Surge Mapping
Surge maps are one tool that can assist with planning and preparing for tropical cyclones by providing a snapshot of a community’s vulnerability to storm surge for each category of hurricane and are used to create evacuation zones.
The Hurricane Evacuation Study (as discussed in the Emergency Management section) for a given community contains surge maps, based on SLOSH MOMs, to provide an analysis of surge vulnerability. The SLOSH MOMs provide the maximum potential inundation for a particular local area. These maps are combined with other data such as census information, transportation studies, behavioral studies, and critical infrastructure locations to create evacuation zones. Evacuation zones account for surge and other hazards and can be used as an effective tool for communicating who needs to evacuate due to the threat of storm surge during landfalling hurricanes.
The graphics below are storm surge maps for Category 2 and Category 4 storms hitting New York. Click the maps to see examples of surge impacts for each storm category.
New tools, such as Google Earth, can be useful for providing an understanding of the possible impacts from flooding. For example, this image of Manhattan, NY has been colorized to show all elevations under 20 ft (6 m), so it gives a sense of what 20 feet of storm surge could inundate in the city.
