About Safety First
Team: Samprati Jain , Alex Henderson, Aditya Dighe, Ayodele Iyanalu
Tools Used: GIS online, Autocad, Figma, Sketchup, Vray, Adobe Creative
Duration: 8 weeks, Multi-Disciplinary Design Studio at Iowa State University
Role: Collaborated with the team for the design development process. Created the analysis maps for an overall understanding of the existing problems. Worked with the team for developing design solutions.
Project Summary:
The project deals with a comprehensive analysis and proposal for New Orleans which was devastatingly affected by Hurricane Katrina. The project program included identifying the disaster prone areas and providing solution for the affected population.
The problem- New Orleans
80 PERCENT of the Orleans lies below sea level. In addition, some of the deadliest tropical storms and hurricanes to ever hit the United States have struck the Louisiana shoreline, hence NewOrleans. The project focuses on finding solutions for rehabilitating people before and after the storm to ensure minimum life loss.
Hurricane Katrina
To understand how people, in general, manage disaster-prone conditions. We studied Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricanes we have marked its event on the list of deadly Hurricanes. With winds sustaining 140–170 miles per hour and stretched about 400 miles across this was a high-rated category 4 hurricane on the Simpson scale. Hurricane Katrina broke the New Orleans levee system which caused major flooding in 78% of the city.
The infamous Katrina Event
Katrina caused a great deal of damage to the central Gulf Coast states of the city of New Orleans. The storm itself did a great deal of damage, but the aftermath of this wild force of nature was catastrophic.
1,800
People died during Hurricane Katrina. More than half of these victims were senior citizens.
705
People were reported missing after the disaster.
$81 Billion
Were costed in property damages for New Orleans City earning the title of the costliest hurricane ever in US history.
400,000 residents
Ended up leaving the city permanently.
Gallery of post disaster photos
Guards rescuing survivors, Post Katrina
Survivor photo- Post Katrina
Aerial plan of Ninth ward, New Orleans
Post Disaster destruction- Aerial view
User Persona: Survivor Dunbar Story
Dunbar was a 14-year-old kid who lived with her mother and grandmother in New Orleans during Katrina hit. Despite the mandatory evacuation order issued 20 hours before the hurricane, Dunbar and his family decided to remain in New Orleans.
15 days of trauma
Out of basic necessities
As soon as Katrina hit New Orleans, Dunbar and his family were trapped, surrounded by ten feet of water for 8 days. There was no electricity, no gas to cook, and no air conditioning. The plumbing was out so Dunbar made bucket runs down nine flights of stairs for water to flush the toilets.
The rescue
Due to no network, Dunbar used to climb up the roof several times a day to wave his shirt in desperation for anyone to spot. Finally, Dunbar and his family got spotted and recused by boats, driven by men in “Rescue” t-shirts. They were rescued and left on an elevated patch of land.
The Final departure
After seeing people suffering at Superdome for 2 days, Dunbar suggested to his mother that they hotwire a car. She looked at him as if he were crazy, but Dunbar slipped outside and used a brick to break into the first car he found to leave the city
Big failure- Rescue shelter
Dunbar and his family finally reached the super dome to take temporary refuge where 25000 people were already taking shelter. There was no water, no food, no medical supplies, and no toilet paper. Dunbar and his family watched dead bodies roll past on borrowed luggage carts.
User Pain Points
Project Roadmap: Research -GIS Analysis
To understand the site topography, we performed GIS analysis. The gallery below shows a series of the map shows analyses during Katrina
Research Insights
Proposed Solutions
The solution which we tried to make the city of new Orleans resilient at the time of new disaster is an integrated scheme of short term, midterm, and long term in addition to its nearness to its evacuation points/ routes
Solution Stages
Short term plan
Creating an app that sends a beacon for spotting users in the exact location
Helping users to find the nearest route to an active refuge shelter.
Providing disaster management training to users with access to FEMA survival kits.
