• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.364-375
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• 2019

Background: Ecologists continue to investigate the factors that potentially affect the pattern and magnitude of tree damage during catastrophic windstorms in forests. However, there still is a paucity of research on which trees are more vulnerable to direct damage by winds rather than being knocked down by the fall of another tree. We evaluated this question in a mixed hardwood-softwood forest within the Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) of southeast Texas, USA, which was substantially impacted by Hurricane Rita in September 2005. Results: We showed that multiple factors, including tree height, shade-tolerance, height-to-diameter ratio, and neighborhood density (i.e., pre-Rita stem distribution) significantly explained the susceptibility of trees to direct storm damage. We also found that no single factor had pervasive importance over the others and, instead, that all factors were tightly intertwined in a complex way, such that they often complemented each other, and that they contributed simultaneously to the overall susceptibility to and patterns of windstorm damage in the BTNP. Conclusions: Directly damaged trees greatly influence the forest by causing secondary damage to other trees. We propose that directly and indirectly damaged (or susceptible) trees should be considered separately when assessing or predicting the impact of windstorms on a forest ecosystem; to better predict the pathways of community structure reorganization and guide forest management and conservation practices. Forest managers are recommended to adopt a holistic view that considers and combines various components of the forest ecosystem when establishing strategies for mitigating the impact of catastrophic winds.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.41-44
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• 2006

• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2012

An analysis of potential flooding by storm surge and wave run-up and overtopping can be used to evaluate protection afforded by the existing storm protection system. The analysis procedure can also be used to evaluate various protection alternatives for providing typhoon flood protection. To determine risk, the storm surges for both historical and hypothetical are compiled with tide conditions to represent high, slack and low water for neap, spring and mid range tides to use with the statistical procedure known as the Empirical Simulations Technique (EST). The EST uses the historic and hypothetical events to generate a large population of life-cycle databases that are used to compute mean value maximum storm surge elevation frequency relationships. The frequency-of-occurrence relationship is determined for all relevant locations along the shoreline at appropriate locations to identify the effect using the Empirical Storm Simulation (EST). To assist with understanding the process, an example is presented for a study of storm surge analysis for Freeport, Texas. This location is in the Gulf of Mexico and is subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that approach from the Atlantic Ocean.

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.26-39
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• 2004

A vessel/mooring/riser coupled dynamic analysis program in time domain is developed for the global motion simulation of a turret-moored, tanker based FPSO designed for 6000-ft water depth. The vessel global motions and mooring tension are simulated for the non-parallel wind-wave-current 100-year hurricane condition in the Gulf of Mexico. The wind and current forces and moments are estimated from the OCIMF empirical data base for the given loading condition. The numerical results are compared with the OTRC(Offshore Technology Research Center: Model Basin for Offshore Platforms in Texas A&M University) 1:60 model-testing results with truncated mooring system. The system's stiffness and line tension as well as natural periods and damping obtained from the OTRC measurement are checked through numerically simulated static-offset and free-decay tests. The global vessel motion simulations in the hurricane condition were conducted by varying lateral and longitudinal hull drag coefficients, different mooring and riser set up, and wind-exposed areas to better understand the sensitivity of the FPSO responses against empirical parameters. It is particularly stressed that the dynamic mooring tension can be greatly underestimated when truncated mooring system is used.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2009

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the dynamic stability and survivability of a four-column classic TLP (tension-leg platform) under less-than-extreme storm conditions where one or more tendons have been lost due to damage or disconnect. The transient responses of the platform and tendon tensions at the moment of disconnection are particularly underscored. The numerical simulation is based on the BE-FE hybrid hull-tendon-riser coupled dynamic analysis in time domain. Compared to the common industry practice of checking the system without a failed tendon in the beginning, the maximum tension on the neighboring tendon can be significantly increased at the moment of disconnection due to the snap-like transient effects, which can lead to unexpected failure of the total system. It is also found that the transient effects can be reduced with the presence of TTRs (top-tensioned risers) with pneumatic tensioners. It is also seen that the TLP cannot survive in the 100-yr hurricane condition after losing one tendon.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.83-90
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• 2009

Natural disasters, such as the recent floods in the Midwest, Hurricane Ike in the Gulf coast region (U.S.), and the earthquake in Sichuan (China), cause severe damage to the infrastructure as well as the associated industries and communities that rely on the infrastructure. The estimated damages due to Hurricane Ike in 2008 were a staggering $27 billion, the third worst in U.S. history. In addition, the worst earthquake in three decades in Sichuan resulted in about 90,000 people dead or missing and $20 billion of the estimated loss. A common observation in the analyses of these natural disaster events is the inadequacy of critical infrastructure to withstand the forces of natural calamities and the lack of mitigation strategies when they occur on the part of emergency-related organizations, industries, and communities. If the emergency-related agencies could identify and fortify the vulnerable critical infrastructure in the preparedness stage, the damage and impacts can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is important to develop a decision support system (DSS) for identifying region-specific mitigation strategies based on the inter-relationships between the infrastructure and associated industries and communities in the affected region. To establish effective mitigation strategies, relevant data were collected from the affected areas with respect to the technical, social, and economic impact levels. The data analysis facilitated identifying the major factors, such as vulnerability, criticality, and severity, for developing a DSS. Customized mitigation strategies that will help agencies prepare, respond, and recover according to the disaster response were suggested.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.63-74
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• 2023

