About our Sessions

Texas is vulnerable to hurricane-induced surges (HIS). Most recently, Hurricane Beryl caused 42 fatalities and economic losses ranging from $2.5 to $3.5 billion in Houston. With sea level rise (SLR) and climate change (CC), intensity and the affected regions of disasters change every year. Considering these changing conditions, regional studies for HIS in Texas are of importance.

Engineering standards, disaster response frameworks, and post-disaster recovery mechanisms need the expectation of disaster in specific areas. Former studies have well examined historical hurricane cases. However, predicting the HIS influenced by CC and SLR is still inadequate. This study fills this gap up for Texas by developing a linking statistical and hydrodynamic model. Unlike case studies focusing on specific hurricane cases, this research provides insights from thousands of synthetic hurricane cases with dynamic SLR and CC conditions.

The model employs the Tropical Cyclone Wind Statistical Estimation Model, extracting characteristics from historical hurricane tracks from NOAA and climate projections from CMIP5 to generate thousands of synthetic hurricanes expected to happen in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico in the next century. Hurricanes with significant impacts on the Houston-Galveston region are picked based on intensity and trajectory screening. HIS responses are computed using Delft3D Flexible Mesh, incorporating projected wind fields, tidal boundary, and sea level. By integrating flow-wave conditions at different locations, the study establishes probabilistic distributions of hazard intensity maps. The result will provide valuable insights of future HIS at specific locations and reference data for the design of urban infrastructures.

We will cover the procedures and protocols setup in place from the beginning that ensured project success. Examples include a clear and defined schedule of values, adherence to the chain of command, and constant field presence of all levels of management to be able to quickly identify and resolve problems before they exacerbate. We have automated geotechnical instrumentation to provide real time settlement alerts from tunneling operations. We take GPS readings of every pipe laid and correlate it to the lay schedule and project drawings and address deviations in alignment. All pipe joints are welded and inspected and reported. All of this information is tracked and stored in the program’s project information system and any necessary information is able to be quickly retrieved.