The Sunshine State is home to 1,350 miles of coastline. Beaches become vulnerable during hurricane season, when the waves can turn violent, beating and battering the shores.

  • Experimental tank can create hurricane-like conditions
  • Giant tanks recreates storms to see how it impacts coasts

Last October, Hurricane Matthew was no friend to the Flagler County Coast. It wiped out miles of beach and the scenic State Road A1A, costing millions in damage.

Storm surge is a major threat to roads and homes during the hurricane season. Trying to predict how hard an area will be hit during an actual storm remains a challenge.

Critical research is being done on these hazards at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Dr. Brian Haus says the goal of their research is to provide better long-term planning to make communities more resilient. This is done through what is called the SUSTAIN tank, which stands for SUrge-STructure-Atmosphere Interaction.

“It's one of a kind in the world facility where we can simulate hurricane winds over water and learn about how hurricanes intensify and what we can do to build better structures in coastal areas,” Haus said.

This up-close perspective enables them to bring their research directly to coastal communities.

By drawing water from the adjacent inlet into the giant tank, when its 1,500 horsepower fan is turned on, hurricane-like conditions are created.

Up to Category 5 type conditions can be recreated to see the effects of the wind and waves on coastal structures. According to Haus, the fan can “generate waves with the power, make really intense conditions, a lot of sea spray, a lot of breaking waves, and we can try to understand what goes on in those conditions.”

The lessons learned will lead to smarter building practices on the coast.