Field reconnaissance and overview of the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula

Tracy L. Kijewski-Correa, Andrew B. Kennedy, Alexandros A. Taflanidis () and David O. Prevatt
Additional contact information
Tracy L. Kijewski-Correa: University of Notre Dame
Andrew B. Kennedy: University of Notre Dame
Alexandros A. Taflanidis: University of Notre Dame
David O. Prevatt: University of Florida

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2018, vol. 94, issue 2, No 7, 627-653

Abstract: Abstract Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the southwestern tip of Haiti as a strong Category 4 storm, with estimated sustained winds of 65 m/s (145 mph), on October 4, 2016. The landfall region in the western Tiburon Peninsula, approximately 400 km west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, sustained extreme damage to buildings and vegetation, with a significant number of fatalities. Between the dates of November 18–24, 2016, the authors and a team of collaborators from the USA and Haiti conducted reconnaissance to characterize the storm’s hazards and damage extent. The investigation canvassed the southern coastal communities of Les Cayes, Les Anglais, Port Salut, Chardonnières and La Cahouane, as well as the northern coastal communities of Jérémie, Bonbon and Abricots. This paper summarizes the reconnaissance efforts, which combined coastal, structural and unmanned aerial vehicle surveys, and discusses the performance of regional construction during this event, with particular emphasis on low-rise masonry structures, the predominant residential typology in urban Haiti. It also reflects upon the broader impacts of this disaster on the affected communities and the nation as a whole—a nation that continues to struggle with its recovery from the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Keywords: Hurricane Matthew; Reconnaissance; Haiti; Tiburon Peninsula (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-018-3410-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:94:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11069-018-3410-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11069

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-018-3410-0

Access Statistics for this article

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards is currently edited by Thomas Glade, Tad S. Murty and Vladimír Schenk

More articles in Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards from Springer, International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().