This Rapid Response Research Grant (RAPID) will collect perishable damage data caused by Hurricane Sandy that made landfall on October 29, 2012. It was a very large storm (almost 800 miles in diameter according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that affected large areas of coastlines of New York (Long Island and New York Metropolitan area) and New Jersey. The storm was judged to be Category 1 based on its wind speed. However, because of its size and coinciding with high lunar tide, it generated high storm surge. The New York Metropolitan area sustained severe damage to coastal structures due to surge and wave actions. Most of the Metropolitan area lost electrical power and the transportation system became inoperable because of flooding of tunnels and loss of power. The project will collect data on flooded areas, high water marks and structural damage. Field trips are planned to collect flood records, hydrodynamic load estimates and damage to infrastructure. A number of students from regions severely affected by the Hurricane Sandy will participate in the data collection efforts.
The data collection effort will proceed with reviews of news reports, assessment of damage through field observations, records of government agencies, and discussion with city officials. A preliminary investigation on the validation of the computational model developed by PI will be pursued with collected data. The project will have a significant broader impact because of a unique opportunity of collecting real life data. The personnel participating in the damage data collection will have an excellent experience in effects of hurricane on urban area.
While Hurricane Sandy has significantly impacted the metropolitan New York City (NYC) region, it also left behind rich, unique, and valuable data on its trace in the form of water marks, damage and destruction to infrastructure, etc. In this project, perishable field data on flood, wind, and consequent damage to coastal facilities and infrastructure, such as high water marks, damaged residential houses, and fallen trees, has been collected through extensive site visits and discussions with stakeholders. The regions of data collection cover several zones in the New York City metropolitan area such as Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island as well as a few zones in New York and New Jersey. The data indicates that while there was extensive damage to coastal houses and wooden components, there has been no apparent damage to bridges, ports, and other major infrastructure because of hydrodynamic impact. A website integrated with a Google Earth file has been created to disseminate the collected data. Preliminary computer modeling has been made to numerically simulate the storm surge in Hudson River during Sandy, and the simulation has been compared to collected data. It is anticipated that the collected data will be very useful in study and prediction of future hurricane wind field, storm surge, and coastal flooding and plan development for mitigation of their damage to infrastructure.
