A GIS STUDY OF URBANIZATION IN HURRICANE SLOSH ZONES ON STATEN ISLAND NY

Recently NOAA has produced SLOSH(Sea Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes) models for the New York City Area. This author has used SLOSH model Hurricane Inundation Zones data made available by the New York State Office of Emergency Management(NYSOEM) and has also used “land use” data obtained from the New York City Department of City Planning to study urbanization in these hurricane vulnerable zones of Staten Island, New York. “Hurricane storm surge zones are based on NOAA SLOSH model projections of vertical surge heights associated with Saffir-Simpson scale category 1-4 storms” NYSOEM. GIS analysis shows that before 1900 there were only 46 buildings in what is now SLOSH zone 1. Further GIS analysis for what is now SLOSH zone 1 shows: (1)from 1900 and through 1910, 22 buildings were built; (2)from 1911 and through 1920, 65 buildings were built; (3)from 1921 and through 1930, 737 buildings were built; (4)from 1931 and through 1940, 408 buildings were built; (5) from 1941 and through 1950, 242 buildings were built; (6)from 1951 and through 1960, 163 buildings were built; (7)from 1961 and through 1970, 445 buildings were built; (8)from 1971 and through 1980, 835 buildings were built; (9)from 1981 and through 1990, 1178 buildings were built; (10)from 1991 and through 2000, 830 buildings were built and (11) from 2001 and through 2008, 693 buildings were built. From 1900 to 2008, 2.92 km² of lot area, containing 0.892 km² of building area, was added to what is now SLOSH zone 1. During that same time, 1.61km² of lot area, containing 0.834 km² of building area, was added to what is now SLOSH Zone 2. Maps produced from this study, showing progressive urbanization, are very useful in analyzing the development in SLOSH zones on Staten Island.