HURRICANE FLOOD PROBLEI>e AND SOLUTIONS 



51. HURRICAxNE FLOOD DAMAGES 



H\irricane damages resxilt chiefly from (1) salt-water flooding 

 by the hurricane surge (2) action of storm-driven vaves, (3) fresh- 

 water flooding resulting from torrential rains, and (h) effect of 

 high-velocity winds. This report is limited to the damages arising 

 from salt-i*ater tidal flooding and wave action. Fresh-water nm- 

 off and flood damages are considered only to the extent that they 

 affect areas subject to tidal flooding. Along low coastal areas 

 and in narrow river vall^s, flooding is generally the chief con- 

 cern. Hurricane Carol (195U) caused severe flooding of shore- 

 front areas in the Narragansett Bay area, and in the following 

 year Hurricane Diane inflicted enormously heavy flood damages 

 along river valleys in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 



Hurricane damages result from loss of life and property, 

 hazards to health, disruption. of normal economic activities, and 

 costs of evacuation and reoccuja tion. Some types of damage cannot 

 feasibly be prevented although they may be relieved by careful 

 planning. Effective protection against hurricane winds, for 

 instance, can be relieved to some extent by the adoption of 

 higher building-code standards, as has been done in some localities. 

 Damages resulting from tidal flooding of coastal areas or fresh- 

 water flooding of river valleys, however, can be significantly 

 reduced in many cases by adequate protective structures, 



52. POSSIBLE PROTECTIVE MEASURES CONSIDERED FOR NARRAGANSiSTT BAY 



Protective measures fall into the following categories, dis- 

 cussed below: (a) hurricane warning and emergency flood mobilization 

 measures; (b) revision of zoning regulations and building codes; 

 (c) local protection, i.e., protective structures such as dikes, 

 walls, breakwaters, bulkheads and local tidal barriers designed to 

 protect individual portions of the shorefront subject to tidal 

 flooding; and (d) large-scale tidal flood barriers designed to prevent 

 a hurricane surge from entering a major portion of the bay, 



a. Hurricane warning and emergency flood mobilization measures , 

 A hurricane warning system, combined with emergency mobilization, 

 would materially aid in preventing loss of life and property. However, 

 such a system would not alleviate the problem of physical inimdation 

 of land areas. Considerable time is required for emergency pre- 

 cautions for homes, buildings, goods and other property such as boarding-up 



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