Overview

If Hurricane Ike had made landfall just fifty miles down the Texas coast, the devastation and death caused by what was already one of the most destructive hurricanes in US history would have quadrupled. Ike made everyone realize just how exposed and vulnerable the Houston-Galveston area is in the face of a major storm. What is done to address this vulnerability will shape the economic, social, and environmental landscape of the region for decades to come. In Lessons from Hurricane Ike , Philip Bedient and the research team at the Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center at Rice University provide an overview of some of the research being done in the Houston-Galveston region in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. The center was formed shortly after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Its research examines everything from surge and inland flooding to bridge infrastructure. Lessons from Hurricane Ike gathers the work of some of the premier researchers in the fields of hurricane prediction and impact, summarizing it in accessible language accompanied by abundant illustrations—not just graphs and charts, but dramatic photos and informative maps. Orienting readers to the history and basic meteorology of severe storms along the coast, the book then revisits the impact of Hurricane Ike and discusses what scientists and engineers are studying as they look at flooding, storm surges, communications, emergency response, evacuation planning, transportation issues, coastal resiliency, and the future sustainability of the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area.

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9781603445887

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Reviews

Three storms from the first decade of the new millennium, Allison, Rita, and Ike, exposed vulnerabilities to the highly developed upper Texas Gulf Coast from the impacts of tropical cyclones. Lessons from Hurricane Ike provides an excellent overview of the scientific, societal, and economic challenges facing our area as a result of Ike. This book should be read by anyone in an official capacity who desires a deeper understanding of the complexities of developing in the hurricane impact zone. Particular attention should be paid to Chapter 12, Steps to the Future, which I found very insightful in addressing the daunting task before the next 'Big One' impacts the Texas Gulf Coast. --;br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br> <br><br>--Bill Read Director, National Hurricane Center (11/02/2011)

Three storms from the first decade of the new millennium, Allison, Rita, and Ike, exposed vulnerabilities to the highly developed upper Texas Gulf Coast from the impacts of tropical cyclones. Lessons from Hurricane Ike provides an excellent overview of the scientific, societal, and economic challenges facing our area as a result of Ike. This book should be read by anyone in an official capacity who desires a deeper understanding of the complexities of developing in the hurricane impact zone. Particular attendtion should be paid to Chapter 12, Steps to the Future, which I found very insightful in addressing the daunting task before the next Big One impacts the Texas Gulf Coast. -- Bill Read, Director, National Hurricane Center<br>--Gerald R. North Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Oceanography at TAMU (05/23/2011)

Three storms from the first decade of the new millennium, Allison, Rita, and Ike, exposed vulnerabilities to the highly developed upper Texas Gulf Coast from the impacts of tropical cyclones. Lessons from Hurricane Ike provides an excellent overview of the scientific, societal, and economic challenges facing our area as a result of Ike. This book should be read by anyone in an official capacity who desires a deeper understanding of the complexities of developing in the hurricane impact zone. Particular attention should be paid to Chapter 12, Steps to the Future, which I found very insightful in addressing the daunting task before the next 'Big One' impacts the Texas Gulf Coast. --;br> --Bill Read Director, National Hurricane Center (11/02/2011)

Author Information

Philip Bedient is Herman Brown Professor of Engineering at Rice University, where he also directs the sspeed Center, a multi-university–based research and education institute. Specializing in surface and groundwater hydrology and flood prediction systems, he has written more than 180 articles and is co-author of two textbooks (on hydrology and floodplain analysis and on groundwater contamination). He received his PhD in environmental engineering sciences from the University of Florida.

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