude oil prices had climbed to unprecedented heights over the first half of the year, peaking in July before tumbling sharply afterward. Partly [...]

Performance in the prediction of hurricane intensity and associated hazards has been evaluated for a newly developed convection-permitting forecast system that uses ensemble data assimilation techniques to ingest high-resolution airborne radar observations from the inner core. This system performed well for three of the ten costliest Atlantic hurricanes: Ike (2008), Irene (2011), and Sandy (2012). Four to five days before these storms made landfall, the system produced good deterministic and probabilistic forecasts of not only track and intensity, but also of the spatial distributions of surface wind and rainfall. Averaged over all 102 applicable cases that have inner-core airborne Doppler radar observations during 2008-2012, the system reduced the day-2-to-day-4 intensity forecast errors by 25%-28% compared to the corresponding National Hurricane Center's official forecasts (which have seen little or no decrease in intensity forecast errors over the past two decades). Empowered by sufficient computing resources, advances in both deterministic and probabilistic hurricane prediction will enable emergency management officials, the private sector, and the general public to make more informed decisions that minimize the losses of life and property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Disaster impacts result from interactions between hazard exposure, physical vulnerability, and social vulnerability. We report empirical work from 1992′s Hurricane Andrew in Miami-Dade (FL) and 2008′s Hurricane Ike in Galveston (TX) to assess long-term trends in housing recovery. Longitudinal, parcel-level data on housing units along with neighborhood sociodemographic data permit analysis of the pace of recovery for different neighborhoods, populations, and housing types. Housing recovery is highly uneven for different population groups. Unsurprisingly, damage has major consequences; even after four years, the effects of damage are evident in the rebuilding process. Social vulnerability factors play differently in different settings. In Miami, income and race and ethnicity were critical determinants of higher losses and slower recovery rates, while in Galveston income was the more critical factor, with housing in lower-income areas suffering more damage and lagging significantly in the recovery process. Takeaway for practice: Effective land use policy and building codes can reduce physical vulnerability and ultimately damage, thus enhancing resilience for all. Differentials in impact and recovery trajectories suggest that assessment and the monitoring of recovery is critical to target resources to areas that are lagging. Perhaps most important is having an effective plan in place that addresses housing recovery issues to help reduce long-term consequences. Pre-event planning for housing and social change can help support community vision and overcome inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing interest in fostering resilient communities requires a more comprehensive approach to hazard mitigation planning that overcomes the limitations of traditional hazard assessments, notably the failure to explicitly incorporate an analysis of social vulnerability. We statistically analyzed a random sample of 1500 damage assessments of single-family homes collected following Hurricane Ike to assess the contributions of hazard exposure, structural vulnerability, and social vulnerability. The results indicate that hazard exposure, structural characteristics, and socioeconomic characteristics are significant predictors of structural damage. The implications suggest that comprehensive hazard assessments can provide additional insights for mitigation planning and community resiliency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article investigates principles of social and ecological resilience to natural disasters considering areas of Texas affected by Hurricane Ike. In an effort to address the challenges and opportunities faced by coastal communities in response to natural hazards, a case study approach (incorporating primary and secondary data) following Beatley's (2009) best practices in planning for coastal resiliency was employed. Based on the case analysis and principled outlined, disaster-prone coastal communities need to implement new social and environmental planning strategies to potentially mitigate negative effects of natural disasters that incorporate long-term planning and implementation, coastal management, land use, and structural and non-structural designs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Disasters can have wide-ranging effects on individuals and their communities. Loss of specific resources (e.g., household contents, job) following a disaster has not been well studied, despite the implications for preparedness efforts and postdisaster interventions. Objective To provide information about the effects of loss on postdisaster distress, the present study assessed associations between disaster-related variables, including the loss of specific resources, and postdisaster distress. Method Random-digit dialing methodology was used to recruit hurricane-affected adults from Galveston and Chambers, TX, counties one year after Hurricane Ike. Data from 1,249 survivors were analyzed to identify predictors of distress. Results Variables that were significantly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms included sustained losses, hurricane exposure, and sociodemographic characteristics; similar results were obtained for depressive symptoms. Conclusions Together, these findings suggest risk factors that may be associated with the development of posthurricane distress that can inform preparedness efforts and posthurricane interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, several large tropical cyclones have generated catastrophic storm surges along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. These