A storm surge can do major damage to anything (or anyone) in its path. The wind effect depends on water depth and increases in importance as the depth decreases, whereas the pressure effect is independent of depth. CoreLogic 8 studied the effect of storm surge on single-family homes and found that more than 6.5 million single-family homes with a reconstruction value of nearly $1.5 trillion were at risk of damage from storm surge in coastal communities. A storm surge warning is in effect along the coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Fla., including Lake Borgne.
Besides, the storm surge in the hurricane creates major flooding, and major damage to a lot of land! Storm surge generation is represented by two forces: wind stress and the horizontal gradient of atmospheric pressure at the sea surface. Assessments of flood exposure and risk are usually conducted for individual events with a specific peak water level and hydrograph, without considering variations in the temporal evolution (duration and intensity) of storm surges. The extreme rise in water levels and strong winds can cause severe flooding, property damage…
9 The study concurred with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 10 identifying Texas and Florida as having the greatest risk of damages due to storm surge. The wind, waves, and sea level, contribute to the damage involved for the storm surge as well!
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