Assessing Impact of Hurricane Harvey on Historical Landmarks in Houston using remote sensing

Keywords: Remote Sensing, Hurricane, Disaster, Flooding, GIS, Historical Geography
Session Type: Virtual Poster
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 4/9/2021 09:35 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/9/2021 10:50 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 52

Abstract

Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane made landfall in Texas on August 25,2017. The second most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 1900, costing roughly $125 Billion in damages. It affected nearly 13 million people, destroying more than 130,000 structures including historical landmarks. Significant flooding was observed in Houston impacting various historical properties in the area. According to the Houston Office of Preservation, there are 346 historical landmarks in the Houston area, these include hotels, residential and commercial buildings, archaeological sites, cemeteries, and churches. In this study, a change detection analysis was conducted by performing a supervised classification of two satellite images of the study area in order to investigate the potential damages to historical landmarks due to extensive flooding by Hurricane Harvey. The results provide baseline information and a methodology that can support insurance companies, historical and archeological organizations, and emergency management agencies to assess the locations of damages.