storms include Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Isaac, and Sandy. This study uses empirical analysis of tropical cyclone data and maximum storm surge observations to investigate the role of tropical cyclone size in storm surge generation. Storm surge data are provided by the Storm Surge Database (SURGEDAT), a global storm surge database, while a unique tropical cyclone size dataset built from nine different data sources provides the size of the radius of maximum winds (Rmax) and the radii of 63 (34 kt), 93 (50 kt), and 119 km h–1 (64 kt) winds. Statistical analysis reveals an inverse correlation between storm surge magnitudes and Rmax sizes, while positive correlations exist between storm surge heights and the radius of 63 (34 kt), 93 (50 kt), and 119 km h–1 (64 kt) winds. Stormsurge heights correlate best with the prelandfall radius of 93 kmh–1 (50 kt) winds, with a Spearman correlation coefficient value of 0.82, significant at the 99.9% confidence level. Many historical examples support these statistical results. For example, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and Hurricane Camille all had small Rmax sizes but generated catastrophic surges. Hurricane Katrina provides an example of the importance of large wind fields, as hurricane-force winds extending 167km [90 nautical miles (n mi)] from the center of circulation enabled this large storm to generate a higher storm surge level than Hurricane Camille along the same stretch of coast, even though Camille's prelandfall winds were slightly stronger than Katrina's. These results may be useful to the storm surge modeling community, as well as disaster science and emergency management professionals, who will benefit from better understanding the role of tropical cyclone size for storm surge generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Review of existing adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) algorithms. [•] Describes modifications to the AMR methods required to solve storm surge problems. [•] Comparison between ADCIRC and GeoClaw for Hurricane Ike shown. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Disasters are especially threatening to small communities, which often have limited resources, personnel, and infrastructure necessary for the recovery process. Still, some small communities have demonstrated effective recovery from disasters. We wondered whether Turner's notion of communitas might serve as a useful theoretical framework for understanding effective community recovery from disaster. We interviewed 32 residents and five community leaders of a small Texas town that appeared to successfully recover from Hurricane Ike. Thematic analysis revealed the community did engage in practices that mirrored the dimensions of communitas, suggesting it is a useful framework for understanding (successful) disaster recovery. We describe implications of the study's key findings, followed by theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posthurricane Ike surveys for almost 2,000 individual wood-framed houses were combined with high resolution numerical hindcasts to investigate the collapse limit state arising from overland waves and surge. For this storm, freeboard above wave crests, wave height, current velocity, and construction date were found to be the most important factors determining survival. Regressions show considerable skill in predicting collapse fragilities and will prove useful in assessing vulnerability. The relatively small range of wind speeds available in the data set did not allow accurate assessments of wind effects on collapse. Several ASCE and FEMA force estimates showed relatively low skill in modeling fragility, in large part because their breaking wave assumption was not accurate over much of the range. However, the use of best-estimate wave heights in force modeling greatly improved accuracy of fragility estimates. Despite the positive results of this study, numerous questions remain. It proved impossible to separate the effects of house age and construction methods. Although computed overland wave heights showed good correlation with fragility, comparison with the limited measured data available showed that wave heights were significantly overpredicted inland. Finally, more accurate standards for integrated and local loads on elevated houses will be necessary to perform detailed structural system-based analyses of fragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to quantify sand dune geomorphology. As an example of the use of TLS, we present methods that were used to investigate changes in sediment and vegetation volumes after Hurricane Ike. We collected TLS data within a 100 m x 100 m plot on the East Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, from early September 2008 (before landfall) to early October 2009 (a year after landfall). Terrestrial laser scanning-collected laser point clouds were then interpolated into several grid sizes. From several interpolated grid sizes, 0.50 m x 0.50 m grids were determined best for analysis as they were able to compromise two competing resolution- related issues: gaps caused by vegetation shadows and the natural contours of the dune. We outline several additional lessons to aid coastal researchers in strengthening their own future work: the use of reference survey stakes in an unstable environment, the development of a novel method to test for errors in point cloud registration among multiple dates, how best to interpret sediment and vegetation change analysis as derived from interpolated grids, and suggestions for incorporating mass-based sedimentary and biomass-based vegetation field studies within the volumetric context of TLS analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of a hurricane, local emergency managers need to communicate reentry plans to households that might be scattered over multiple counties or states. To better understand evacuees' households' reliance on different information sources at the time they decided to return home, this study collected data on reentry