Hurricane Project Proposal
This is the formal proposal put forth to commission our hurricane research paper.
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Problem Statement
Coastal U.S. cities have damage prevention and mitigation programs like building codes and evacuation procedures to prevent hurricane damage. However, hurricanes still cause immense damage in the form of death, property damage, high insurance and collapse of infrastructure because many cities are not sufficiently prepared or aware of their weaknesses. A research paper can inform city planners, city government and general organizations like FEMA of the weaknesses of coastal cities and of which cities are at the greatest risk.
Problem
Many coastal cities in the Southeastern United States have not adequately prepared themselves for major hurricanes, and the systems in place are not as dependable as cities believe. If consistent building codes exist in these cities, they are either designed to withstand only category two to three storms or the codes have not yet been enforced. Evacuation procedures, being infrequently needed for some of these cities, are outdated and, in the event of a major hurricane, would cause the majority of citizens to be unable to reach safety in time. In New Orleans, for example, the levee system in place was built to withstand a strong category two or weak category three storm (Vaccaro and West). Category four storm, Katrina, decimated the levee system, flooding nearly the entire city. The majority of the homes there were built before building codes were strengthened and the evacuation time of this city is estimated at 72 hours (Vaccaro and West). Charleston, South Carolina estimates its evacuation times up to 32 hours (SC Evacuation Report) and Miami, Florida estimates it’s up to 26 hours for some residents (Farahmand). Charleston even admitted that building codes were not enforced before hurricane Hugo, which increased the damage to homes and decreased the safety of citizens. Current policies in many cities are inadequate to withstand the effects of a strong hurricane.
In August of 2005, hurricane Katrina hit several cities in the United States, most notably New Orleans. The storm was estimated to have caused over two hundred billion dollars worth of damage nationwide and was responsible for over one thousand deaths (Historic Hurricanes). The city of New Orleans was under water for weeks, and its economy has yet to completely recover. Many people would not even consider flood damage in the aftermath of a hurricane, but in fact, several problems arise in the event of flooding. In addition to the obvious property damage, high standing water in such a large area mixes countless chemicals from residences and businesses alike. The resulting mixture is potentially harmful to both the environment and the citizens long after the hurricane passes (Vaccaro and West). Even after this catastrophe, the city has not enforced its new codes nor revised evacuation procedures. The consequences of a major hurricane are too often ignored or underestimated, and storms will continue to cause extensive property damage, loss of life, and collapse of infrastructure with current procedures and attitudes. Hurricanes are becoming more devastating in terms of finance and safety. Five of the ten most expensive storms in the United States have occurred in the last fifteen years, and the population density in coastal areas is ever increasing (National Hurricane Center). Officials must realize how important it is to fix the deficiencies in their existing plans to prevent the excess damage.
Proposed Solution
Through extensive research we will present the current cost and dangers of coastal living due to hurricanes along with suggested solutions to local city governments on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
We will begin our research paper with the presentation of the known dangers and threats to four coastal cities that are directly related to hurricanes. We have chosen New Orleans, Miami, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston to provide a diverse representation of Southeastern hurricane preparedness. In our report, we will give comprehensive statistics for each city. For example, we will investigate and compile the frequency of hurricane strikes, the estimated damages, casualties, the estimated cost of insurance, and problems with past procedures of evacuation for each city.
In the next section of the research paper, we will present our research and the data we have gathered for each individual city. The presented information will entail building codes, past changes in natural disaster procedures, and current evacuation plans. We will also present an analysis of the data, identifying positive and negative aspects for each city.
We will include in the last section of the research paper our suggestions for necessary changes to the current procedures used in coastal cities in the event of a hurricane. By comparing the data from our coastal cities, we will determine the most beneficial practices found in the Southeast and create a rubric with which to evaluate each one. This will be supplemented with outside research of other cities. A cost benefit analysis will also be given as to the strengthening of building codes compared to the cost of rebuilding and insuring a less stable house. After evaluating each city’s preparedness, we will present our suggested changes to their natural disaster policies.
Our research paper will allow FEMA to easily inform numerous coastal United States cities about hurricane preparedness. The statistics in the report will show the city governments of the Southeast that their current methods are insufficient to prevent widespread damage and loss of life in the event of a major storm. Our suggestions will also provide these governments with feasible and effective solutions that could drastically improve their current practices.
Work Plan
To complete this research paper we must research the following topics: building codes, evacuation plans, warning systems and emergency response systems in Charleston, Virginia Beach, Miami and New Orleans; federal, state and city involvement in disaster planning; possible methods of improvement for each city’s disaster response; and the power of each governing body to improve the safety of coastal cities. Each member of the team will research the current hurricane response system of one city. The group will collectively analyze the current system and research areas of improvement, identifying the most critical problems and finding solutions suggested by experts and methods that have worked in other cities with effective disaster relief systems. The team will also investigate the procedure for changing city codes and establishing disaster response protocols so that the governing body with the most power can be targeted in the document and proposed solutions can be within the scope of the audience’s authority.
