New Orleans and Hurricanes:  Past, Present, and Future

TIDE-1220

Tulane University

Fall Semester 2012

Prof. Stephen A. Nelson

Office - 208 Blessey Hall

snelson@tulane.edu

Announcements

Announcements

Oct 11, 2012  I have revised the schedule in the syllabus again.   Hopefully the schedule is now correct and will not have to be revised again before the end of the course.  Blackboard (under course documents) now has the new version and by the link to the syllabus, above, will also take you to the new version.

Sept. 19, 2012  I have revised the schedule in the syllabus again.   I had not taken into account that Sept. 26 is a holiday.and there won't be class on that day.  Blackboard (under course documents) now has the new version and by the link to the syllabus, above, will also take you to the new version.

Sept. 12, 2012  I have revised the schedule in the course syllabus. Blackboard (under course documents) now has the new version and by the link to the syllabus, above, will also take you to the new version.

Return to Top

Lecture Notes

Note the 2 versions of each set of lecture notes are available.  The first version displays quickly in a normal web browser.  The PDF version is optimized for printing, but requires the Acrobat Reader.

Only links with a * have been updated for the Fall 2012 semester

The Science of Hurricanes*  PDF Version*

Why New Orleans is Vulnerable to Hurricanes - Geologic and Historical Factors* PDF Version*

Lessons Learned and Reducing Vulnerability*  PDF Version*

The Risk to New Orleans from Hurricanes, Present, and Future*  PDF Version*

Return to Top

Assignments

Only links with a * have been updated for the Fall 2011 semester

Exercise 1 - Hurricane Exercise*  PDF Version* Due Sept.19

Exercise 2 - New Orleans Map* PDF Version* Due Oct. 3

Exercise 3- Hurricane Katrina Time Line*  PDF Version* Due Oct. 17

Exercise 4 - Hurricane Isaac*  Due Nov. 11

Presentation Assessment Form

Return to Top

Useful Links

Flash Flood - Times Picayune interactive graphic on the flooding of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina - What Happened?  Field Trip Guide

Independent Levee Investigation Team, Investigation of the New Orleans Flood Protection Systems in Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005  Final Report, July 31, 2006.

Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -  (IPET) A difficult to navigate web site with important pre- and post - Katrina documents concerning Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area, including IPET Interim Report 2 and Draft Final Report.

The Katrina Myth- The Truth About a Thoroughly Unnatural Disaster -  A you tube video produced by Levees.org

Last Chance -  Times Picayune interactive graphic on coastal land loss in Louisiana,

National Hurricane Center

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (IPET) Risk and Reliability Report

Washing Away A prophetic 5 part series on the possible effect of hurricanes on New Orleans, published by the Times Picayune newspaper in June of 2002.

Weather Underground - Tropical Weather

Books about the Katrina Disaster

Brinkley, Douglas, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast . Harper Perennial (July 31, 2007), 768 pp.

Horne, Jed, Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City.  Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (July 15, 2008), 464 pp.*

McQuaid, John and Mark Schleifstein, Path of Destruction: The Devastation of New Orleans and the Coming Age of Superstorms, Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (August 16, 2006). 384 pp.*

Van Heerden, Ivor and Bryan, Mike, The Storm - What went wrong and why during Hurricane Katrina - The inside story form on Louisiana scientist.  Viking Press, 2006, 308 pp.*

*highly recommended

Return to Top