Equipment Repair and Replacement—Surface Water Gages in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands
USGS streamgage network provides critical information about flood stage and streamflow.
Water gage equipment repair: tasks and benefits 2018
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria produced large scale flooding and wind damage along their paths in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rio. As a result, USGS streamgages in these areas were heavily impacted with a total of 192 gages damaged or destroyed in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Supplemental appropriations repaired and replaced these streamgages. All but one gage in Puerto Rico have been repaired and are transmitting realtime data.
Hurricane Harvey
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm. Hurricane Harvey’s widespread 8-day rainfall, which started on August 25, 2017, exceeded 60 inches in some locations, which is about 15 inches more than average annual amounts of rainfall for eastern Texas and the Texas coast. Hurricane Harvey damaged or destroyed 20 gages. All gages have been repaired or replaced by the USGS Texas Water Science Center. Gages are transmitting realtime data.
The figure below shows streamgages damaged or destroyed flooded during Hurricane Harvey in Texas:
Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma made landfall near Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane about midmorning local time on September 10, 2017, and made a second landfall on Marco Island, Florida as a category 3 hurricane six hours later. The center of the hurricane moved northward through the western side of the Florida peninsula, decreasing to a tropical storm near Gainesville, Florida, by early morning of September 11, and entering Georgia by the early afternoon of September 11. As the storm moved north, the wind field expanded, producing substantial storm-tide from Cape Canaveral to the border with Georgia. Widespread, heavy rainfall of 10 to 15 inches throughout most of the state caused major flooding in many rivers. As result of the heavy winds and flooding, 126 streamgages were damaged or destroyed in Florida. All gages have been repaired or replaced by the USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center. Gages are transmitting realtime data.
The figure below shows streamgages damaged or destroyed flooded during Hurricane Irma in Florida:
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4 hurricane, made landfall September 20, 2017 near the city of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria caused storm-tide elevations approximately 9 ft above Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002 along the southeast coastline, and the associated rainfall of almost 30 inches caused record floods at many streams. As a result of high winds and flooding, 84 streamgages were damaged in Puerto Rico and 3 were damaged in US Virgin Islands. All gages have been repaired or replaced by the USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center. Gages are transmitting realtime data.
The figure below shows streamgages damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands:
