Researchers at Texas A&M University are collaborating with local, state, and federal emergency partners to map storm-surge risks and plan evacuation routes for hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. This effort spans more than ten years of work helping agencies develop data-driven strategies for coastal regions including the Rio Grande Valley, the Coastal Bend, and Southeast Texas.
The research team works with municipalities, county officials, and federal partners such as NOAA, FEMA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These organizations evaluate storm surge risks and establish evacuation zones tailored to shifting coastal populations.
Walter Peacock, professor and principal investigator, stated that the team collaborates with local entities to re-evaluate surge risk by analyzing where inundations are likely given different storm types, trajectories, forward speeds, and wind speeds.
The resulting data feeds into HURREVAC, the primary software decision-makers use during active storm threats to calculate evacuation times. Peacock explained that officials use this analysis to determine which zones require evacuation based on a storm's projected impact.
David Bierling of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center leads the team’s behavioral studies, focusing on human behavior and resident response to emergency notifications. He convened an analysis summit as part of the final Southeast Texas Study Area, attended by researchers who have studied multiple evacuation events in Texas.
