Remote sensing techniques have emerged as an essential tool for conducting damage assessments and are commonly used to improve disaster recovery planning and community resilience policies. The objective of this study was to use aerial imagery data and LiDAR to identify the hardest hit areas, quantify the extent of damages, and compare pre- and post-storm beach morphology conditions in Estero Island, Florida, relating to Hurricane Ian in 2022. This study identified >2400 structures that were impacted by Hurricane Ian, with 170 structures suffering extensive damage. Clustering of heavily damaged buildings was observed on the northern and central portions of the island, with lower levels of damage clustered on the southern part. Among the ‘severely damaged’ and ‘destroyed’ structures were seven mobile home subdivisions. The total assessed value of the heavily damaged structures was estimated at over USD 200 million. The results also indicated substantial post-storm debris and sand deposition across the entire island. Remote sensing provides advanced techniques that can help prioritize emergency response efforts after catastrophic impacts from a natural disaster.

The destructive forces of tropical cyclones can have significant impacts on the land, contributing to degradation through various mechanisms such as erosion, debris, loss of vegetation, and widespread damage to infrastructure. Storm surge and flooding can wash away buildings and other structures, deposit debris and sediments, and contaminate freshwater resources, making them unsuitable for both human use and agriculture. High winds and flooding often damage electrical disubstations and transformers, leading to disruptions in electricity supply. Restoration can take days or even weeks, depending on the extent of the damage and the resources available. In the meantime, communities affected by power outages may experience difficulties accessing essential services and maintaining communication. In this study, we used a weighted maximum likelihood classification algorithm to reclassify NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey Emergency Response Imagery scenes into debris, sand, water, trees, and roofs to assess the extent of the damage around Mexico Beach, Florida, following the 2018 Hurricane Michael. NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) was processed to estimate power outage duration and rate of restoration in the Florida Panhandle based on the 7-day moving averages. Percent loss of electrical service at a neighborhood level was estimated using the 2013–2017 American Community Survey block group data. Spatial lag models were employed to examine the association between restoration rates and socioeconomic factors. The analysis revealed notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities. The findings indicated that block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods. These results underscore the importance of integrating socioeconomic factors into disaster preparedness and recovery-planning efforts, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to mitigate disparities in recovery times following natural disasters.

Wave forcing from hurricanes, nor’easters, and energetic storms can cause erosion of the berm and beach face resulting in increased vulnerability of dunes and coastal infrastructure. LIDAR or other surveying techniques have quantified post-event morphology, but there is a lack of in situ hydrodynamic and morphodynamic measurements during extreme storm events. Two field studies were conducted in March 2018 and April 2019 at Bethany Beach, Delaware, where in situ hydrodynamic and morphodynamic measurements were made during a nor’easter (Nor’easter Riley) and an energetic storm (Easter Eve Storm). An array of sensors to measure water velocity, water depth, water elevation and bed elevation were mounted to scaffold pipes and deployed in a single cross-shore transect. Water velocity was measured using an electro-magnetic current meter while water and bed elevations were measured using an acoustic distance meter along with an algorithm to differentiate between the water and bed during swash processes. GPS profiles of the beach face were measured during every day-time low tide throughout the storm events. Both accretion and erosion were measured at different cross-shore positions and at different times during the storm events. Morphodynamic change along the back-beach was found to be related to berm erosion, suggesting an important morphologic feedback mechanism. Accumulated wave energy and wave energy flux per unit area between Nor’easter Riley and a recent mid-Atlantic hurricane (Hurricane Dorian) were calculated and compared. Coastal Observations: JALBTCX/NCMP emergency-response airborne Lidar coastal mapping & quick response data products for 2016/2017/2018 hurricane impact assessments

Frequent or consecutive storms impacting coastal areas can result in unexpected or variable impacts. This study evaluates spatiotemporal variability and cumulative impacts on the subaerial beach from four major tropical storms of varying intensity and proximity impacting the study area of Palm Beach County, Florida, during the 2020 Atlantic Basin Hurricane season. Impacts from Hurricanes Isaias, Laura, Sally, and Teddy were measured using Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System (RTK GPS) at 14 transects throughout the northern and southern portion of the county. Alongshore morphologic variability resulted from each storm, with some expected patterns of erosion and accretion with a few unexpected impacts. The first three storms caused swash or collision regime impacts on the Sallenger scale. Hurricane Teddy was the fourth storm to impact the study area, causing overwash at numerous locations. Whereas the first two storms of the season caused mostly erosion of the subaerial beach, the southeasterly approach of Hurricane Sally reversed the cumulative volume loss trend in the northern portion of the study area with accretion. Hurricane Teddy was the most distant storm but occurred at the highest tide and produced the largest waves and highest winds. The most variable patterns in erosion and accretion resulted from Hurricane Teddy, which also dominated the overall (or cumulative) volume and contour change. Further study is recommended for a multi-storm season that includes the subaqueous portion of the beach profile to elucidate trends of cross-shore and alongshore drivers of storm-induced morphology change.

Sea level rise and natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, are resulting in coastal erosion-related problems across the US. Beach nourishment is one of the most commonly adopted solutions for erosion mitigation. Borrow sources for nourishment are often from offshore or upland mines. However, in some areas, sediment availability from known borrow sources is becoming scarce. This suggests that sediment should be considered a non-renewable resource within the framework of long-term planning and coastal management decisions. Regional Sediment Management (RSM), or the beneficial use of dredge material (BUDM), targets inlets for borrowing material and can also be a more cost-efficient strategy that has widely been supported by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a system-based approach. However, not all states have embraced this approach, and a national-scale evaluation of these projects in coastal management and adaptation is needed. This study examines past RSM/BUDM projects in the top ten most highly nourished states in the US and compares those trends to a selection of minimally nourished states from different coasts. Based on the historical trends identified, the volume of sediment required for future RSM/BUDM projects in these areas over the next 50 years is predicted using Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. Although growth in the total number of RSM/BUDM projects was measured over time, there was a decline in the volume of sediment placed for these projects. Results of the forecasting model suggest that CA, NC, and the FL Gulf Coast could require the highest volume of sediments for RSM/BUDM activities over the next 50 years. Based solely on proximity to inlets for sediment resources, DE, FL Atlantic, and NJ coasts are potential beaches that can increase BUDM activities. This study aims to provide a framework to evaluate the suitability of future RSM/BUDM projects in efforts to mitigate coastal erosion.

Big Hickory Island, located in Lee County along the mixed-energy west Florida coast, experiences high long-term rates of shoreline recession, with much of the erosion concentrated along the central and southern portions of the island. In 2013, approximately 86,300 cubic meters of sand from an adjacent tidal inlet to the north were placed along 457 m to restore the beach and dune system. In an effort to combat erosion, seven concrete king-pile groins with adjustable panels were constructed subsequent to the completion of the beach nourishment. Natural and human-induced dynamics of Big Hickory Island are discussed through analysis of shoreline and morphologic change using historic aerial photographs and topographic and bathymetric field surveys of the recent beach erosion mitigation project. Although much of the long-term anomalously high rates of erosion for the area are related to natural interchanges between the sand resources of the barrier islands and adjacent ebb tidal shoals, additional reduction in sand supply is a result of human-interventions updrift of Big Hickory over the last several decades. The coupled natural and anthropogenic influences are driving the coastal processes toward a different morphodynamic state than would have occurred under natural processes alone.