after Hurricane Ike. The results from a survey of 340 evacuating households indicated that there was low compliance with official reentry plans and that none of the information sources produced greater compliance with official reentry plans. Nonetheless, there were significant changes in the utilization of different sources of emergency information over the course of an evacuation but local news media remained the most common sources throughout the event. There also were significant differences in the relative importance of different sources of reentry information, with people relying most on information from peers. In summary, local authorities need to identify more effective ways to communicate with evacuees that have relocated to distant communities and to motivate them to comply with official reentry plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has documented that individuals exposed to more stressors during disasters and their immediate aftermath (immediate stressors) are at risk of experiencing longer-term postdisaster stressors. Longer-term stressors, in turn, have been found to play a key role in shaping postdisaster psychological functioning. Few studies have simultaneously explored the links from immediate to longer-term stressors, and from longer-term stressors to psychological functioning, however. Additionally, studies have inadequately explored whether postdisaster psychological symptoms influence longer-term stressors. In the current study, we aimed to fill these gaps. Participants ( N = 448) were from population-based study of Hurricane Ike survivors and completed assessments 2-5 months (Wave 1), 5-9 months (Wave 2) and 14-18 months (Wave 3) postdisaster. Through path analysis, we found that immediate stressors, assessed at Wave 1, were positively associated with Wave 2 and Wave 3 stressors, which in turn were positively associated with Wave 2 and Wave 3 posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Wave 2 posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with Wave 3 stressors, and Wave 1 depressive symptoms were positively associated with Wave 2 stressors. The findings suggest that policies and interventions can reduce the impact of disasters on mental health by preventing and alleviating both immediate and longer-term postdisaster stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to document and study the failure of a driven, steel pipe pile foundation system supporting an offshore platform. The three-pile system failed in overturning because of a pull-out failure of the most critically loaded pile in a hurricane 5 years after installation. The calculated tensile capacity of this pile using the American Petroleum Institute (API) design method is close to the estimated load at failure. This case history is significant because it represents the failure of a large-diameter pile in service when loaded by a storm. Also, this case history generally affirms the current design methods and contradicts a widely held perception that offshore pile designs are significantly conservative. This case history highlights the opportunities to improve design practice by explicitly accounting for pile flexibility when dealing with strain-softening soils and by considering the capacity of the foundation system as well as the capacity of individual piles in design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hurricane Ike caused substantial beach erosion along the coast of the Bolivar Peninsula, TX. Much of the erosion was caused by the offshore (ebb) flow of the ca. 5m storm surge that formed spatially discrete scour features. Using aerial photography and repeat LiDAR data, we identify five types of scour features and describe the alongshore distribution in four flow environments. Type 1 scours are relatively small and compact features associated mainly with flow off a wide, vegetated (grasses, shrubs, trees) surface across a wide beach. Type 2 scours are large and branching forms associated mainly with flow that was channeled by streets or gaps between structures. Type 3 scours are large and blocky features associated with flow off a marsh surface, across a highway, which removed almost all beach sands from the surface. Type 4 scours are elongated, shore perpendicular channels associated with the same flow characteristics as Type 3 scours. Type 5 scours are elongated, shore-perpendicular features, sometimes branching, associated with flow through gaps in a destroyed shore protection structure. Repeat imagery indicates that many of the features persisted for at least seven months. Recent aerial photography indicates that aspects of some features remained evident more than three years after Ike's landfall. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Lessons learned from disastrous hurricanes in recent years, especially Katrina, Ike, Irene, Isaac and Sandy are discussed, and improved ways to inform the public about the potential impact of tropical cyclones are presented. An alternative classification system is shown to be more informative than the Saffir–Simpson scale currently in use, and should prove beneficial to the general public and the coastal engineering community. The most important lesson is that the size of the hurricane matters, not just its intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The desire to preserve architec-tural heritage ensures that the historic districts continue to contribute to Galveston's economy. After Hurricane Ike, it became more challenging for homeowners in his-toric districts on Galveston Island to renovate damaged properties. A study of property values in Galveston, Texas indicates that increases in property values in historic districts were generally comparable to those in non-historic regions. Property values in the historic districts are less sensitive to negative macroeconomic shocks. In addition, property values that are above 95th percentile and below 5th percentile respond differently to macro-economic shocks than those with average values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]