Individual Assignments
Scott Ledbetter’s individual assignment will look at the disaster readiness of other coastal cities within and outside of the U.S. This will be written as a research paper. This document will show the response procedures of cities with the most effective hurricane response as well as the preparedness of cities not included in the commissioned document. The audience will include group members as well as the commissioner of the main document. This assignment is due October 23rd.
Brendan Crawford’s individual assignment will research the information FEMA retains about hurricane preparedness and their involvement in the development of hurricane response plans. This document, in the form of a memo, will inform the group about FEMA’s knowledge of how hurricanes affect the southeastern United States. This will assist the group in the formation of practical solutions to the existing problems cities face. This document is due October 23rd.
Candace Pringle’s individual assignment will investigate the procedure for changing building codes, evacuation procedures and other hurricane response protocols. This will be written in the form of a short research paper. This document will allow the group to target the audience with the most decision-making power. This project is due October 24th.
Abigayle Bessman’s individual assignment will present hurricane proofing methods for residential homes. This short manual will outline ways people can improve the hurricane readiness of their own homes. Many homeowners do not know that with little expense, they can make their homes much safer. This document will allow the group to see the weaknesses in residential buildings that cannot be fixed without stronger building codes. This document is due October 30th.
Timeline
The following schedule will be used to complete research, drafting and editing during this project. Team members will individually find examples of similar documents and review them together October 17th. The group will also assign the first writing tasks based on the formats of collected example documents. By October 20th each team member will research his or her city individually and complete initial research including current building codes, evacuation plans and times, and historical hurricane damage data. Brendan and Scott’s individual assignments will be completed by the 23rd. Abigayle will complete the Progress Report due October 23rd.
Team members will complete initial writing assignments and compile and edit them by October 24th. These assignments will complete at least two sections of the commissioned document. On the 24th, new writing assignments will be made that will cover the remaining sections of the document. Candace’s Individual Assignment will be completed by the 24th, and Abigayle’s will be completed by the 30th. Brendan will complete the Progress Report due October 30th.
The group will complete their writing assignments so they can be compiled and edited October 31st. The group will also make revisions to the first completed section of the paper on the 31st. Revisions to the compiled paper will be made individually by each group member during the first week of November and approved by the group via email by November 7th. Scott will complete the Progress Report due November 8th.
The group will continue to revise the document and check facts during the second week of November. Final revisions will be done together on November 14th. The team will also complete the team evaluations on the 14th. Group members will complete their portfolios individually and must finish them by the 14th.
Qualifications
Scott Ledbetter
Having worked in several other classes throughout my education on research papers, Scott is prepared to collect the necessary information for the group’s commissioned document. He has also participated in numerous group projects, particularly in computer science, that have prepared reports detailing a design process, so he is aware of the general procedure working with small groups. As a citizen in the Southeast, Scott is among the group of people that our research paper will affect.
Brendan Crawford
Brendan has six years of construction experience as a laborer. His projects included one house, one shop, and, for one summer, a training center. During the construction of the house, his group constructed one storm shelter and installed hurricane clips in the wood frame of the house. With the exception of one summer of commercial experience, Brendan worked with current superintendent Ralph T. Cumalander of M.B. Kahn, a general contracting company that specializes in coastal construction and is currently located in Charleston, South Carolina. He has two summers of experience working with engineers on equipment reliability at a nuclear power plant. While working at the plant, his task was to research old equipment (≈25 yrs.) that entailed contacting manufacturers, reading plant drawings, reviewing equipment drawings, revising technical manuals, drawing up a parts break down report of each piece of equipment, and making weekly verbal progress reports to his supervisor.
Candace R. Pringle
From past experience, Candace has learned that in a team everyone has a special characteristic to make a project a success. Now it is clear to her that she is good at throwing ideas out to begin the project, critiquing what the other members write, and thinking of ways to present the final project. She does not consider herself the best at writing her ideas down on paper, as there are always plenty of grammatical errors. Candace is prepared to do the tasks designated to her and work constructively with the group when putting everything together.
Abigayle Bessman
As a senior in Industrial Engineering, Abigayle has extensive experience working in small groups. She has a well-rounded pool of knowledge, including static physics and human factors. These are both important to disaster readiness, and will allow her to conduct responsible, comprehensive research into the group’s topic. After six semesters of engineering labs, Abigayle is very experienced in writing technical documents and conducting thorough research. She is currently taking a course in resilient systems, in which she studies the components and make-up of systems that can withstand unexpected trauma. This is particularly important to disaster response systems since it is impossible to fully predict the impact of a natural disaster.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
Problem Statement
Coastal U.S. cities have damage prevention and mitigation programs like building codes and evacuation procedures to prevent hurricane damage. However, hurricanes still cause immense damage in the form of death, property damage, high insurance and collapse of infrastructure because many cities are not sufficiently prepared or aware of their weaknesses. A research paper can inform city planners, city government and general organizations like FEMA of the weaknesses of coastal cities and of which cities are at the greatest risk.
