HURRICANE PAM EXERCISE – JULY 2004

 

ADCIRC STORM SURGE ANIMATIONS AND RELATED INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Produced By

 

 

 

 

Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Louisiana State University

Suite 3221 CEBA

Baton Rouge LA 70803

Ph 225-578-0248

http://www.publichealth.hurricane.lsu.edu or IP address http://130.39.244.88

 

 

 

Ivor Ll. van Heerden, Director and

Ahmet Binselam, GIS Supervisor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20th July 2004

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

This CD was produced by the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes (CSPHIH) at Louisiana State University to aid participants to the Hurricane Pam Exercise better understand the impact of a Category 3 hurricane on the greater New Orleans area as well as SE and Central Louisiana.*

 

Specific Features of this CD are:-

 

  1. ADCIRC experimental storm surge animations based on storm (weather) data supplied to CSPHIH by the National Weather Service. ADCIRC is a numerical model developed for the specific purpose of generating long time periods of hydrodynamic circulation along shelves, coasts, and within estuaries. There are two loops. One is at a scale where the whole of SE and Central Louisiana is covered. This animation includes wind vectors. The second animation is at an enhanced scale and highlights the surge flooding impacts in the greater New Orleans area. Highlights of the animations include the here-to-fore not known flooding of Plaquemines Parish west of the Mississippi River, as well as the lower portions of Jefferson Parish, that occurs from westward storm surge flooding over the Mississippi River levees. So surge flooding from the Breton Sound area crosses the Mississippi River levees and impacts these Parishes. Note the storm surge that moves up the Mississippi River, an important consideration for the navigation industry and first responders. Also note that the flood waters that enter the City of New Orleans (known locally as the east bank although north of the Mississippi River) come from highly industrialized areas, namely the Industrial Canal to the east and the Norco-Destrehan area to the west. The city experiences about 20 hours of hurricane force winds, floods in 10 hours with most flooding in the last 5 hours. There is also significant flooding of all parishes that surround lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas. The surge pushes inland almost to Baton Rouge.
  2. A Hurricane Pam maximum storm surge elevation map based on the ADCIRC products above.
  3. A Hurricane Pam storm surge depth of flooding map based on ADCIRC outputs above. This map indicates the depth of water above land.
  4. Sample pages from a very detailed and extensive GIS data base being developed for the greater New Orleans area by CSPHIH.
  5. A land loss map developed by the Louisiana Geological Survey and CSPHIH depicting land loss between 1937 and 2000. This loss exacerbates the storm surge impacts and worsens every passing day.
  6. “Coastal Land Loss: Hurricanes and New Orleans”. A short scientific article discussing New Orleans plight and its linkage to the land loss problem, and
  7. “A Hurricane Night” – a short passage to help the reader understand what residents of SE Louisiana, who do not evacuate during a storm such as Pam, could be facing.

* This research was supported by the Louisiana Board of Regents through the Millennium Trust Health Excellence Fund, Contract: HEF (2001-06)-01.