USE OF GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUES IN ESTIMATING RISK FROM HURRICANE WIND DAMAGE

Hurricanes are tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour that can be felt tens of miles away from the storm’s center. These winds result in far-spread infrastructure and environmental destruction. Hurricanes are natural phenomena that continue to intensify as sea surface temperatures increase due to climate change. The Gulf of Mexico has been the fastest-growing coastline in terms of population in the United States in the past 20 years, with millions of people now calling it home. The Gulf of Mexico is accustomed to hurricanes, with some storms that have sometimes cost over a billion dollars. These high costs, along with the loss of life, are drivers in providing solutions to comprehend hurricane-wind damage for Gulf of Mexico states. Hazus is a risk-estimating program by FEMA used in tandem with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to examine historic and probable hurricane effects to specific areas. Hazus will be used to estimate probable wind damage for a hurricane that could affect Mobile County in Alabama, in the future. This research aims to demonstrate that GIS, and programs like Hazus, are a beneficial tool in natural hazard decision-making and understanding how hazards may affect others. The goal will be accomplished by running a probabilistic scenario within Hazus to estimate maximum sustained winds for Mobile County. The research discussed on this poster is beneficial as the utilization of GIS technology in hurricane-force wind prediction can lower the likelihood of damage to both assets and human life.