Hurricane Omar Waves Impact on the West Coast of the Guadeloupe Island, October 2008

Abstract

A swell produced by the Hurricane Omar touched the west Guadeloupean coasts during the period of the 15 th to the 17 th in October 2008. The waves of this swell hit different islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles arc. The cost of the destruction of this swell was evaluated at $ 46 million. On the island of Basse-Terre in the archipelago of Guadeloupe all the exposed zone, the quiet west coast was impacted by waves of observed height around 2.5 to 3m. The totality of this zone was modified by the effects of the waves, on more 100m in the land. By a complete observation of the Hurricane Omar, the causes and the consequences of the waves are described. The propagation of the waves on the coast and in the land of the west part of the island of Basse-Terre is particularly described. The compilation of the different testimonies, the observations on several spots of the coast and the buoys measurements in the Caribbean Sea allow to give the synoptic of the event and to qualify the consequences of the impact of the waves. To give more accurate values of the characteris- tics of the waves, some numerical simulations of the wave propagation were made with SWAN under realistic conditions and near the coast. The numerical simulation and the measurements are in accordance with the observations and the dif- ferent testimonies, waves of 2.5-3m height and 12s of peak period. To conclude, some indications for the future are given to help to protect the coastal population.