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ACTIVITIES |
Hurricane Research Activities and Expertise at LSU
| Louisiana State University has one of the greatest concentrations of multi-disciplinary expertise on hurricanes and related hazards anywhere in the world. Scores of faculty from departments across the campus maintain active research programs studying these powerful storms and their impacts. Many have national and international stature. The following list indicates a number of the areas of hurricane and hurricane-related expertise and ongoing research at the university. |
Hurricane Frequency/ Intensity
Hurricane climatology
Paleotempestology (study of geological record to understand millennial-scale trends in hurricane activity)
Storm track prediction
Effects of global climate change
Modeling
Storm surge flooding
Wave modeling
Riverine rainfall flooding
Wind and wave fields
- Rain-induced landslides
- Evacuation traffic flow
- Wind effects on structures and wind tunnel modeling
- Coastal erosion/ land loss
- Coastal response/geology
- Impacts of coastal restoration
- Chemical releases in extreme weather
- Nuclear releases in extreme weather
Hurricane Impacts
Natural Environment
- Coastal erosion/ wetland loss
- Barrier islands, estuarine environmental modifications, geomorphology
- Fish kills/ marsh kills
- Effects on agriculture
- Effects on aquaculture
- Effects on forestry resources
Built Environment
- Effects on infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities, hospitals, schools, etc.)
- Effects on petroleum/chemical industries, onshore and/or offshore
- Effects on building stock
- Strength and stability of levees
Human Environment
- Effects on social organization
- Use of social networks to cope with hurricane impacts
- Effects of preexisting social networks on use of formal and informal aid and patterns of provision of informal support
- Effects on depressive symptomatology
- Effects on work disruption
- Epidemiology of floods
- Economic Impacts
Preparedness
- Use of GIS for planning/ response activities
- Risk assessment
- Rainfall flood/ storm surge mapping
- Hurricane refuge/ shelter selection
- Evacuation planning
- Technology and emergency management
- Assessment/ evaluation of emergency management systems.
Response (Real-Time data analysis for landfalling hurricanes)
Remote sensing- satellite imagery acquisition and data analysis
Offshore, coastal, and land-based sensing of wave, wind, sediment storm phenomena
Storm surge flooding predictions
Riverine rainfall flooding predictions
Evacuation traffic monitoring management
Mitigation
Comprehensive community planning
-to reduce hurricane and flood damage
-to assist communities in recovery
Floodplain management
Coastal protection and restoration measures
Design of wind resistant landscape
Design of wind and flood resistant hurricane shelters
Preparing historic buildings for hurricanes
Education
•Undergraduate and graduate programs in Disaster Science and Management are currently being developed.