Expanded list of UF experts available to discuss 2006 hurricane season

April 12, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With forecasters calling for yet another active hurricane season this year, the following University of Florida sources are available to speak to speak to the news media about a variety of storm- and hurricane-related topics.

Hurricane preparations

  • Hurricane-proofing homes: Bob Stroh is a research professor in the Rinker School of Building Construction and director of the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing in the College of Design, Construction & Planning. He specializes in techniques and materials that minimize hurricane damage in new and existing homes. (352) 273-1192, stroh@ufl.edu.

Hurricane science

  • Frequency and intensity of hurricanes: Corene Matyas, an assistant professor of geography, investigates the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, their tendencies for certain landfall locations, their rainfall patterns, and the characteristics that affect hurricanes’ formation and life cycle. (352) 392-0494, matyas@ufl.edu.
  • El Niño, hurricanes and rainfall: Pete Waylen, professor and chairman of UF’s geography department, researches the causes of longer term variability in climate, including El Niño, and their impacts on hurricanes and the rainfall and floods that they produce in and around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. (352) 392-4652, prwaylen@geog.ufl.edu
  • Wind speed, force and impact on buildings: Kurt Gurley, an associate professor of civil and coastal engineering, can provide information on ground-level hurricane wind speeds and wind forces on residential structures. (352) 392-9537, ext. 1508, kgurl@ce.ufl.edu.
  • Predicting storm surge: Don Slinn, an associate professor of civil and coastal engineering, researches the coastal impact of waves and flooding from hurricanes. He has helped to develop computer models that predict likely storm surge for Atlantic storms and examine effects of waves and flooding on beaches and buildings. (352) 392-9537, ext. 1431, slinn@coastal.ufl.edu.
  • Hurricane-induced storm surge, wave, coastal inundation, and coastal erosion – Peter Sheng, a professor of civil and coastal engineering, is an expert in coastal hazard and coastal ecosystem restoration and a national leader in the simulation and forecasting of hurricane-induced storm surge, wave, coastal inundation, and coastal erosion. Among other efforts, he has produced a new methodology for developing more accurate Flood Insurance Rate Map for U.S. coastal counties. (352) 392-6177, pete@coastal.ufl.edu

Impact of hurricanes on urban environment

  • Wind damage to structures and utilities: Ron Cook, professor of civil engineering, can discuss wind damage to buildings, Florida’s hurricane-related building codes and how hurricanes affect utilities. (352) 392-9537, ext. 1507, rcook@ce.ufl.edu.
  • Utility outages and power distribution: Paul Sotkiewicz, director of energy studies at UF’s Public Utility Research Center, has expertise in energy economics and electric utilities, and can answer questions about power distribution, regulatory matters, electricity restoration and underground utility lines. (352) 392-7842, paul.sotkiewicz@cba.ufl.edu.
  • Treating contaminated floodwater: Scot Earle Smith, a professor of forestry, is studying a new technique to speed up and improve the treatment of contaminated hurricane floodwater using naturally occurring minerals called zeolites. Formed from volcanic rock, zeolites have the potential to accelerate the decomposition of organic compounds in wastewater treatment facilities. (352) 392-4990, sesmith@ifas.ufl.edu.
  • Hurricanes and the insurance industry: David Nye, a professor of business and the director of the Florida Insurance Research Center, can answer questions related to hurricane damage and the insurance industry. (352) 392-6649, dnye@ufl.edu.
  • Barge vs. bridge accidents – Gary Consolazio, an associate professor of civil engineering, had done extensive research on how to make bridges better able to withstand barge collisions while reducing their cost. (352) 392-9537, ext. 1510, grc@ufl.edu.

Impact of hurricanes on natural environment

  • Hurricanes’ impact on beaches: Bob Dean, a retired UF graduate research professor emeritus in civil and coastal engineering, is one of the nation’s leading experts on beach erosion and has studied the effects of several hurricanes on Florida’s beaches. He is also knowledgeable about sea level rise and hurricanes. (352) 392-9537, ext. 1430, dean@coastal.ufl.edu.
  • Quantifying hurricane damage of beaches: Ramesh Shrestha, a professor of civil and coastal engineering, leads UF’s participation in the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. The university owns and operates airborne and ground-based laser mapping units to quickly and accurately map hundreds of miles of beaches and coastal areas to obtain damage estimates in advance of storm repairs. (352) 392-4999, rshre@ce.ufl.edu.
  • Tree recovery following hurricanes. Ralph E. Mitchell, a UF county extension director and horticulture agent in Charlotte County, heads a State Urban Forestry Grant-funded effort to provide trees and education to help Charlotte County recover from the ’04 hurricanes. (941) 764-4340, ralph.mitchell@charlottefl.com.
  • Rebuilding/maintaining sand dunes: Deborah Miller, an associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation based at UF’s West Florida Research and Education Center in Milton, has studied the best ways to rebuild sand dunes destroyed by hurricanes. (850) 983-5216, dlmi@ufl.edu.

Hurricanes and people

  • Demographic effects of hurricanes: Stan Smith and Chris McCarty, of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, can discuss how hurricanes prompt people to relocate, both temporarily and permanently. Smith, director of the bureau, and McCarty, director of survey programs, did a study of the 2004 hurricanes that found nearly 4.5 million Floridians evacuated their homes at one time or another that year. The study also estimated that 2.6 million of Florida’s 8.1 million housing units were damaged by the storms. McCarty can be reached (352) 392-2908, ext. 101, ufchris@ufl.edu; Smith, (352) 392-0171, ext. 210, sksmith@ufl.edu.
  • How hurricanes affect communities – Anthony Oliver-Smith, professor of anthropology, has spent three decades studying how communities re-emerge from destruction. (352) 392-2253, ext. 251, aros@ufl.edu.
  • Psychological impacts of hurricanes: Brenda Wiens, a research assistant professor and psychologist in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology and the National Rural Behavioral Health Center, can speak about the mental health effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters. (352) 273-5120, bwiens@phhp.ufl.edu.
  • Economic effects of hurricanes: David Denslow, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research and distinguished service professor in economics, can provide information about how hurricanes affect the economy. (352) 392-0171, ext. 340, denslow@ufl.edu.
  • Safety after the storm: Carol Lehtola, an associate professor in the department of agricultural and biological engineering, is an expert on disaster preparedness and recovery information. (352) 392-1864, ext. 100, CJLehtola@ifas.ufl.edu.