Dartmouth College scientists studying the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont hope their work will help communities both predict and plan for future hazards.
Immediately after the 2011 storm, professors Frank Magilligan and Carl Renshaw used a National Science Foundation grant to conduct a rapid damage assessment. They are now a few months into a three-year, $345,000 grant to study the storm's longer-term effects, particularly in areas where overflowing streams washed away roads and houses.
The researchers are combining field analysis with aerial photography and other data to develop faster and more accurate assessment techniques that can be used to pinpoint potential trouble spots along streams. The goal is to give communities tools they can use to make scientifically informed planning decisions, rather than tell them what to do.