The past two decades have witnessed exponential growth in damage due to hurricanes and the situation continues to deteriorate.  The most vulnerable areas, coastal counties along the Gulf and Atlantic seaboards, are experiencing greater population growth and development than anyplace else in the country.  If the trend of rapidly increasing losses caused by hurricanes is to be reversed, a whole new philosophy of understanding, planning, and preparedness is required.  The Hurricane Engineering curriculum is the result of a multidisciplinary project aimed at giving engineering students a comprehensive understanding of the hazards associated with hurricanes:
  • Extreme winds
  • Windborne debris
  • Storm surge
  • River flooding

  • Rain-induced landslides

  • Wind-driven rain
     The goal is to reverse the trend of increasing societal cost from hurricanes by making future engineers aware of the ways hurricanes cause damage and in ways to plan for and mitigate that damage.
     Faculty from many different disciplines contributed to the Hurricane Engineering curriculum:
  • Civil engineering
  • Environmental engineering
  • Chemical engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Coastal science
  • Landscape architecture
  • Environmental studies

This project was made possible through the financial support of the National Science Foundation
(NSF award number 0080524) and Louisiana State University.
This support is gratefully acknowledged.