Hurricane season officially begins June 1. Top researchers at the University of South Carolina are available to discuss multiple aspects of the 2015 hurricane season, including forecasting, disaster planning and historical perspectives. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
Impact of intense precipitationIn addition to high winds, the water that accompanies hurricanes can overwhelm a region. Geology professor Venkat Lakshmi, a hydrometeorology expert, can discuss the impact of intense precipitation. After Hurricane Katrina, Lakshmi conducted a study on flooding along the Gulf Coast and its impact. He can discuss flash floods and the seriousness of flash-flood advisories, coastal erosion when sediment is washed away, and how the horizontal movement of wind and water changes the landscape.News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Assessing storm surge and damageJerry Mitchell, director of the S.C. Geographic Alliance, can discuss the nature and dynamics of storm surge and how the vulnerability of communities is determined. Most recently, Mitchell, along with other university geography researchers, mapped storm-surge inundation from Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and assessed where residents were the most vulnerable.News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Recreating U.S. hurricane historyCary Mock, professor of geography and climatologist, has reconstructed a hurricane history for South Carolina and other areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as well as for typhoons in the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii. From studying old diaries, 18th- and 19th-century plantation records, newspapers, ship logbooks and early meteorological records, he has created a perspective on hurricanes during the last several hundred years, which, in turn, is leading to a better understanding of hurricane patterns and the relationships between hurricanes and global climate change. Mock, who teaches meteorology courses, also can discuss the meteorological characteristics, climate, tracks and forecasting aspects of hurricanes. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation and NOAA.News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Bridge and building safety after stormsHow do storms impact bridges and buildings? Paul Ziehl, associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, has experience with the design, post-event evaluation and remediation of reinforced concrete, steel, timber and fiber-reinforced polymer structures and systems, including bridges and buildings. He has additional experience and expertise in structural health monitoring of buildings and transportation systems.News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686) Infrastructure continuity during stormsNathan Huynh, an assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, has experience in the areas of intermodal network design, transportation systems, civil infrastructure systems and health care systems. The common thread in his research is how to ensure customer and patient safety during storms. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686
Combating mold after the stormMold is problem that faces many businesses and homeowners in the aftermath of hurricanes. Mold thrives in moist environments and can cause serious health problems. Anindya Chanda at the Arnold School of Public Health is director of the Laboratory of Fungal Pathogenesis and Secondary Metabolism at UofSC. He is available to discuss what people should know about safely removing mold and the health risks mold poses to humans.News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686
Levee breaches and closure proceduresHanif Chaudhry, associate dean in the College of Engineering and Computing, has studied the levee breaches in New Orleans, the worst of which occurred at the 17th Street Canal. Chaudhry is director of a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation that leads an international research effort on modeling of flood hazards due to levee breach and dam failure. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686) Hurricane impact on the oceansSubra Bulusu is a professor of satellite oceanography and physical oceanography in the marine science program and the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences. He can discuss a hurricane's impact on the oceans using remote-sensing techniques, satellite oceanography and ocean modeling. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686
Coastal storm impacts on fish, shellfish and marsh animalsDennis Allen is a research professor and resident director of the USC Baruch Marine Field Laboratory on the coast near Georgetown, S.C. With more than 30 years of experience on the S.C. coast, and professional interests in the ecology of fishes, shrimps, crabs, and less familiar animals of salt marshes, estuaries and the coastal ocean, he is available to discuss issues including threats and impacts of coastal storms. Allen was active in studying the environmental impact of 1989's Hurricane Hugo. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Preparedness and policySusan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography, is considered one of the leading authorities in the world on emergency preparedness, response and recovery, and social vulnerability to manmade and natural disasters. She is frequently consulted by government agencies for her expertise in the roles of public agencies, such as FEMA and state emergency-preparedness offices, in handling disasters. As director of the university's Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute, one of the country's top facilities for integrating hazards research with geospatial information, Cutter has done extensive grant-funded research on hurricane evacuations and how people decide whether to evacuate. Immediately after Katrina, she led a team of researchers who mapped storm-surge inundation along the Gulf Coast and assessed where residents were the most vulnerable. Most recently, with funding from a National Science Foundation grant, she has teamed up with several colleagues to study social vulnerability and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast after Katrina. She completed a 2011 survey of South Carolina hurricane evacuation behavior for the Army Corps of Engineers and South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD). News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686
Risk management and insuranceGreg Niehaus is a faculty member with the Darla Moore School of Business. Niehaus is a professor of finance and insurance whose research has been published in top journals. He can discuss risk assessment, insurance pricing, and public policy issues related to insurance for coastal residents and businesses. Specific topics include catastrophe modeling, catastrophe bonds, catastrophe reinsurance, and the National Flood Insurance Program. News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704
