Hurricanes

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, deployed a temporary monitoring network of storm-surge and barometric pressure sensors at 249 locations along the Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coasts to record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Irma.

Preventing flood hazards, such as hurricane-induced tidal surge, from becoming human disasters requires an understanding of the relative risks floods pose to specific communities and knowledge of the processes by which flood waters rise, converge, and abate. Historically, hurricane-induced tidal surge has been documented through measurement of high-water marks left on structures or vegetation...

Webcams have been installed at several real-time stream-gaging sites. The webcams provide valuable information to the National Weather Service, emergency managers, and area residents to evaluate real-time conditions in river environments during storms. The visual record of flooding and other river events also provides valuable research data for the USGS. Many of these webcam installations are part...

The U.S. Geological Survey provides local and national web-based tools so that policy makers and the public can easily access the information they need to enhance preparedness, response, and resilience.