Changes to Dauphin Island, Alabama, Brought about by Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005)

Abstract

Abstract On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina (a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale) made landfall in southeastern Louisiana. Although Dauphin Island, Alabama, is located approximately 180 km to the northeast of where Katrina made landfall, it experienced greater coastal damage than from recent Category 3 hurricanes that were closer to the island (e.g., Frederic in 1979 and Ivan in 2004). This is because the island was within the most intense area of the hurricane as it approached land (i.e., the top-right quadrant). The gulf side of Dauphin Island was impacted by a storm surge of 1.94 m coupled with even higher storm waves. Pelican-Sand Island, to the south of the eastern portion of the island, absorbed much of the storm wave energy, resulting in a lessening of storm water damage to this segment of Dauphin Island. The elevated storm surge and diminished storm waves carried plant debris and sand tens of meters landward across this portion of Dauphin Island. Conversely, with n...