NOUS41 KAKQ 261338
PNSAKQ

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  WAKEFIELD VA
936 AM EDT FRI SEP 26 2003

A STORM DAMAGE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED NEAR CLAREMONT...IN NORTHWEST 
SURRY COUNTY...ON THURSDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2003 FOR THE DAMAGE FROM 
HURRICANE ISABEL THAT OCCURRED ON 18 SEPTEMBER 2003. SEVERAL 
COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY ON THE JAMES RIVER 
WERE VIRTUALLY DESTROYED. MORE THAN 50 HOMES IN CLAREMONT AND 100 
MOBILE HOMES IN SUNKEN MEADOW HAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR WERE TOTALLY 
DESTROYED.

THERE WERE SEVERAL FACTORS THAT COMBINED TO PRODUCE THE DAMAGE. THE 
FIRST WAS THE STRONG WINDS WITH ISABEL AND THE FETCH OVER THE JAMES 
RIVER. WIND GUSTS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 80 AND 90 MPH FROM 
THE NORTHEAST AND EAST. WINDS FROM THIS DIRECTION HAVE A NEARLY 15 
MILE FETCH OVER THE JAMES RIVER. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT WIND 
DAMAGE...INCLUDING NUMEROUS LARGE TREES THAT WERE UPROOTED. THERE 
WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO SOME METAL ROOFS WHICH WERE PEELED BACK BY THE 
WIND.

THE SECOND FACTOR THAT CAUSED DAMAGE WAS THE STORM SURGE. THE SURGE 
WAS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 6 AND 8 FEET. CLAREMONT HAD A PREDICTED 
HIGH TIDE OF 1.9 FEET ABOVE MEAN LOWER LOW WATER (MLLW) AT 7:08 PM  
ON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18 2003. THE HIGH TIDE COMBINED WITH THE STORM 
SURGE BROUGHT WATER LEVELS TO BETWEEN 8 AND 10 FEET ABOVE MLLW. THE 
LOCAL GEOGRAPHY COMBINED TO MAXIMIZE BOTH THE WINDS AND THE SURGE. 
IN NORTHWEST SURRY COUNTY...THE RIVER CONSTRICTS AND MAKES A TURN 
MORE TO THE NORTHWEST. BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRICTION AND SHARP 
TURN...WATER BEING PUSHED UPRIVER BY THE SURGE WOULD FIRST PILE UP 
IN THE CLAREMONT AREA. THE AREA ALSO HAS SOME BLUFFS THAT ARE A 
APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS INLAND OF THE BEACH AREA. THESE BLUFFS WOULD 
ALSO HELP TO FOCUS THE WINDS ON THE BEACH AREA...AS WINDS COMING OFF 
THE WATER ARE TYPICALLY STRONGER BECAUSE OF A LACK OF FRICTIONAL 
DRAG. BOTH WIND AND WATER WERE CHANNELED INTO THE AREA AND COMBINED 
TO CREATE THE DAMAGE.

$$
ALS