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According to the storm surge unit of the National Hurricane Center, Mexico Beach was inundated by a storm surge of more than 14 feet. Large waves and strong winds caused complete erosion of the dunes and destruction of the pier and many other buildings. (Public domain)
- The aerial photos help the USGS Coast Hazards team to change the coasts to refine its forecasts.
- Early analyzes show that the forecast for Michael went well, says the USGS.
Even though the recovery is continuing, the damage caused by Hurricane Michael in Florida is under study to better prepare for future storms.
The United States Geological Survey US Coastal Change Risk Monitoring Team compares the aerial photos taken by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration in 2017 to those of NOAA collected a few days after Michael landed at Panhandle, Florida.
According to the USGS, scientists are analyzing the photos to refine coastal change forecasting models.
(MORE: Michael discovers 19th century ships destroyed on Florida's Dog Island during the 1899 hurricane)
Kara Doran, Coastal Change Risk Team Leader, said in a statement from the USGS: "These oblique photos at lower elevations give us a clearer view. from the beach and dunes. We can see if the storm surge and the waves have changed or eliminated this protective barrier and what happened to the houses and roads behind the dunes. "
The destructive hurricane swept entire buildings from its foundations in Mexico Beach. The sand of the beach covered the roadways, indicating that the waves and waves easily passed the dunes and dikes. (Public domain)
The low-lying dunes on St. George's Island have been overtaken by Michael's storm surge and big waves. Sand was transported from the beach and dunes, covering the only access road to St. George Island State Park. The expected probability of excessive overflow at this location was 100%. (Public domain)
Storm surges and waves completely eroded and pierced a low and narrow point on Cape San Blas, creating two new coves and cutting off the only road access to T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. "Our models do not take into account the duration of high water levels. As a result, when water levels are above normal several days before a storm, these dunes are already eroding before seeing the maximum impacts of a storm, "said Kara Doran, Chief Fisheries Officer. Coastal change risk team. . "This is an area of interest that we are looking at for future research." (Public domain)
The team compares its previous predictions to the storm to their aftermath, assesses their accuracy and uses this data in future models of coastal change, the statement said.
"To date, our preliminary analysis indicates that our predictions of coastal change are performing well in areas that would be affected by excessive overflowing, or areas where surges exceeded the dunes," Doran said. . "Along Florida, our forecasts predicted a high probability of excessive overflow from St. Andrews National Park in Mexico Beach, and the dunes in these areas appear to have been overfilled."
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