Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released new
data that illustrate the arrival of the massive dome of flood
water that inundated much of southwest coastal Louisiana just
before, during and after landfall of Hurricane Rita last fall.
In a first-of-its-kind operation, the scientists deployed a
network of 47 pressure transducers (devices that record water
level and barometric pressure) at 33 sites to monitor the
timing, extent and magnitude of the surge and related flooding.
The scientists strapped their instruments to piers and poles in
the area where the hurricane was forecasted to make landfall and
finished their work just hours ahead of the storm’s arrival. The
network covered about 4,000 square miles and extended east from
the Sabine River on the Texas–Louisiana border to Lafayette,
La., and inland from the coast approximately 30 miles. "Storm
surge was highest during the morning of September 24, reaching
an elevation of 14.9 feet near Constance Beach, La., 14.8 feet
near Creole, La., and 1