Hurricane Gaston (2004)

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Hurricane Gaston

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Hurricane Gaston coming ashore on August 29
Formed	August 26, 2004
Dissipated	September 3, 2004
Highest winds	75 mph (120 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure	986 mbar (hPa; 29.13 inHg)
Fatalities	8 direct, 1 indirect
Damage	$120 million (2004 USD) $128 million (2006 USD)
Areas affected	South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts
Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Gaston was a minimal hurricane that made landfall in South Carolina on August 29, 2004. It then crossed North Carolina and Virginia before exiting to the northeast and dissipating. The storm killed nine people—eight of them directly—and caused $130 million (2004 USD) in damage. Gaston produced torrential downpours that inundated Richmond, Virginia. Although originally designated a tropical storm, Gaston was reclassified as a hurricane when post-storm analysis revealed it had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (Category 1 hurricane strength).^[1]

Contents 1 Storm history 2 Preparations 3 Unpredictability 4 Impact 4.1 South Carolina 4.2 North Carolina 4.3 Virginia 4.4 Atlantic Canada 5 Aftermath 5.1 Consumer concerns 5.2 Economic impact 5.3 Recovery and criticism 5.4 Lack of retirement 6 See also 7 External links and references 8 Notes

[edit] Storm history

On August 22, a cold front moved off the coast of the Carolinas into the Atlantic Ocean (the same front would also spawn Tropical Storm Hermine, days later). The front drifted southward, and on August 25, a broad area of low pressure developed along the weakening front. The low steadily organized, acquired a banding structure, and developed into Tropical Depression Seven 130 miles (215 km) on August 27, southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Because of weak steering currents, the depression meandered southward over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Convection increased and the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Gaston the following day.^[2]

Tropical Storm Gaston drifted westward as it continued to intensify. The same day, a mid- to upper-level ridge developed to the northeast of the storm, causing Gaston to move westward at a steady 8 mph (13 km/h). A mid-latitude trough forced the storm to the north, where Gaston briefly reached hurricane strength before making landfall near Awendaw, South Carolina late on the 29^th. The storm quickly weakened to a tropical depression, and turned to the northeast. Upon reaching southeastern Virginia on August 31, Gaston restrengthened to a tropical storm near Yorktown and continued northeastward over Chesapeake Bay and the Delmarva Peninsula. The storm accelerated to the east-northeast, and passed 70 miles (110 km) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on August 31 before becoming extratropical to the southeast of Nova Scotia the very next day. The extratropical remnants were absorbed by a larger extratropical storm on September 3, ending the life of Gaston.^[2]

[edit] Preparations

Shortly after Gaston formed, the National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm watches for the South Carolina coastline. The watches were changed to hurricane watches and warnings on August 28. ^[3] Because of the warnings, people evacuated from low-lying areas and mobile homes along the coast. ^[4] At first, officials suggested that the storm would cause minimal flood damage because the storm was accelerating as it moved closer to the coast.^[4]

In Virginia, many officials assumed that the storm would dissipate rapidly when it made landfall because it was weak; many computer models had predicted Gaston would bring only showers to the state.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Unpredictability

Hurricane Gaston was an unpredictable storm from the beginning. Both the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center and the NCEP North American Mesoscale models predicted that the storm would drop only one inch of rain after it made landfall in South Carolina. ^[5] After it had indeed made landfall, many of the computer models predicted that Gaston would continue weakening and dissipate. Instead, the storm regenerated over southeastern Virginia. ^[6]

[edit] Impact

State	State total	County or parish	Reported deaths	Direct deaths
Virginia	8	Hanover	1	1[7]
		Chesterfield	1	1
		Dinwiddie	2	2
		Henrico	4	4
Totals	8 [8]

Gaston killed eight people directly—most of them from flooding—and caused $130 million (2004 US dollars) in damage.

[edit] South Carolina

Gaston caused major freshwater flooding in South Carolina. In Berkeley County, 20 structures were severely damaged or destroyed. A dozen other structures received minor damage. ^[9] The city of Charleston received about 10 inches of rain and 125,000 people were left without electricity.^[10] There were reports of tree damage from McClellanville to Charleston.^[11] A tornado was reported in Marlboro County.^[12]Elsewhere, rainfall up to five inches fell in Williamsburg, Florence and Darlington counties. The rainfall caused flash flooding in Darlington County. A wind gust of 58 mph was recorded in Myrtle Beach, and the storm caused moderate beach erosion. ^[13]

[edit] North Carolina

As Gaston moved inland, it produced heavy rain over central North Carolina with rain totals up to 6.21 inches. ^[14] A tornado spawned by Gaston damaged several homes in Hoke County.^[15] In Chatham County, high winds damaged a post office and knocked down several trees. ^[16] In Wake County, rainfall from Gaston caused Marsh Creek to overflow its banks which resulted in moderate street flooding. The flooding also shut down Interstate 40. In Johnston County, water up to 2 feet (1.5 meters) were reported and Interstate 95 was flooded with 6 inches of water. ^[17] Flooding was also reported in Person County where over a dozen of roads were closed due to the rising waters and four roads outside the town of Roxboro were completely flooded. ^[18] In Elizabeth City, two golfers were injured when they were hit by lightning. ^[19]

[edit] Virginia

In central Virginia, Gaston produced torrential rainfall, with Richmond receiving the highest precipitation amount. The Shockoe Bottom area was hardest hit, as 14 inches of rain caused flash flooding that washed away vehicles and swamped buildings. Elsewhere, floodwaters washed out Meadowbridge Road and large sections of U.S. Route 301. Southbound Interstate 95 was closed because of mudslides, which also knocked out a 300-foot section of Jersey barriers. ^[20]

