Precipitation Extremes: Prediction, Impacts, and Responses

P1.45

The Venezuelan rainfall-runoff disaster occurred in December 1999

PAPER WITHDRAWN

Luis G. Hidalgo, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Estado Miranda, Venezuela

In the lapse 14-17 December 1999 occurred the main portion of a disastrous rainfall-runoff event that hit the northern central coast of Venezuela with the dead of thousand of persons and the destruction of hundreds of homes. The local quantitative precipitation forecasting was absent and the population had no training on that kind of contingency. The main part of the rain gauge network was inoperative by those days but an amount of 911 mm in 3 day was reported. About 800 millions dollars are necessary to overpass physical damages but psychological and social impacts are not quantified. The damages are comparable with those of the Galveston Hurricane. The paper presents details on the phenomenon classified as cold front trough enhanced by mountain effect and divergence aloft.

Poster Session 1, Winter Storms (Poster Session)
Monday, 15 January 2001, 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

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