WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING RELATED EVENT (CVE 536 ASSIGNMENT)

8/2/2019 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING RELATED EVENT (CVE 536 ASSIGNMENT)

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NAME: AYENIGBA, SOGO EMMANUEL

MATRIC NUMBER: 08/30GB096

COURSE: CVE 536

LECTURER: DR. O.S. BALOGUN

DATE OF SUBMISSION: TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2012

ASSIGNMENT 1: IDENTIFY WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING RELATED

ISSUES OR EVENTS THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST FIVE (5) YEARS AT ANY

PART OF THE WORLD AND WRITE WHAT YOU’VE OBSERVED ABOUT THE EVENT.

EVENT: HURRICANE IRENE (2011)

INTRODUCTION

A hurricane is a wind scale for quite strong wind, stronger than a storm. It is a tropical cyclone,

occurring in the North Atlantic Ocean or the Northeast Pacific Ocean, east of the International

Dateline.

Hurricane Irene wound up by most estimates as one of the top ten most destructive and deadly

hurricanes to hit the United States since 1980. While ultimately not as powerful as many had

predicted, the storm still killed at least 27 people along its path from the Caribbean to the

eastern seaboard. Transportation was shut down all along the east coast, stranding residents and

tourists in shelters, airports, and train stations. More than 5.8 million customers lost electricity,

thousands of flights were cancelled, flooding washed out roads and destroyed homes, and

evacuation orders were issued for hundreds of thousands.

HURRICANE IRENE (2011)

Hurricane Irene was one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the Northeastern United States.

The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the annual hurricane season

Irene originated from a well-defined Atlantic tropical wave that began showing signs of

organization east of the Lesser Antilles. Due to development of atmospheric convection and a

closed center of circulation, the system was designated as Tropical Storm Irene on August 20,

2011. After intensifying, Irene made landfall in St. Croix as a strong tropical storm later that

day. Early on August 21, the storm made a second landfall in Puerto Rico. While crossing the

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island, Irene strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane. The storm paralleled offshore of

Hispaniola, continued to slowly intensify in the process. Shortly before making four landfalls in

the Bahamas, Irene peaked as a 120 mph (195 km/h) Category 3 hurricane.

Thereafter, the storm slowly leveled-off in intensity as it struck the Bahamas and then curved

northward after passing east of Grand Bahamas. Continuing to weaken, Irene was downgraded

to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina onAugust 27, becoming the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane

Ike in 2008. Early on the following day, the storm re-emerged into the Atlantic from

southeastern Virginia. Although Irene remained a hurricane over land, it weakened to a tropical

storm while making yet another landfall in southeastern New Jersey on August 28. A few hours

later, Irene made its ninth and final landfall in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Early on

August 29, Irene transitioned into an extra-tropical cyclone near the Vermont/New Hampshire

border, after remaining inland as a tropical cyclone for less than 12 hours.

Throughout its path, Irene caused widespread destruction and at least 56 deaths; monetarylosses in the Caribbean were estimated to be as high as US$3.1 billion.[1] Damage estimates

throughout the United States are estimated near $7 billion, which remains an uncertain estimate.

METEOROLOGICAL HISTORY

On August 15, 2011, a tropical wave exited the West African coast, and emerged into the

Atlantic, characterized by distinct low-level cyclonic rotation and deep tropical humidity. It

remained well-defined while moving steadily westward for several days to the south of the

Cape Verde Islands, although at the time any notable convection occurred well to the southwestof its axis. As the wave distanced itself from the islands, development of thunderstorms and

showers in its proximity continued to remain scarce, and it became rather broad in appearance

On August 19, the convective structure began to show signs of organization as the associated

atmospheric pressure lowered, and with a progressively favorable environment situated ahead

of the wave its chances of undergoing tropical Cyclogenesis markedly increased. The strong

thunderstorm activity continued to become more pronounced around the main low-pressure

feature. By August 20, the National Hurricane Center noted that tropical cyclone formation was

imminent as the wave neared the Lesser Antilles, and a reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the

presence of a small surface circulation center just southwest of a burst of vigorous convection

and unusually high sustained winds, indicating sufficient organization for the cyclone to be

upgraded into Tropical Storm Irene at 23:00 UTC that day.

