New this hurricane season: Storm surge flooding maps when storm threatens
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its National Hurricane Center have a new online program showing where potential storm surge flooding could happen during a storm.
- If the tropical wave that is headed to Florida turns into a hurricane, the program will be turned on to show maps of coastal areas that are under a warning. The maps should be available within an hour of a warning.
- Viewers will see color-coded maps of where the water might go and how deep it could be. Information on the maps is to be updated every six hours.
- “It is our most popular addition to the center’s website,” said NOAA’s Jamie Thome, who has been at the National Hurricane Center for 17 years. “There was huge pent-up demand. We couldn’t develop it fast enough.”
- The maps are expected to help residents take a more proactive approach to their preparedness efforts.
- Viewers can adjust the map to zoom in on areas, but not to street level. Researchers can’t pinpoint flooding that accurately.
- Along the Treasure Coast, the areas most subject to storm surges are the coastal barrier islands and land along the Indian River Lagoon. Usually the most damage is to property, but that’s not limited to the oceanfront. Mainland areas can be flooded by water moving inland from the lagoon.
For an example of a storm surge map, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/surge/inundation/.
During a storm, the maps will be at www.hurricanes.gov.