Disaster Mitigation and Recovery
Disaster Mitigation and Recovery

Author: Vance Andrew Lewis Roper

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Death, destruction, and loss are what many people experience when they encounter a disaster such as a hurricane. One key fact to remember about disasters is that they are a human made event. This is because disasters only occur when a natural hazard comes into contact with human made items. One such natural hazard, hurricanes, can result in significant destruction and have a major impact on humankind. While humankind is effected by natural hazards, it can also have an effect on the results from these hazards. Using proper techniques, damage from disasters can be reduced by significant portions. This can be accomplished through mitigation, resilience and recovery. The combination of these three components can both reduce and eliminate destruction from disasters caused by natural hazards. This paper will look at each of these three components and how they apply to disasters caused by hurricanes. The focus will be looking at how differing building requirements can have an effect on the amount of damage caused by hurricanes. These results will then be used to recommend what types of building codes should be used and the political viability of using such codes.

Island in the Storm
Island in the Storm

Author: Jamie W. Moore

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2006-08-16

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1614234892

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Island in the Storm, by local historians Jamie and Dorothy Moore, documents in vivid detail the devastation, loss and eventual rebuilding of this beloved island community. On the night of September 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast at Sullivan's Island with winds exceeding 160 miles per hour. The colossal force of the hurricane was punctuated by storm surges ranging from five to ten feet above sea level. At approximately one minute after midnight, Hugo's eye passed over the island, and the charming community seaside community disappeared beneath the tumultuous sea for nearly an hour. After Hugo left Sullivan's Island in its furious wake, the first news broadcasts from the Charleston area reported that the island and neighboring Isle of Palms were completely destroyed. The Ben Sawyer Bridge--the only connection to the island at the time--was knocked off its pedestal and rendered useless, and so the hundreds of families who had evacuated the area could not return to their homes to see what, if anything, remained. The recovery process started slowly, and for many it would be a long, arduous journey. More than 15 years later, Sullivan's Island's homes and businesses have been restored, but the memory of Hugo's fury will not soon be forgotten.

Hurricane Hugo and Historic Charleston
Hurricane Hugo and Historic Charleston

Author: JH. Poston

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 19

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Despite a history of natural disasters, most preservationists in Charleston, South Carolina, discovered, as Hurricane Hugo approached, that they were without a cultural resource, disaster-preparedness plan. Each cultural organization in the city took basic protective measures prior to the storm's onslaught, but few were prepared for the magnitude of the outcome. Immediately afterward, preservationists organized an emergency stabilization task force at the request of the city. With a phone bank and a battery of volunteers, expert and amateur, a multilevel effort was commenced, consisting of architectural salvage, survey, technical information dissemination, contractor database, and recordation of damage. After months of recovery efforts, the final phase of recordation and survey led to the input of information and the development of a computer-automated graphics and database marriage program. The database has provided quick access to important information such as roofing and chimney failures and losses of building features. The Foundation's database offers the opportunity for future expansion. Its experience with Hugo has helped set forth new standards for damage recordation after a natural disaster.