Spatially Granular Insights and Analyses of High Wind Risk Across the Southeastern United States

Hundreds of people each year are killed or injured by high winds. In the southeastern United States, high winds pose a significant risk to community safety, driven by the high numbers of mobile and manufactured homes (MMH) and high density of trees. High wind risk is the product of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. This thesis identifies the spatial pattern of high wind risk across the Southeast. Unrestricted Mesoscale Analysis (URMA) wind speed data are used to create frequency intervals of high winds at the census tract level. These are overlain with population density and proportion of households in poverty, MMHs prevalence, and tree canopy near infrastructure to determine risk. NOAA’s Storm Events Database provides locations of high wind fatalities and injuries. Results indicate that areas characterized by high hazard, low exposure, and high vulnerability are most strongly associated with elevated rates of fatalities.