By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    data-driven white label SEO
    Does Data Mining Really Help with White Label SEO?
    7 Min Read
    marketing analytics for hardware vendors
    IT Hardware Startups Turn to Data Analytics for Market Research
    9 Min Read
    big data and digital signage
    The Power of Big Data and Analytics in Digital Signage
    5 Min Read
    data analytics investing
    Data Analytics Boosts ROI of Investment Trusts
    9 Min Read
    football data collection and analytics
    Unleashing Victory: How Data Collection Is Revolutionizing Football Performance Analysis!
    4 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Big Data From Hurricane Irma
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Big Data From Hurricane Irma
Big DataNews

Big Data From Hurricane Irma

Kayla Matthews
Last updated: 2017/09/25 at 7:37 PM
Kayla Matthews
5 Min Read
Hurricane Irma
SHARE

Hurricanes are fierce, and that reality hasn’t changed over time. What has evolved, though, is our improved ability to track storms’ paths and characteristics with advanced meteorological tools and associated big data.

Contents
Irma Was a Record-Breaking Storm In Terms of Wind SpeedsAn Amazing Amount of PowerMore Than a Million Homes and Businesses Left DarkMost Homes in Southern Florida Don’t Meet Minimum Building Code RequirementsEmergency Medicine Professionals Use Data to Prepare During Disasters

In many cases, such as with Hurricane Irma, the resultant statistics collected from the storms are extraordinarily frightening and more than enough to make us realize why and how Irma and other hurricanes cause so much destruction.

Let’s dive into some particularly chilling data below and get more details about Hurricane Irma’s tremendous characteristics.

Irma Was a Record-Breaking Storm In Terms of Wind Speeds

When looking at single data elements, it’s often hard to combine them and fully understand why Irma was so devastating. However, researchers from Colorado State University compiled a data sheet with some incredible figures. For example, Hurricane Irma was the first storm on record to maintain maximum wind speeds of 185 miles per hour for 37 hours. Previously, the longest duration was only 24 hours, so Irma beat that number substantially.

More Read

data security unveiled

Data Security Unveiled: Protecting Your Information in a Connected World

Green Data Centers Make Data-Driven Entities More Sustainable
NIST 800-171 Safeguards Help Non-Federal Networks Handling CUI
The Role of Data in Automating Healthcare Processes for Improved Patient Results
Does Data Mining Really Help with White Label SEO?

An Amazing Amount of Power

The National Weather Service uses a measurement known as Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) to categorize an overall hurricane season. The ACE measurement is the sum of the squares of the maximum sustained surface wind speed, measured in knots every six hours for all named storms at least strong enough for a tropical storm classification.

Irma’s measurement of 67.5 made analysts realize it generated more ACE than 18 entire hurricane seasons.

More Than a Million Homes and Businesses Left Dark

Because the storm itself had a gigantic amount of power, it’s not surprising Irma left people without electricity in their homes.

The wind blew down trees and power lines, and five days after the storm hit Florida, 1.5 million power company customers were still affected.

Most Homes in Southern Florida Don’t Meet Minimum Building Code Requirements

When people who evacuated the area come back and survey the damage to their homes, many of them will likely see substantial damage beyond non-functional lights. Statistics indicate 50-75 percent of homes in Southern Florida don’t meet modern hurricane codes.

Local legislation came into effect in 1994, after officials realized they needed to take action to prevent future outcomes similar to the long-lasting destruction of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. However, the new codes only apply to residences built since the laws were enacted. Experts say Hurricane Irma could be the biggest test of whether the legislation is effective.

Emergency Medicine Professionals Use Data to Prepare During Disasters

After hurricanes hit, area hospitals typically respond by bringing in all available staff members to deal with the aftermath. Following the worst of Hurricane Irma, Florida Hospital Orlando increased staff numbers by 120 percent.

Although health facility administrators know they’ll need all hands on deck in such a situation, it’s difficult for them to track trends for a particular storm. For example, medical officials studied hurricane-related death records and learned carbon monoxide poisoning is a major reason for fatalities. Heart failure can also occur, and some people die because they had existing conditions before the storm hit and didn’t get them treated in time.

Doctors agree it would be immensely helpful if there were a greater push toward using big data to highlight needs at the moment, instead of just looking at what’s happened during previous disasters.

For example, if a high percentage of people were coming into a particular hospital with broken limbs, the facility could respond by calling in more staff members from the orthopedic department or even recruiting them from other places.

This brief breakdown of the data associated with Hurricane Irma gives a scary snapshot of why the storm captured headlines even before it made landfall.

It’s continuing to do so now, and the effects of the disaster will be evident for years to come.

Image by Terrance Moon

Kayla Matthews September 25, 2017
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share
By Kayla Matthews
Follow:
Kayla Matthews has been writing about smart tech, big data and AI for five years. Her work has appeared on VICE, VentureBeat, The Week and Houzz. To read more posts from Kayla, please support her tech blog, Productivity Bytes.

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

IoT Cybersecurity
4 Common Misconceptions Surrounding IoT Cybersecurity Compliance
Internet of Things
iot and cloud technology
IoT And Cloud Integration is the Future!
Internet of Things
ai in marketing
4 Ways AI Can Improve Your Marketing Strategy
Artificial Intelligence
data security unveiled
Data Security Unveiled: Protecting Your Information in a Connected World
Security

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

data security unveiled
Security

Data Security Unveiled: Protecting Your Information in a Connected World

8 Min Read
green data center
Big Data

Green Data Centers Make Data-Driven Entities More Sustainable

12 Min Read
data security
Data Management

NIST 800-171 Safeguards Help Non-Federal Networks Handling CUI

5 Min Read
role of big data in healthcare in automation
Big DataExclusive

The Role of Data in Automating Healthcare Processes for Improved Patient Results

7 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

AI and chatbots
Chatbots and SEO: How Can Chatbots Improve Your SEO Ranking?
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Exclusive
ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?