'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]
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]
Radar image of Gaston after landfall on August 29 (National Weather Service).
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. 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.
[3]
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.
[4] Because of the warnings, people evacuated from low-lying areas and mobile homes along the coast.
[5] At first, officials suggested that the storm would cause minimal flood damage because the storm was accelerating as it moved closer to the coast.
[6]
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.
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.
[7] 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.
[8]
Impact
Gaston killed eight people directly—most of them from flooding—and caused $130 million (2004
US dollars) in damage.
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.
[11] The city of
Charleston received about 10 inches of rain and 125,000 people were left without electricity.
[12] There were reports of tree damage from
McClellanville to Charleston.
[13] A tornado was reported in
Marlboro County.
[14]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.
[15]
North Carolina
As Gaston moved inland, it produced heavy rain over central
North Carolina with rain totals up to 6.21 inches.
[16] A tornado spawned by Gaston damaged several homes in
Hoke County.
[17] In
Chatham County, high winds damaged a post office and knocked down several trees.
[18] 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.
[19] 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.
[20] In
Elizabeth City, two golfers were injured when they were hit by
lightning.
[21]
Virginia
Storm total Rainfall from Gaston
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.
[22]
Landslide caused by rainfall from Gaston.
In other parts of Virginia, there were scattered outbreaks of tornadoes. One of the tornadoes damaged several units at the
Petersburg National Battlefield.
[23]
Gaston produced what local newspapers called a "5,900 year rainfall" on the city of Richmond.
[24] 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.
[25] 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.
[26] Because there were no flood gauges for the Chickahominy River, the flooding was unpredictable.
[27]
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.
[28]
Landslide damage from Gaston
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.
[29] 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.
[30]
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.
[31]
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.
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.
[32]
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.''"
[33] On August 31, Governor
Mark Warner declared a state of emergency.
[34]
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.
[35]
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.
[36]
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.
[37]
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.
[38]
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.
[39] 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
[40] "''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.''"
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.
Lack of retirement
Despite its effects, the name Gaston was not retired and will be used again in the
2010 season.
See also
★
List of notable tropical cyclones
★
List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
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
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Hurricane Gaston damage 2
★
Floods kill 5 in Va.
★
Hurricane Gaston track Unisys
★
Hurricane Gaston
Notes
1. Franklin, James L.NHC Report on GastonNational Hurricane Center
Retrieved: August 31, 2006
2. HPC (2004)HPC Report on Gaston Retrieved: August 31, 2006
3. HPC Report on Gaston
4. The Palm Beach PostGaston Timeline Retrieved: August 31, 2006
5. South Carolina Hit by Gaston Retrieved: August 31, 2006
6. South Carolina Hit by Gaston
7. AMS (2004)AMS Report on Gaston Retrieved: September 8, 2006
8. AMS (2004)AMS Report on Gaston Retrieved: September 8, 2006
9. ''CBS News''5 Dead from Gaston''Associated Press'' Retrieved: September 8, 2006
10. ''Richmond Times-Dispatch''Times-Dispatch Report on Gaston Retrieved: September 8, 2006
11. [1]
12. [2]
13. [3]
14. [4]
15. NCDC (2004) North Carolina Event Details URL Accessed: August 31, 2006
16. [5]
17. [6]
18. NCDC (2004) North Carolina Event Details URL Accessed: August 31, 2006
19. NCDC (2004) North Carolina Event Details URL Accessed: August 31, 2006
20. NCDC (2004) North Carolina Event Details URL Accessed: August 31, 2006
21. NCDC (2004) North Carolina Event Details URL Accessed: August 31, 2006
22. [7]
23. [8]
24. [9]
25. [10]
26. [11]
27. [12]
28. [13]
29. [14]
30. [15]
31. [16]
32. [17]
33. [18]
34. [19]
35. [20]
36. [21]
37. [22]
38. [23]
39. [24]
40. [25]
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