StEER: Hurricane Ida Joint Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report-Early Access Reconnaissance Report (PVRR-EARR)

Hurricane Ida made landfall as a major hurricane on the Louisiana coastline on 29 August 2021. It generated damaging winds and storm surge causing widespread damage to structures and to power and telecommunication infrastructure throughout Louisiana. Major damage occurred in the south-east low-lying region. Hurricane Ida’s most severe flash flood impacts occurred in the New England states, and accounted for 51 of 67 fatalities currently attributed to the storm. StEER deployed a three-person FAST, equipped with a street-level car-mounted panoramic camera, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and other equipment. Meanwhile, an 11-member Virtual Assessment Structural Team (VAST) gathered data through reported news, social media outlets, and the National Weather Service, etc. The first product of the StEER response to Hurricane Ida is this Joint Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR) and Early Access Reconnaissance Report (EARR), which is intended to: (1) provide an overview of Hurricane Ida, particularly relating to wind speed and storm surge impacts on the built environment, (2) overview the regulatory environment and construction practices in the affected area, (3) summarize the preliminary reports of damage to residential infrastructure, schools and critical infrastructure, power and telecommunications, (4) establish post-event conditions in affected areas with respect to access and services, (5) provide a summary of the 3-day field survey of affected areas, (6) provide recommendations to inform the continued study of this event by the engineering reconnaissance community. Note that all observations and findings provided in this EARR should be considered preliminary and are based on the limited scope of the FAST.