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Executive Summary
Pages 1-15

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From page 1...
... After leaving the islands, Hugo remained over the waters of the Atlantic for over 3 days, gaining in strength and size until it made its assault on the South Carolina coast near Charleston minutes before knight on September 22. Even after making landfall, Hugo remained a threat and caused damage over 200 miles inland, and its effects were felt beyond Charlotte, North Carolina.
From page 2...
... Information about Hugo's approach, imminent extreme weather conditions, and evacuation preparedness was disseminated effectively by the mass media. Through the use of daily newspapers and radio and television broadcasts, the public was alerted to the approaching danger of Hurricane Hugo.
From page 3...
... Thomas suffered tremendous damage, as did the northeastern corner of Puerto Rico. San Juan, Fajardo, and Luquillo were hard hit, with Luquillo receiving the most severe damage.
From page 4...
... The only verifiable surface-wind-speed measurements were obtained in Puerto Rico at San Juan International Airport and Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. There must be a reinvigoration of the surface observing network in the Caribbean islands.
From page 5...
... Clear lines of responsibility for the E} Carraizo Dam must be established in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico so that a more catastrophic event is not encountered there in the future. ALERT Rain Gage Nemork The hydrology of Hurricane Hugo was well defined over Puerto Rico, where conventional rain gages were supplemented with data from a special Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time (ALERT)
From page 6...
... In addition, an updated ALERT rain gage network should be extended throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in order to record hurricane and flash-flood precipitation data.
From page 7...
... . nor~nwara motion alter coming onto the mainland and caused extensive damage from South Carolina to well beyond Charlotte, North Carolina, over 200 miles inland.
From page 8...
... Beaches suffered intense erosion, particularly on the barrier islands. Areas with wide beaches and dunes were more protected from Hugo's impact, since the beaches acted as buffer zones against Hugo's high winds and storm surge.
From page 9...
... Poorly designed revetments performed marginally, sometimes retarding erosion, but more commonly contributing to local damage as their armor units became "missiles," hitting nearby buildings. Jetties and groins suffered little damage during the storm.
From page 10...
... On several barrier islands, severe beach erosion destroyed water and sewer lines and exposed septic tanks. Damage to Cultural Property It is estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 historic buildings in South Carolina were damaged by Hugo.
From page 11...
... In accordance with the South Carolina Beachfront Management Act, setbacks for coastal buildings and structures should be enforced. Also, some level of compensation should be available to property owners that are not allowed to rebuild after coastal houses and buildings have been severely damaged and destroyed, perhaps based on the fair market value for the proportion of the remaining upland.
From page 12...
... Lifeline Protection and Backup Power To protect electrical lines from wind damage and provide a more consistent power supply to lifelines during emergencies, aboveground electrical lines to hospitals, water and wastewater treatment plants, wastewater lift stations, and communication facilities should be replaced with underground lines. In some of these cases, there may be an additional need to install or upgrade on-site backup generators as well.
From page 13...
... Raising mobile homes ~ to 10 ft on masonry piers to comply with flood insurance requirements transforms a relatively low flood risk into a very high wind risk. To avoid this, comprehensive storm insurance, with provisions for both flooding and wind hazards, should be developed.
From page 14...
... Over-federalization of disaster assistance can lead to inequitable cross-subsidies, especially since communities and states have varying degrees of per capita exposure to disaster losses. The role and responsibility of state governments in disaster assistance needs to be examined, including means of funding state programs.
From page 15...
... Hurricane Hugo, September 17~ 1989: Pueblo Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands


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