Nighttime Light Data Shows Inequities in Restoring Power After Hurricane Michael

Using nighttime lightdata from NASA, remote sensing, official outage records and census information, a study reveals notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities after Hurricane Michael in Florida’s Panhandle.

Why people say no to low interest disaster recovery loans, and why they should say yes

A University of Iowa researcher found that 28% of eligible recipients turn the loans down because they worry the interest rate is too high. However, as climate change causes more destructive natural disasters, they should be encouraged to say yes to avoid stressing public relief agencies.

Hurricanes Cooking up an Intense Season

The onset of the hurricane season has brought renewed attention to the impacts and preparedness efforts necessary to mitigate the damage caused by these powerful storms. The increasing intensity and frequency of hurricanes are attributed to global warming and climate change, posing significant risks to lives, property, and economies.

FAU Experts for the 2024 Hurricane Season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1, and forecasts indicate a highly active season. Several Florida Atlantic University faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.

FSU faculty available to comment for 2024 hurricane season

By: Bill Wellock | Published: May 16, 2024 | 3:36 pm | SHARE: The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is approaching.The season runs from June 1 through November 30. This year’s forecast includes an above-average number of storms.Florida State University faculty are leaders in the study of hurricanes and ways to mitigate their destruction.

At the Climate READi workshop: Resilient power systems in the context of climate change

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other institutions joined industry stakeholders in exploring solutions for power grid climate resilience at the Climate READi Southeast workshop co-hosted by EPRI and ORNL’s Water Power Program on April 10-11.

Details of Hurricane Ian’s Aftermath Captured with New Remote Sensing Method

Using aerial imagery data and LiDAR, a study remotely identified the hardest-hit areas of Southwest Florida’s Estero Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Researchers estimated the extent of structural damage and compared pre- and post-storm beach structural changes.

Florida Wildlife Corridor Eases Worst Impacts of Climate Change

Florida is projected to lose 3.5 million acres of land to development by 2070. A new study highlights how Florida can buffer itself against both climate change and population pressures by conserving the remaining 8 million acres of “opportunity areas” within the Florida Wildlife Corridor (FLWC), the only designated statewide corridor in the U.S.

Severe Hurricanes Boost Influx of Juveniles and Gene Flow in a Coral Reef Sponge

A study is the first to evaluate substrate recolonization by sponges in the U.S. Virgin Islands after two catastrophic storms using genetic analyses to understand how much clonality verses sexual recruitment occurs on coral reefs post-storms.

In a Warming World, Climate Scientists Consider Category 6 Hurricanes

For more than 50 years, the National Hurricane Center has used the Saffir-Simpson Windscale to communicate the risk of property damage; it labels a hurricane on a scale from Category 1 (wind speeds between 74 – 95 mph) to Category 5 (wind speeds of 158 mph or greater). But as increasing ocean temperatures contribute to ever more intense and destructive hurricanes, climate scientists wondered whether the open-ended Category 5 is sufficient to communicate the risk of hurricane damage in a warming climate.

NYU Tandon School of Engineering Researchers Develop Hurricane Power Outage Prediction Model that Outperforms Traditional Methods

Conventional hurricane power-outage prediction models often produce incomplete or incorrect results, hampering companies’ abilities to prepare to restore power as quickly as possible, especially in cities that are susceptible to prolonged hurricane-induced power outages.

‘Coastal Squeeze:’ Massive Loss of U.S. Coastline Tidal Flats Over 31 Years

The entire contiguous U.S. has experienced massive urban expansions and the Atlantic Coast shows outstandingly high rates. Urban expansion has substantially squeezed the space of tidal flats and affected surrounding environments. In new urban areas, tidal flats have undergone considerable degeneration with more significant patterns as they get closer to new urban locations. Tidal flats protect against the ocean’s destructive powers such as hurricanes. Without some inland spaces to move around, they will likely disappear, which will have dire consequences for beachfront communities.

El Niño and record warm ocean temperatures: FSU climatologist offers insight on what they mean for hurricanes

By: Patty Cox | Published: July 20, 2023 | 12:52 pm | SHARE: Record-breaking high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean combined with El Niño spell uncertainty for the Atlantic hurricane season. El Niño, known to reduce hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin, developed early this summer.  With the conflicting factors of El Nino in the Pacific leading to fewer hurricanes and warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures favoring hurricane development, seasonal forecasts are for near-normal activity with lower confidence than other years.

FAU Experts for the 2023 Hurricane Season

With the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season officially starting on June 1 and ending Nov. 30, several Florida Atlantic University faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.

Broad Climate Change Concern in Florida Linked With Recent Extreme Weather

An increasing number of Floridians agree that human actions are causing climate change, including a record number of Florida Republicans. Virtually all respondents (90 percent) believe climate change is happening, with 65 percent attributing the causes to human actions, including 49 percent of GOP voters. Belief in and concern about human-caused climate change appears to be translating into support for policies to reduce emissions and reduce impacts. The explanation for this emerging consensus may be grounded in people’s lived experiences with weather events.

IDAHO RESEARCHERS DEVELOP TOOL TO HELP RESTORE ELECTRICITY AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS

Storm-DEPART helps utilities refine their damage estimates by combining utility infrastructure data with weather data from the National Hurricane Center to efficiently deploy restoration resources.

