Hurricane Ivan Damage Survey

Hurricane Ivan struck the Alabama coast and western Florida panhandle during the late evening on September 15, 2004 and early morning on September 16, 2004, as a Category 3 storm. The eye of the storm made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama around 2 a.m. local time and the eyewall tracked northward up the Perdido River along the Alabama/Florida state line.

Within days after the storm, the author conducted detailed ground and aerial surveys of the Alabama and Florida coast. The purpose of the survey was to document the extent of damage to buildings, determine the height of the water level from the storm surge by utilizing a surveyor's level and rod, and to acquire wind data from various sources. A wind speed-building damage correlation study was made. A section of the paper will be devoted to delineating wind and surge damage to buildings, which has insurance implications.