Hurricane Isabel Effect

In response to the damage caused by Hurricane Isabel, Virginia Governor Mark Warner described it as, “Probably the worst storm in a generation” (Washington Post, Ambrose). This was certainly not an overstatement as the National Weather Service reported that Isabel created 925 million dollars of damage in the state of Virginia alone (Johnson). While Isabel was not the most intense storm once it reached the United States, the size of this storm and the population of the area it impacted was why it caused so much damage (Johnson). This paper will discuss the science behind the creation of this storm, the impact of the storm in Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding areas, and the efforts to decrease the effects of the storm along with what could have further prevented any damages.

Hurricane Isabel started like many other Hurricanes that have impacted the United States.

It began to develop west of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. Like many other hurricanes and tropical storms, Isabel began as an easterly wave which as according to Keller and Devecchio are, “troughs of relatively low pressure… and move westward with the tradewinds” (335). Isabel as an easterly wave then converged with westward moving winds. According to Keller and Devecchio, this would have caused this easterly wave to rise and begin forming storm clouds (335). As Cape Verde is located relatively far from the equator, the coriolis effect began to impact what would become Hurricane Isabel by giving it a counter-clockwise rotation. At this point, on September 6th, the National Hurricane Center reported that Isabel became a tropical disturbance (Beven and Cobb). On the same day, Isabel was upgraded to a tropical storm and given the name “Isabel” as wind speeds reached 35 miles per hour and pressure dropped to 1005 millibars (Beven and Cobb). As Isabel traveled westward over warm, Atlantic waters which fueled the storm, it became recognized as a category 5 hurricane on September 11th with wind speeds up to 165 miles per hour (Ambrose) and a pressure of 935 mb (Beven and Cobb). Although, The Washington Post stated that, “When Isabel approached the coast of North Carolina it encountered cooler waters, dry air and wind shear which helped to reduce its strength to a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall near Ocracoke Island as a Category 2 hurricane” (Ambrose). Isabel eventually lessened to a tropical storm over southern Virginia and lost its tropical characteristics in Pennsylvania largely due to the lack of warm water and abundance of dry air in these areas at the time (Beven and

Cobb).
Out of any state impacted by Isabel, Virginia was affected the most as the state reported over 925 million dollars in damage (Johnson). Specifically, Richmond and its surrounding areas faced a large amount of damage due to the concentration of population in those areas and its location relative to the James River. For example, Storm surge which according to Keller and Devecchio is, “Wind driven ocean waves, usually accompanying a hurricane… that pile up water on a coastline.” (543), had a huge impact on the city of Richmond. The storm surge from the James River in Richmond reached 9 feet which was the highest recorded surge in the state of Virginia (Johnson). As Richmond sits at just 161 feet above sea level and its population is highly concentrated around the river, many homes on the river were destroyed and moderate flooding occurred in populated areas around the river (Johnson). Along with its close location to the river, Richmond’s neighborhoods are also very forested. Due to the high wind speeds from the hurricane, the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission reported that over 10,000 trees were knocked over in the city of Richmond. Two people were even killed from falling trees, one in Chesterfield (just outside of Richmond), and another in Richmond. Falling trees also destroyed homes and knocked down power lines which caused thousands of power outages in Richmond. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission, over 400,000 Richmond homes were left without power in the aftermath of the storm. Once again, the high concentration of population allowed the storm to cause more problems than it would have.
As Hurricane Isabel was on track to hit a very populated area of the United States, there were many efforts to mitigate the impact of the storm. Although, there were certainly some ways mitigation of this storm could have been improved. One way potential effects of Isabel were mitigated in Richmond was through evacuations. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Virginia Governor Mark Warner ordered residents of Richmond to evacuate the city on September 17th (Post, et al.). For those who did not evacuate or were unable to do so, the Richmond Times reported that, “Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, VA, which had been opened to the public as a shelter by the Red Cross Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003” (Brown). The forecasting of the storm and warning of its potential damage was also particularly effective as in a survey conducted by the National Weather Service, “Virtually everyone expressed satisfaction with the NWS and the accuracy of its forecasts. Results from the survey show 96% of the respondents said the advance warning and notification system was adequate in indicating the level of damage that occurred.” (Johnson). While the forecasting of this storm was just about perfect, further mitigation should have been used to decrease the effects of the James River storm surge on people's homes. Although many houses along the James are at a higher elevation than the James, these houses should still be built like the many other houses on Virginia’s beaches to avoid potential flood damage. Secondly, trees that potentially could have fallen and knocked out major power lines should have been cut down prior to the storm. Although overall, the national and state governments responses and mitigation of Hurricane Isabel were exemplary for the handling of future potential disasters.