Problem
Many coastal cities in the Southeastern United States have not adequately prepared themselves for major hurricanes, and the systems in place are not as dependable as cities believe. If consistent building codes exist in these cities, they are either designed to withstand only category two to three storms or the codes have not yet been enforced. Evacuation procedures, being infrequently needed for some of these cities, are outdated and, in the event of a major hurricane, would cause the majority of citizens to be unable to reach safety in time. In New Orleans, for example, the levee system in place was built to withstand a strong category two or weak category three storm (Vaccaro and West). Category four storm, Katrina, decimated the levee system, flooding nearly the entire city. The majority of the homes there were built before building codes were strengthened and the evacuation time of this city is estimated at 72 hours (Vaccaro and West). Charleston, South Carolina estimates its evacuation times up to 32 hours (SC Evacuation Report) and Miami, Florida estimates it’s up to 26 hours for some residents (Farahmand). Charleston even admitted that building codes were not enforced before hurricane Hugo, which increased the damage to homes and decreased the safety of citizens. Current policies in many cities are inadequate to withstand the effects of a strong hurricane.
In August of 2005, hurricane Katrina hit several cities in the United States, most notably New Orleans. The storm was estimated to have caused over two hundred billion dollars worth of damage nationwide and was responsible for over one thousand deaths (Historic Hurricanes). The city of New Orleans was under water for weeks, and its economy has yet to completely recover. Many people would not even consider flood damage in the aftermath of a hurricane, but in fact, several problems arise in the event of flooding. In addition to the obvious property damage, high standing water in such a large area mixes countless chemicals from residences and businesses alike. The resulting mixture is potentially harmful to both the environment and the citizens long after the hurricane passes (Vaccaro and West). Even after this catastrophe, the city has not enforced its new codes nor revised evacuation procedures. The consequences of a major hurricane are too often ignored or underestimated, and storms will continue to cause extensive property damage, loss of life, and collapse of infrastructure with current procedures and attitudes. Hurricanes are becoming more devastating in terms of finance and safety. Five of the ten most expensive storms in the United States have occurred in the last fifteen years, and the population density in coastal areas is ever increasing (National Hurricane Center). Officials must realize how important it is to fix the deficiencies in their existing plans to prevent the excess damage.
Proposed Solution
Through extensive research we will present the current cost and dangers of coastal living due to hurricanes along with suggested solutions to local city governments on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
We will begin our research paper with the presentation of the known dangers and threats to four coastal cities that are directly related to hurricanes. We have chosen New Orleans, Miami, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston to provide a diverse representation of Southeastern hurricane preparedness. In our report, we will give comprehensive statistics for each city. For example, we will investigate and compile the frequency of hurricane strikes, the estimated damages, casualties, the estimated cost of insurance, and problems with past procedures of evacuation for each city.
In the next section of the research paper, we will present our research and the data we have gathered for each individual city. The presented information will entail building codes, past changes in natural disaster procedures, and current evacuation plans. We will also present an analysis of the data, identifying positive and negative aspects for each city.
We will include in the last section of the research paper our suggestions for necessary changes to the current procedures used in coastal cities in the event of a hurricane. By comparing the data from our coastal cities, we will determine the most beneficial practices found in the Southeast and create a rubric with which to evaluate each one. This will be supplemented with outside research of other cities. A cost benefit analysis will also be given as to the strengthening of building codes compared to the cost of rebuilding and insuring a less stable house. After evaluating each city’s preparedness, we will present our suggested changes to their natural disaster policies.
Our research paper will allow FEMA to easily inform numerous coastal United States cities about hurricane preparedness. The statistics in the report will show the city governments of the Southeast that their current methods are insufficient to prevent widespread damage and loss of life in the event of a major storm. Our suggestions will also provide these governments with feasible and effective solutions that could drastically improve their current practices.
Work Plan
To complete this research paper we must research the following topics: building codes, evacuation plans, warning systems and emergency response systems in Charleston, Virginia Beach, Miami and New Orleans; federal, state and city involvement in disaster planning; possible methods of improvement for each city’s disaster response; and the power of each governing body to improve the safety of coastal cities. Each member of the team will research the current hurricane response system of one city. The group will collectively analyze the current system and research areas of improvement, identifying the most critical problems and finding solutions suggested by experts and methods that have worked in other cities with effective disaster relief systems. The team will also investigate the procedure for changing city codes and establishing disaster response protocols so that the governing body with the most power can be targeted in the document and proposed solutions can be within the scope of the audience’s authority.