Midterm Plans
Providing resilient refuge shelters which can withstand high-velocity wind and flooding at the same time in multiple locations so that people can have accessibility to basic needs like water, food, and shelter.
Long term plans
Creating a layout for multiple evacuation routes by analyzing maps with the future construction of overlays and bridges so that people can evacuate the city quickly. Converting barges into floating shops for quick evacuations
Short term plan
The survival kit proposed would be provided at least one for every home in New Orleans due to the intensity and frequency of disaster in New Orleans and in lump-sum quantity in the barges, since barges will activate as a refuge system during disaster periods. Though the process behind the survival kit was simple. it included all the basic requirements of food, health, GPS tracking, and charging systems. The kits were designed for all, made in such a way that even the physically disabled person can use them in terms of emergency
Survival kit bag design layout
Bags can be worn as strap or can be strolled as cart
Survival kit bag comes with multiple devices
The kit design is flexible, floating, waterproof, and in terms of disaster can itself become a floating shelter device. The end of the kit contains a roller, which helps it to keep rolling if the person is unable to keep the kit on his back. the rollers can be taken out; the kit becomes a floating shelter too. The survival kit is designed for the worst condition, mostly for those who get stuck in a storm with no hope of getting refuge. The integration of medical, GPS tracking, food, and portable phone charger was understood as the most important thing for survival.
Mid-Term Plan Solutions- Barges
Why Barges?
New Orleans contributes 90 percent of America’s offshore energy production, and 30 percent of the nation’s overall oil and gas supply. 30 percent of the seafood is produced in the lower states. It is also home to 2.5 million who operate port and captures energy vital to nations security”. It’s home to many oil refineries. the oil produced from these refineries is transported through barges. Barges are spread all over New Orleans, which gave us the solution of using barges as part of our refuge shelter system, which can work as a community center in form of a library during regular days
Understanding the evacuation routes, the barges were placed in the most vulnerable area to support ease of evacuation in New Orleans. Through the analysis of the maps, we found that the ninth ward and mid-city lie in the vulnerable zone, in terms of low income, higher density, and hazardous geographical conditions. We searched for evacuation spots which are located within 30 minutes walk. We joined vacant lots for intervention.
Barges Benfeits
Barges are massive boat structures designed to be floated either by their own power or towed by other boats. The idea was to design barges in such a way so that they can be flexible enough to work as active buildings during non-stormy days and as shelter boats during flooding and hurricane-affected days.
The barges will be tied to the ground. These barges will have a system of barrels attached to them, which can help in floating
Barges Structure Details
Energy Generation:
Flexible solar cells are attached to the aluminum roof covering as a source of autonomous energy.
Structural Support:
Lightweight timber trusses are constructed from reclaimed wood accumulated during previous storms.
Thermal Comfort:
Insulated U-channel PVC walls.
Buoyancy System:
Lightweight timber trusses are constructed from reclaimed wood accumulated from previous storms.
Base Form:
Recycled and adjusted light steel or aluminum barges that act as the main support of the refuge.
Long Term Plan Solutions- City growth
Newer Orleans
The concept of Newer Orleans is the vision produced by our team, after accepting the current condition of New Orleans. since 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level, it is estimated that by the end of this century if the speed of sea rising remains the same, coastal cities like New Orleans, Mumbai, and Bangladesh will be completely submerged in the water. While understanding the shift to New Orleans, we wanted to conserve its social aspects and diverse culture of New Orleans. But how to start the growth of a new city is a big question. 60 percent of the population of New Orleans is dependent on the local economic structure. Placing the factories of surviving kits and barges can be an economical incentive or motivation for people to start in the new city. The location selected is free from the Katrina-affected sea flooding zone
The newer Orleans will be connected with a high-tech underground railway system.
The transit system is important, in case there are sudden changes in weather. Preserving the texture of economics, society and culture are the key points considered for this project.