Georgia Researcher to Study Storm Vulnerability

A Georgia scientist has been awarded a government grant to help identify coastal areas most vulnerable to hurricanes and other natural hazards.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that Georgia Southern University researcher Clark Alexander will work to improve a software tool known as AMBUR. It creates hazard data useful in identifying the pros and cons of development on vulnerable areas.

Alexander received a $377,000 share of a $1.06 million National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant.

Alexander, a professor at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography near Savannah, says the project aims to develop a new hazard-vulnerability tool that can be applied in the entire region.

The AMBUR program was created by another Georgia Southern professor, Chester Jackson. Developing the tool on a larger scale is expected to take several months.