Analyzing Hurricanes to Gain Insight on the Vulnerability of Small and Medium-Sized Coastal Counties

Keywords: Small and Medium-sized cities, coastal cities, hurricanes, vulnerability
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Extreme weather events and natural hazards, including hurricanes, flooding, heat waves, and droughts, have become a recurring occurrence in recent years due to the evolving climate and the rapid growth of cities in the United States. The focus will be on hurricanes, since these storms lead to increased runoff, causing hazards like flash flooding, which impacts urban growth and built-up environments. Urbanization along coastal regions is expected to further intensify in response to population growth due to the increased demand in ocean-side properties. As urbanization continues, coastal cities are faced with intensifying environmental pressures and degradation that can negatively impact the land-water interaction processes. The objective of this research is to analyze historic hurricane trends and patterns, especially wind speeds and paths, through a literature review and data visualization to comprehend areas of high vulnerability to infrastructure damage and floods in small and medium-sized coastal cities. Using NOAA’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) data and ArcGIS Pro, these hurricane patterns can be detected for a period of over 180 years of data (1842 to present). With satellite raster images, from NOAA imagery and Google Earth Engine, a thorough pre- and post- analysis of the areas impacted by 3 major hurricanes is conducted, discovering infrastructure disparities. The study areas include two counties, Lee and Collier, in the state of Florida. The significance of this research is to aid in understanding how hurricane-prone areas should equip themselves for their residents in the future as urban growth continues.