草榴社区 Professor Investigates Impacts of Hurricanes on Florida Coast
Jonathan Hubler, PhD, and graduate student Sarah Burghardt lead 草榴社区 research effort to study storm impacts and improve hurricane preparedness
Jonathan Hubler, PhD, collecting data with the NEER and GEER team
In October 2024, during the height of hurricane season, Hurricanes Milton and Helene swept across the southeastern United States. Their impact on Florida was severe, with damages totaling tens of billions of dollars. While communities in affected states continue to rebuild, a team of researchers mobilized to assess the damage caused in the hopes of better understanding the impacts of hurricane activity in the future.
Jonathan Hubler, PhD, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at 草榴社区, along with 草榴社区 civil engineering graduate student Sarah Burghardt, traveled to Florida with a joint team from the (NEER) Association and the (GEER) Association to investigate the immediate aftereffects of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The National Science Foundation-sponsored trip gathered natural hazards research experts and practitioners from across the country, who quickly jumped at the opportunity to examine the impacts of two tropical storms that occurred in quick succession of each other.
Sarah Burghardt, 草榴社区 graduate student, using LIDAR technology
A few main areas of study were identified by the team so they could hit the ground running once they touched down in Florida. The researchers wanted to focus primarily on the effects of storm surge, waves, sediment erosion and deposition, and debris transport and accumulation from both hurricanes through pre-storm, during-storm, and post-storm data collection. Over 750 miles were covered across just a few days as data was surveyed and collected from Cedar Key, Horseshoe Beach, Venice, Port Charlotte, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach and other coastal towns.
鈥淭his was a unique opportunity for our team of scientists because our team collected data before the storms so we will be able to analyze the direct impacts of the storms utilizing the post-storm data that we collected,鈥� said Dr. Hubler. 鈥淎lthough the destruction was difficult to witness firsthand, we are hopeful that our findings will help to mitigate the impact of these major storms in the future.鈥�
Jonathan Hubler, PhD, using data collection equipment
The data set collected from these storm sites is expected to improve the understanding, prediction, and mitigation of erosion as well as assess the performance of different shoreline protection systems during severe tropical storm events. Findings from the trip will be shared publicly through the NSF鈥檚 Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) DesignSafe-CI, a nationwide network tailored for data sharing among the natural hazards engineering research community. Local Florida communities will also be notified of relevant findings to increase awareness and understanding of risk assessments when preparing for tropical storm events.
鈥淚t was a productive few days spent in Florida as we collected a significant amount of data and covered a lot of ground in a short span of time. I鈥檓 grateful to have been included on this research team and that I had the chance to bring one of my students along. This real-world experience in the field will help further her learning as she completes her studies,鈥� said Dr. Hubler.
Dr. Hubler traveled with the NEER and GEER team again in November for another data collection effort.
Although the 2024 hurricane season has come to a close, researchers like Dr. Hubler continue to study their impact year-round to discover new mitigation strategies for next year鈥檚 season.