Lessons from Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge on Bridges and Buildings

TLDR

Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused extensive damage to coastal infrastructure, with structures experiencing hydrostatic and hydrodynamic uplift, debris impacts, and foundation scour risks. The study aimed to better understand how engineered structures perform under coastal inundation from tsunamis or hurricane storm surges. The authors surveyed damage to bridges, buildings, and other coastal infrastructure following Hurricane Katrina. Analysis of the observed damage yielded numerous lessons, which are reported in the paper.

Abstract

The storm surge associated with Hurricane Katrina caused tremendous damage along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Similar damage was observed subsequent to the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004. In order to gain a better understanding of the performance of engineered structures subjected to coastal inundation due to tsunami or hurricane storm surge, the writers surveyed damage to bridges, buildings, and other coastal infrastructure subsequent to Hurricane Katrina. Numerous lessons were learned from analysis of the observed damage, and these are reported herein. A number of structures experienced significant structural damage due to storm surge and wave action. Structural members submerged during the inundation were subjected to significant hydrostatic uplift forces due to buoyancy, enhanced by trapped air pockets, and to hydrodynamic uplift forces due to wave action. Any floating or mobile object in the nearshore/onshore areas can become floating debris, affecting structures in two ways: impact and water damming. Foundation soils and foundation systems are at risk from shear- and liquefaction-induced scour, unless designed appropriately.