Did storm surge watches & warnings make a difference?
Hurricanes Florence and Michael barrelled through portions of the southeastern United States in September and October. These storms occurred within four weeks of each other and both brought life-threatening storm surge.
Soon after landfall, National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, Storm Surge Specialist Jamie Rhome, and Hurricane Specialist Unit Branch Chief Dr. Michael Brennan traveled to the hardest hit regions. Their goal was to see how storm surge watches and warnings, and the potential storm surge flooding maps issued by the hurricane center lined up with actual events. The team met with the local emergency managers who used these products to make their evacuation decisions. They also heard from people who experienced the impacts of surge and the catastrophic inland flooding. Read more here>>>