This study compared news coverage of national and international disasters, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti Earthquake, using textual analysis of The New York Times and The Washington Post. The results reveal that media framing of the historical cases developed in three stages upon the development of post-disaster relief: (1) Call for humanitarian assistance; (2) New Orleans under anarchy and hopelessness vs. Haiti under scrutiny with hope; and (3) Katrina effects. By framing the outcomes of the hurricane as the "Katrina effect," the media used the disaster as a reference point to explain other economic and political issues. In addition, analysis of relevant statements and press releases confirmed that different social actors involved in the relief process, such as donors, facilitators, and beneficiaries, contributed to the media framing of the issue, although the facilitators were most successful in transferring their own frames to media frames. This study makes important contributions to the field as it looks beyond traditional relationships between quantitative measures of media attention and aid allocation. For governmental and nongovernmental organizations in the area of humanitarian assistance, the findings of this study will assist them in media-relations in the future.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.171-191
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• 2024

Wind Driven Rain (WDR) poses a significant threat to the building environment, especially in hurricane prone regions by causing interior and content damage during tropical storms and hurricanes. The damage due to rain intrusion depends on the total amount of water that enters the building; however, owing to the use of inadequate empirical methods, the amount of water intrusion is difficult to estimate accurately. Hence, the need to achieve full-scale testing capable of realistically simulating rain intrusion is widely recognized. This paper presents results of a full-scale experimental simulation at the NHERI Wall of Wind Experimental Facility (WOW EF) aimed at obtaining realistic rain characteristics as experienced by structures during tropical storms and hurricanes. A full-scale simulation of rain in strong winds would allow testing WDR intrusion through typical building components. A study of rain intrusion through a sliding glass door is presented, which accounted for the effects of multiple wind directions, test durations and wind speeds; configurations with and without shuttering systems were also considered. The study showed that significant levels of water intrusion can occur during conditions well below current design levels. The knowledge gained through this work may enhance risk modeling pertaining to loss estimates due to WDR intrusion in buildings, and it may help quantify the potential reduction of losses due to the additional protection from shuttering systems on sliding glass doors during winds.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.301-322
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• 2013

Recent major post-hurricane damage assessments in the United States have reported that the most common damages result from the loss of building roof coverings and subsequent wind driven rain intrusion. In an effort to look further into this problem, this paper presents a full-scale (Wall of Wind --WoW--) investigation of external and underneath wind pressures on roof tiles installed on a low-rise building model with various gable roofs. The optimal dimensions for the low-rise building that was tested with the WOW are 2.74 m (9 ft) long, 2.13 m (7 ft) wide, and 2.13 m (7 ft) high. The building is tested with interchangeable gable roofs at three different slopes (2:12; 5:12 and 7:12). The field tiles of these gable roofs are considered with three different tile profiles namely high (HP), medium (MP), and low profiles (LP) in accordance with Florida practice. For the ridge, two different types namely rounded and three-sided tiles were considered. The effect of weather block on the "underneath" pressure that develops between the tiles and the roof deck was also examined. These tests revealed the following: high pressure coefficients for the ridge tile compared to the field tiles, including those located at the corners; considerably higher pressure on the gable end ridge tiles compared to ridge tiles at the middle of the ridge line; and marginally higher pressure on barrel type tiles compared to the three-sided ridge tiles. The weather blocking of clay tiles, while useful in preventing water intrusion, it doesn't have significant effect on the wind loads of the field tiles. The case with weather blocking produces positive mean underneath pressure on the field tiles on the windward side thus reducing the net pressures on the windward surface of the roof. On the leeward side, reductions in net pressure to a non-significant level were observed due to the opposite direction of the internal and external pressures. The effect of the weather blocking on the external pressure on the ridge tile was negligible.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers Conference
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.19-22
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• 1996

Extreme sea statistics and combinations of environmental events or response for structures are very important problem in performance evaluation and design of coastal and Offshore structures. A probabilistic method is developed that leads to the combination of Typhoon (Hurricane) or winter storm induces winds, waves, currents and surge for a generic site. The traditional recommendation for the fixed structures is a combination of the 100 years maximum wave height with the 100 years wind and current. (omitted)