Individual Assignments
Scott Ledbetter’s individual assignment will look at the disaster readiness of other coastal cities within and outside of the U.S. This will be written as a research paper. This document will show the response procedures of cities with the most effective hurricane response as well as the preparedness of cities not included in the commissioned document. The audience will include group members as well as the commissioner of the main document. This assignment is due October 23rd.
Brendan Crawford’s individual assignment will research the information FEMA retains about hurricane preparedness and their involvement in the development of hurricane response plans. This document, in the form of a memo, will inform the group about FEMA’s knowledge of how hurricanes affect the southeastern United States. This will assist the group in the formation of practical solutions to the existing problems cities face. This document is due October 23rd.
Candace Pringle’s individual assignment will investigate the procedure for changing building codes, evacuation procedures and other hurricane response protocols. This will be written in the form of a short research paper. This document will allow the group to target the audience with the most decision-making power. This project is due October 24th.
Abigayle Bessman’s individual assignment will present hurricane proofing methods for residential homes. This short manual will outline ways people can improve the hurricane readiness of their own homes. Many homeowners do not know that with little expense, they can make their homes much safer. This document will allow the group to see the weaknesses in residential buildings that cannot be fixed without stronger building codes. This document is due October 30th.
Timeline
The following schedule will be used to complete research, drafting and editing during this project. Team members will individually find examples of similar documents and review them together October 17th. The group will also assign the first writing tasks based on the formats of collected example documents. By October 20th each team member will research his or her city individually and complete initial research including current building codes, evacuation plans and times, and historical hurricane damage data. Brendan and Scott’s individual assignments will be completed by the 23rd. Abigayle will complete the Progress Report due October 23rd.
Team members will complete initial writing assignments and compile and edit them by October 24th. These assignments will complete at least two sections of the commissioned document. On the 24th, new writing assignments will be made that will cover the remaining sections of the document. Candace’s Individual Assignment will be completed by the 24th, and Abigayle’s will be completed by the 30th. Brendan will complete the Progress Report due October 30th.
The group will complete their writing assignments so they can be compiled and edited October 31st. The group will also make revisions to the first completed section of the paper on the 31st. Revisions to the compiled paper will be made individually by each group member during the first week of November and approved by the group via email by November 7th. Scott will complete the Progress Report due November 8th.
The group will continue to revise the document and check facts during the second week of November. Final revisions will be done together on November 14th. The team will also complete the team evaluations on the 14th. Group members will complete their portfolios individually and must finish them by the 14th.
Qualifications
Scott Ledbetter
Having worked in several other classes throughout my education on research papers, Scott is prepared to collect the necessary information for the group’s commissioned document. He has also participated in numerous group projects, particularly in computer science, that have prepared reports detailing a design process, so he is aware of the general procedure working with small groups. As a citizen in the Southeast, Scott is among the group of people that our research paper will affect.
Brendan Crawford
Brendan has six years of construction experience as a laborer. His projects included one house, one shop, and, for one summer, a training center. During the construction of the house, his group constructed one storm shelter and installed hurricane clips in the wood frame of the house. With the exception of one summer of commercial experience, Brendan worked with current superintendent Ralph T. Cumalander of M.B. Kahn, a general contracting company that specializes in coastal construction and is currently located in Charleston, South Carolina. He has two summers of experience working with engineers on equipment reliability at a nuclear power plant. While working at the plant, his task was to research old equipment (≈25 yrs.) that entailed contacting manufacturers, reading plant drawings, reviewing equipment drawings, revising technical manuals, drawing up a parts break down report of each piece of equipment, and making weekly verbal progress reports to his supervisor.
Candace R. Pringle
From past experience, Candace has learned that in a team everyone has a special characteristic to make a project a success. Now it is clear to her that she is good at throwing ideas out to begin the project, critiquing what the other members write, and thinking of ways to present the final project. She does not consider herself the best at writing her ideas down on paper, as there are always plenty of grammatical errors. Candace is prepared to do the tasks designated to her and work constructively with the group when putting everything together.
Abigayle Bessman
As a senior in Industrial Engineering, Abigayle has extensive experience working in small groups. She has a well-rounded pool of knowledge, including static physics and human factors. These are both important to disaster readiness, and will allow her to conduct responsible, comprehensive research into the group’s topic. After six semesters of engineering labs, Abigayle is very experienced in writing technical documents and conducting thorough research. She is currently taking a course in resilient systems, in which she studies the components and make-up of systems that can withstand unexpected trauma. This is particularly important to disaster response systems since it is impossible to fully predict the impact of a natural disaster.
Works Cited
- Farahmand, Kambiz. Application of Simulation Modeling to Emergency Population Evacuation. 1997.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
# posted by Abby-Wan Kenobi @ 10:18 AM 
