Destruction from storm surge or rise in water level due to strong 

 sustained winds is likewise mainly restricted to areas fronting the ocean. 

 Water and wind-driven waves are capable of great devastation, especially when 

 the surge raises the water level 8 m (25 ft) and waves are driven by 322-kmph 

 (200-mph) winds, as happened during Hurricane Camille. Surge is more 

 pronounced in areas where deep water is near shore, as in the area from 

 Mobile to Panama City, Florida. As the surge moves inland with the storm, a 

 shallow bottom would cause resistance and reduce the surge. The surge may 

 also be accentuated in the study area by the funnel shape of Mobile Bay, 

 which concentrates the surge. When a storm surge occurs during a normal 

 astronomical high tide, its effect is even greater (Chermock 1976). 



The hurricane surge during Hurricane Frederic in September 1979 is the 

 highest ever recorded in coastal Alabama (Table 35). The surge reached a 

 maximum of 5.2 m (17 ft) above mean sea level, about 4.8 km (3 mi) west of 

 Perdido Bay (Pensacola quadrangle). The eastern shore of Mobile Bay (Mobile 

 quadrangle) had high water of 2.4 to 3 m (8 to 10 ft), while the western 

 shore (Pensacola and Bay Minette quadrangle) had a high water of 2.1 to 3.6 m 

 (7 to 12 ft) above mean sea level. Further from the open ocean, the Mobile 

 and Tensaw Rivers (Mobile and Bay Minette quadrangle) had a high water read- 

 ing of 1.4 m(5.5 ft). Frederic inundated about 34,800 ha (87,000 acres) in 

 Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The areal extent of inundation is shown on the 

 atlas sheets. The shoreline along the Mississippi Sound, Dauphin Island 

 (Biloxi quadrangle), Ft. Morgan Peninsula, the Gulf Shores area (Pensacola 

 quadrangle) and the Lower Mobile Delta (Mobile and Bay Minette quadrangle) 

 were all inundated to some degree by the storm surge. The entire economic 

 loss attributable to Frederic was approximately $1.5 billion, economically 

 one of the most costly hurricanes ever experienced in Alabama (U.S. Army 

 Corps of Engineers 1981). 



Damage inland from hurricanes is mainly a result of flooding from heavy 

 rains. After devastating the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, Hurricane 

 Camille caused flash floods and landslides in West Virginia and Virginia. In 

 areas with short stream patterns, the flooding may rapidly reach a coast 

 already inundated by a storm surge. In cases where the rain falls far 

 inland, the flooding may reach the coast after the storm surge recedes and 

 recovery operations are underway or may flood distant areas not otherwise 

 affected by the hurricane. 



The maximum amount of rainfall from Hurricane Frederic was 23 cm (9 

 inches) which fell in 24 h at Merrill, Mississippi. Mobile recorded 21.7cm 

 (8.55 inches) and Dauphin Island recorded 21.5 cm (8.45 inches) on 12 and 13 

 September 19 79 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1981). 



Hurricane Camille caused an average of 12.7 cm (5 inches) of rain across 

 most of its path, with a maximum recorded rainfall of 26.9 cm (10.6 inches) 

 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Camille then brought heavy rains to Alabama and 

 Tennessee before dumping nearly 68.6 cm (27 inches) of rainfall in West 

 Virginia and Virginia (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1970). 



139 



