A numerical study of the impact of hurricaneinduc

Authors: Yuepeng Li YiCheng Teng David M Kelly Keqi Zhang

Publish Date: 2016/10/15

Volume: 66, Issue: 12, Pages: 1699-1714

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Abstract

Hurricanes Frances Jeanne and Wilma passed over Lake Okeechobee Florida in September 2004 and October 2005 respectively Strong winds caused a large surface seiche on the lake during all three storms These storms resulted in erosion damage to the Herbert Hoover Dike HHD on Lake Okeechobee In this paper we use the Fully Adaptive Storm Tide FAST model Kelly et al in Coast Eng J 5741–30 2015 Nat Hazards 8353–74 2016 to study the response of the lake in terms of the water level fluctuations and induced currents to hurricanes Frances Jeanne and Wilma Comparisons of the modeled surface water level with the observations are in overall good agreement for all three hurricanes The modeled results suggest that the strong currents induced by the storm winds may be the dominant factor controlling the dike erosion observed at the lake side The locations of erosion damage to the dike are consistent with the modeled high velocity zones during these three storms In addition numerical experiments have been conducted with eight hypothetical category 5 hurricanes approaching from different directions to investigate the erosionprone zones related to high velocities in the vicinity of the dike The results of the study should help to provide insight into vulnerable reaches of the HHD and inform flood control in the Okeechobee region

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