Preparing for the worstDr. Susan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography, is considered one of the leading authorities on emergency preparedness, response and social vulnerability to manmade and natural disasters and is frequently consulted by government agencies for her expertise in the roles of public agencies, such as FEMA and state emergency-preparedness offices, in handling disasters. As director of the University of South Carolina's Hazards Research Laboratory, one of the country's top facilities for integrating hazards research with geographic information systems technology, Cutter has done extensive grant-funded research on hurricane evacuations and how people decide whether to evacuate. Immediately after Katrina, she led a team of researchers who mapped storm-surge inundation along the Gulf Coast and assessed where residents were the most vulnerable. Most recently, with funding from a National Science Foundation grant, she has teamed up with several colleagues to study social vulnerability and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast after Katrina.
Reconstructing hurricane historyFor more than five years, university climatologist Dr. Cary Mock has reconstructed a hurricane history for South Carolina and other areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. From studying old diaries, 18th- and 19th-century plantation records, newspapers, ship logbooks and early meteorological records, he has created a perspective on hurricanes during the last several hundred years, which, in turn, is leading to a better understanding of hurricane patterns. Mock, who teaches meteorology courses, also can discuss the meteorological characteristics, climate, tracks and forecasting aspects of hurricanes. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation.
A hurricane's impact on agricultureHurricanes and severe weather can have a devastating effect on crops. Dr. Greg Carbone, a USC climatologist, can discuss the impact of a severe hurricane on the state's crops and water resources. Carbone also can discuss the nature of hurricanes, the conditions for their formation, how they move across water and land, the basics of storm structure and patterns of development, as well as the challenges to forecasting hurricanes. Carbone also is studying water-resource management in the Carolinas.
Assessing storm surge and damageDr. Jerry Mitchell can discuss the nature and dynamics of storm surge and how the vulnerability of communities is determined. Most recently, Mitchell, along with other university geography researchers, mapped storm-surge inundation from Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and assessed where residents were the most vulnerable.
Legal issues surrounding hurricane damageKim Diana Connolly specializes in natural resources and wetlands/coastal law and can discuss environmental policy implications and regulatory requirements related to hurricanes.
Water, water everywhereIn addition to high winds, the water that accompanies hurricanes can overwhelm a region. Geology professor Dr. Venkat Lakshmi, a hydrometeorology expert, can discuss the impact of intense precipitation. After Hurricane Katrina, Lakshmi conducted a study on flooding along the Gulf Coast and its impact. Topics he can talk about include flash floods and the seriousness of flash-flood advisories, coastal erosion when sediment is washed away and how the horizontal movement of wind and water changes the landscape.
Impact of storm surge, floodingDr. George Voulgaris, geology researcher, studies the tide and wave patterns along the South Carolina coast. He can discuss the effect of hurricanes on coastal erosion and how a hurricane's storm surge affects land. Since Hurricane Katrina, Voulgaris has been studying the resilience of barrier islands along the Gulf Coast. In 2004, Voulgaris and his team of researchers launched technology off the S.C. coast " at the Springmaid Beach pier near Myrtle Beach and at Folly Beach " to get a 24-hour reading of waves, currents and water level. This technology will enable marine scientists and state agencies to determine the severity of a hurricane's impact as the storm occurs. He also can talk about the dangers of flooding during and after a hurricane.
Levee breaches and closure proceduresDr. Hanif Chaudhry, chairman of the university's department of civil and environmental engineering, and colleague Dr. Ahmed A. Kassem, a civil-engineering researcher, are studying the levee breaches in New Orleans, the worst of which occurred at the 17th Street Canal. Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) worked to close the breaches, plans were changed several times because of the absence of disaster procedures. This created delays and ultimately led to widespread flooding. The university's research team is testing methods that are economical and require minimal time to close a breach. The study is the first to look at the hydraulics of the 17th Street Canal breach and the closure procedures.
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