Ernie Csiszar, former CEO of Seibels Bruce Insurance and Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), is an adjunct professor for finance and insurance at the Darla Moore School of Business. Csiszar can discuss risk assessment and insurance planning for coastal residents. He can address residential property insurance, the impact of hurricane loss on insurance pricing and the damage estimation process after a hurricane. Csiszar has more than 30 years of business experience in merchant banking and insurance. In addition to his leadership with Siebels Bruce and PCI, he served as president of the National Association of Insurance Supervisors (NAIC).News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704 The economic impact of hurricanesDouglas Woodward, director of the division of research and professor of economics at the Darla Moore School of Business, can discuss the economic impact of a hurricane on South Carolina's economy. Woodward is well known for his economic impact analysis and studies and is frequently called upon by national media for his insights to economic development, industry location and direct-foreign investment, particularly as they relate to South Carolina and the Southeast. News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704 Retail and hospitality hurricane preparednessChristian Stegmaier specializes in hotel and restaurant law in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. He can discuss disaster planning preparedness, proper response following an emergency, and matters relating to the interruption of business/continuation of business. He can also talk about advising restaurants, hotels and convenience stores about the legal consequences resulting from price gouging following natural disastersNews contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704
Pricing and revenue hurricane impactScott Smith specializes in pricing and revenue management in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. He can discuss disaster price gouging following natural disasters. A native Floridian, Smith has extensive experience in tourism and hospitality management, having managed Florida hotels during several major hurricane events.News contact: Megan Sexton, 803-777-1421 Legal issues and ramifications surrounding hurricane damageJosh Eagle, the Solomon Blatt Professor of Law in the university's School of Law, specializes in natural resources and coastal law and can discuss environmental-policy implications and regulatory requirements related to hurricanes. Eagle, an authority on coastal law, which encompasses land use and development, property and the preservation of natural resources, wrote the first textbook devoted to the subject of coastal law. It was released in 2011.News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-3691
Law and policies of adapting to climate impactsNathan Richardson, an assistant professor in the university's School of Law, specializes in environmental and energy law, especially the law and policy of climate change. He can discuss local, regional and national laws and policies aimed at adaptation to climate impacts, including sea level rise and extreme weather events, and the role of various levels of government and agencies in disaster response.News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-7704
Impact of storm surge, floodingGeorge Voulgaris, a coastal oceanographer, studies coastal erosion and wind- and tide-driven currents as well as wave activity and patterns along the South Carolina coast. He can discuss the effect of hurricanes on coastal erosion and how a hurricane's storm surge affects land. Since Hurricane Katrina, Voulgaris has studied the resilience of barrier islands along the Gulf Coast. In 2004, Voulgaris and his team of researchers launched technology off the South Carolina coast that provided real-time waves, currents and water level information. More recently radar technology has been installed along the coast that enables marine scientists and state agencies to determine the severity of a hurricane's impact as the storm occurs through real time observations of waves and currents over large areas of the coastal ocean extending to the Gulf Stream. He also can talk about the dangers of flooding during and after a hurricane. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Impact of storms on coastal ecology, salt marshesJim Morris is a coastal marine scientist and director of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences near Georgetown, S.C. He can address questions relating to the effect of sea-level rise and storms on the coast and its ecology, especially its salt marshes. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Storm impacts on water qualityDianne Greenfield is a coastal marine scientist and an assistant professor with the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, and she holds a joint appointment with the Marine Resources Research Institute in Charleston. She can address questions relating to the effect of storms on the coast and its ecology, especially water quality, algal blooms and nutrients. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Using GIS and other technology to assess coastal changesStorm surges and hurricane winds can alter the coast line dramatically, far beyond what can be seen during a walk along the beach. Dwayne E. Porter, chair of the department of environmental health sciences at the Arnold School of Public Health and research associate at the university's Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, can discuss how GIS and other technology are used to assess coastal changes that occur after a hurricane and the importance of such assessments for the environment and coastal planners. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 How a storm changes marine organism health; pollution impacts of hurricanesPamela Morris is a marine microbial ecologist and research professor of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences near Georgetown, S.C. She can address questions relating to the impact of coastal storms on microbial community shifts related to changes in marine organism health status, the identification of human and marine pathogen reservoirs and pollution impacts. News contact: Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686 Human dimensions of hurricane disaster2014 marked 45 years since Hurricane Camille slammed the Mississippi Coast, killing more than 130 people. Carolina Distinguished Professor of History Mark Smith wrote the book, "Camille 1969: Histories of a Hurricane.” Smith, known for examining history through the senses, can offer a detailed look at the human dimensions of disaster and the experiences of the people who survive. Released in 2011, the book provides an understanding of time and place through vivid personal accounts. Examples include the roar of winds that tore homes apart, the endless buzz of chainsaws during the cleanup, the stench of rotting food and the rearrangement of segregation protocols, including prohibited physical contact between blacks and whites, that were abandoned in the moment of crisis when safety and health trumped prejudice and race.News contact: Peggy Binette, 803-777-3691
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