In other parts of Virginia, there were scattered outbreaks of tornadoes. One of the tornadoes damaged several units at the Petersburg National Battlefield.^[21]

Gaston produced what local newspapers called a "5,900 year rainfall" on the city of Richmond.^[22] During the height of the storm, the James River was 10 feet above flood stage. The rains and floodwaters overwhelmed many of the storm drains, while power outages left most pumping stations inoperative. ^[23] The rainfall from Gaston caused the Chickahominy River to crest above flood stage. The flood swamped businesses and closed several roads. In New Kent County, the floods damaged a campground, while further downstream the flooding damaged a transformer, leaving several thousand people without electricity.^[24] Because there were no flood gauges for the Chickahominy River, the flooding was unpredictable.^[25]

Elsewhere, 180 roads were left impassable. In Hampton Roads, several tornadoes caused tree and roof damage. In the Church Hill section, a huge sinkhole formed and threatened nearby houses. ^[26]

Many people in Richmond, caught unaware when the flooding occurred, were stranded in the floodwaters. Some were trapped in flooded automobiles, and a transit bus with three passengers became inundated in the floodwaters—its internal cameras showed vehicles floating past and rescuers taking passengers off the flooded bus.^[27] Another widely seen incident involved a motorist swept away in her car, which came to rest against a fence during the flood. Using a flashlight, the woman was able to signal to nearby rescuers.^[28]

Richmond city officials condemned 19 buildings out of the 230 inspected since the storm, and shut off electrical service to an additional 70 or so.^[29]

When moving inland, Gaston's heavy rains caused flash flooding that devastated the Shockoe Bottom district and inundated areas of New Kent County and Charles City County. The flooding from Gaston was the worst for central Virginia since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

[edit] Atlantic Canada

Sable Island recorded about 72 mm (2.83 in.) of rain in 35 hours, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.^[30]

[edit] Aftermath

Much of downtown Richmond was a mess; many buildings in the disaster area were condemned. A story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch said, "The air downtown is ripe with the smell of fresh mud and rotting vegetables." ^[31] On August 31, Governor Mark Warner declared a state of emergency.^[32]

[edit] Consumer concerns

Approximately 2,000 cars and trucks were reported towed from the disaster area following Gaston. Consequently, the flooded-out cars and trucks, known as "flood cars," were sold on used car lots at a cheap price. There were also isolated reports of scamming.^[33]

[edit] Economic impact

Many small businesses in the Richmond area were hit hard by the flooding brought by Gaston. While some managed to reopen, some closed for longer periods of time or even permanently. After the storm, city officials cordoned off Shockoe Bottom along between 15th and 18th Streets, south of East Broad Street, so building inspectors and crews from the Department of Public Utilities and Dominion Virginia Power could ensure that the area's stores, restaurants, warehouses and apartments were safe to enter and that there were no gas leaks.

"Property insurance by itself probably won't cover damages," said a spokesman for the State Corporation Commission. "However, many businesses in the Bottom have flood insurance, since most lenders would make it a requirement in flood-prone areas..."

"The best other businesses can hope for, in the rebuilding process, is federal assistance through grant money and low-interest loans if Richmond is declared a federal disaster area," he later said.^[34]

The flooding from Gaston also affected VDOT's emergency road repair fund. VDOT estimated that repairing the wrecked roads and bridges would cost $10 to $20 million, and that did not cover damage to streets and roads that Richmond and Henrico Counties maintain.^[35]

Already stretching its budget thin, VDOT had to set $16 million aside for major projects other than snow removal, leaving very little to pay for storm damage. ^[36]

[edit] Recovery and criticism

After the storm, the Richmond city government poured money into reconstruction and expansion of the drainage system and new emergency-notification technology that officials said would make Richmond ready for future storms. Beginning in 2006, the city had spent $1.9 million on projects to mitigate the impact of major rainfalls. The city had also stepped up the frequency of its inspections and cleanings of the existing drain system, and has installed a new flash flood warning system.

$8.7 million was spent to help the victims of the storm, much of it from FEMA. ^[37] In Shockoe Bottom, most of the buildings were rebuilt and most of the businesses were back up and running. Some business owners say that the relief came too late ^[38] "The city hasn't done anything to 17th Street. It's uglier than when the storm hit," said one owner of a restaurant that was destroyed in the storm that dropped about a foot of water on downtown Richmond. "It's still a disaster area."^{[citation needed]}

This sparked criticism of the city government in response to Hurricane Gaston. Many complained about potholes lining the roads, brick sidewalks that were a mess, and faded crosswalks. Also, because of poor drainage, streets are covered with a thick layer of silt and because of the lack of trash cans, storm debris is everywhere.

Even a year later, some of the damage from Gaston still lingered.

Hundreds of people were asking officials of how to recover their homes and businesses wrecked by Gaston in an area the city hopes will drive its economic growth. People wanted to know if their buildings had been condemned and what that meant and they wanted to know when they could return and whether the mud was toxic. They wanted to know whether to pay that month's rent on a building that may no longer be habitable. Some of their questions were answered while others were left unanswered.

[edit] Lack of retirement

Despite its effects, the name Gaston was not retired and will be used again in the 2010 season.

[edit] See also

• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of notable Atlantic hurricanes

[edit] External links and references

• Six months later: Gaston damage lingers
• Rebuilding Shockoe Bottom
• Gaston: One year later
• Richmond develops new plan for storms
• Shockoe Bottom businesses sludge through recovery...
• Is flood control system adequate?...
• Hurricane Gaston Image
• Hurricane Gaston damage 1
• Hurricane Gaston
• Hurricane Gaston damage 2
• Floods kill 5 in Va.
• Hurricane Gaston track Unisys
• Hurricane Gaston

[edit] Notes