FAU Hurricane Evacuation Expert Available to Discuss Hurricane Ian

Florida Atlantic University’s John Renne, Ph.D., is available to discuss evacuation and other hurricane-related issues with the media. Renne is a professor and director of the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions. He recently published a first-of-its-kind study, “What Has…

FAU Hurricane Evacuation Expert Available to Discuss Tropical Depression Nine/Hurricane Hermine

Florida Atlantic University’s John Renne, Ph.D., is available to discuss evacuation and other hurricane-related issues with the media. Renne is a professor and director of the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions. He recently published a first-of-its-kind study, “What Has…

FSU expert: Third consecutive La Niña could bring more hurricanes

By: Bill Wellock | Published: September 20, 2022 | 8:42 am | SHARE: Meteorologists predict current La Niña conditions will persist this year through a third consecutive winter, a situation that usually brings a more active late hurricane season, followed by a dry and warm fall and winter across Florida.La Niña is the popular name for a phase of what meteorologists call the “El Niño-Southern Oscillation,” or ENSO, a recurring pattern of relatively warmer and cooler surface-water temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

It’s been 30 years since Hurricane Andrew made U.S. landfall. Are hurricanes getting more deadly? UWM expert Clark Evans can weigh in.

Clark Evans can discuss how hurricane activity in the U.S. is changing and how it’s affecting the modeling used to predict their trajectories. His lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee uses numerical models to better understand and improve prediction of…

GW Experts Available to Discuss Extreme Weather and Climate Change

WASHINGTON (July 19, 2022) — Much of Europe has been hit by the latest record shattering heat wave. Such sweltering temperatures are part of global trends toward climate-fueled high temperatures that can lead to wildfires and damaging health consequences. The…

FAU Experts for the 2022 Hurricane Season

With the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be above average activity with a higher probability of major hurricanes making landfall along the continental U.S. coastline, several FAU faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.

Virginia Tech tropical storm expert encourages people to be ‘weather aware’ as hurricane season starts June 1

A Virginia Tech meteorologist with expertise in hurricanes and tropical storms encourages people to prepare for the Atlantic hurricane season that begins June 1 in part by finding a trusted area weather source and paying attention to local weather alerts. “During hurricane…

FSU faculty available to comment for 2022 hurricane season

By: Bill Wellock | Published: May 2, 2022 | 4:03 pm | SHARE: Florida State University faculty are leaders in the study of hurricanes and the effects of these destructive storms.Their scholarship has led to research on infrastructure challenges, evacuation routes, sustainable tools and mental health challenges for those affected by hurricanes.

UNH Receives $1.8 Million Grant to Study Road Resilience to Sea Level Rise

After a summer of high heat, steady sea level rise and devastating hurricanes, coastal roads have continued to take a severe beating resulting in endless wear and tear. Because these roadways have become increasingly vulnerable, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $1.8 million grant to researchers at the University of New Hampshire to study how and why coastal hazards like excessive flooding are causing roads to crack and crumble and find ways to protect them.

UAlbany Experts Available to Discuss Active 2021 Hurricane Season

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 8, 2021) – As we hit mid-September, many experts in the atmospheric science community, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are proving to be right on their predictions of an active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Already,…

FSU expert available to comment on hurricane evacuations

By: Bill Wellock | Published: August 31, 2021 | 12:21 pm | SHARE: For many people, choosing whether to evacuate in the face of an incoming hurricane or other natural disaster is not an easy decision.Hurricanes threaten people and property, but evacuation also carries risks and costs, especially if a would-be evacuee has difficulty moving or caring for themselves without help.

Gulf of Mexico Alliance Encourages Residents to Get Ready for Hurricane Season Using Disaster Preparedness Resources

In support of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance encourages all Gulf Coast residents to get ready for the upcoming hurricane season. Individuals, families, and communities all have a role to play in reducing their risk from hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Survey Launched to Learn More about Deaths Tied to Hurricane Maria

Researchers at the George Washington University and the University of Puerto Rico will launch a first-of-its-kind survey to investigate the causes of deaths that occurred during the first two weeks after Hurricane Maria. The fact-finding mission will help identify the factors and socio-environmental conditions that led to more than 1,700 deaths in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

FSU experts available to comment for 2021 hurricane season

By: Bill Wellock | Published: April 20, 2021 | 3:15 pm | SHARE: Florida State University faculty are among the world leaders in the study of hurricanes.From forecasting to insurance to ecological aftermath, FSU experts are available to discuss the many ways these storms impact people, property and the environment.These faculty members are available to answer media questions and provide perspective for news stories throughout the 2021 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov.

Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss N.J.’s Vulnerability Eight Years after Sandy

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available to discuss the busy 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and New Jersey’s vulnerability to coastal storms and flooding eight years after Superstorm Sandy, along with how to boost resilience.…

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Vietnam’s Vulnerability to Floods

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 23, 2020) – Rutgers Professor Pamela McElwee, an expert on Vietnam environmental issues, is available for interviews on the devastating flooding in that country this month and the flood threat posed by Typhoon Saudel. McElwee, who has done research…