PREPARATIONS

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In response to the formation of Irene, tropical storm warnings were issued for all of the Leeward

Islands and Puerto Rico. As Irene was forecast to make landfall on Hispaniola, a tropical storm

watch was initially issued for the south coast of the Dominican Republic, though it was

upgraded to a hurricane warning on August 21, after strengthening was forecast.

With Irene's projected path fixed over much of the United States East Coast, over 65 million

people from the Carolinas to Cape Cod were estimated to be at risk. Due to the threat, stateofficials, as well as utilities, transportation facilities, ports, industries, oil refineries, and nuclear

power plants, promptly prepared to activate emergency plans; residents in the areas stocked up

on food supplies and worked to secure homes, vehicles and boats.

In South Carolina, Emergency Management was already on standby in Charleston and

Dorchester counties in preparation for September. On August 23, preparations were also being

made in Beaufort County as well. In Myrtle Beach, the gondolas from the Sky-Wheel attraction

were removed from the steel frame in preparation for tropical-storm-force winds.

ESCALATING COSTS OF HURRICANES

If storms seem more expensive in recent decades, they are. But that's not because storms are

making landfall more often or becoming more severe. Rather, a growing population, more

buildings along coastlines and a big economy mean that storm disruptions are more costly.

In a 2008 paper published in the journal Natural Hazards, Pielke and colleagues compared

hurricane damage from 1900 to 2005, taking into account changes in wealth, inflation

population growth and coastal development. Holding those factors steady, the researchers found

that there was no increasing trend of greater damage attributable to the storms themselves over

the 20th century.

In other words, there's just more stuff in the way to get damaged, making hurricanes today

more costly than in the past.

By the researchers' reckoning, the most damaging single storm was the 1926 Great Miami,

which would have cost as much as $157 billion in 2005 dollars. The storm was a Category 4

storm that roared onshore with winds of up to 125 mph (201 kph). After devastating southern

Florida, the storm made a second landfall near Mobile, Ala.

PREVENTING DAMAGE

If in the path of the storm, experts recommend boarding up windows and taking valuables along

in case of evacuation. Damage by Irene may be reduced by as much as a quarter if people

follow these steps, said Cecilia Rokusek, a project manager at the Institute for Disaster and

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Emergency Preparedness at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. [Hurricane Evacuations:

Why Some Won't Go]

TIPS AND RESOURCES FOR SAFETY FROM THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT AGENCY (US):

- Be aware of the latest weather forecast.

- Make sure you have plenty of cash on hand in case your area loses power, causing ATM

machines and banks to close down as well.

- Make a plan for your family, business and property.

- Assemble a disaster preparedness kit stocked with critical supplies, including important

documents and medications. Click HERE to see a list of the items you should put in your

kit.

- Purchase flood insurance in advance of the storm.

PHOTOS

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a road washout in New Windsor

Storm total rainfall from hurricane Irene

George Flo, left, and Ziomara Flo load their vehicle with hurricane

supplies as they prepare for the possible arrival of Hurricane Irene, Aug. 22, 2011 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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CONCLUSION

As the first major hurricane of the 2011 season, Hurricane Irene came ashore the Outer Banks

of North Carolina as a Category 1 storm after having caused considerable flooding to island

nations located in the Caribbean and causing more than a billion dollars of destruction in the

Bahamas alone.¹ The potential for devastation resulted in emergency planners shutting down

New York City's subway network, the closure of the area's three airports, and an evacuation ofmore than 300,000 people from low-lying areas. The East Coast began a lengthy cleanup and

recovery effort that stretched as far as Vermont as severe flooding followed in the storm's wake

² The natural disaster resulted in at least 45 casualties and experts assessed the total damage,

including uninsured losses, could range from $5 billion to $7 billion.

REFERENCES

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricanes/hurricane-preparedness-tips-resources-family-safe/story?

id=14376306#.T2gPjfq9rgU

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2011/IRENE.shtml

http://www.livescience.com/15762-hurricane-evacuations-won.html

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hurricane

http://news.yahoo.com/science

http://journalweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/hurricane_irene_26_aug.gif

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricanes/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_irene_(2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(disambiguation)

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WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING RELATED EVENT (CVE 536 ASSIGNMENT)

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