 Norfolk has become the new port on the Atlantic for cruise ships! What a boon for Virginians and mid-Atlantic residents — who no longer have to fly to the cruise ships! But Norfolk has a history with summer tropical systems. Hurricanes in the Caribbean have dominated the news the last few years. With today's sophisticated hurricane information systems, ships can navigate around severe tropical storms or hurricanes.
Hurricanes are one of the only natural disasters that provide warning. This weather module focuses on the possibility of a Hurricane impacting the itinerary of a cruise ship departing Norfolk for a nine-day long cruise to the Caribbean and back. Will the approaching hurricane cooperate?
You and your fellow students will be the meteorologists
who will make that call! You will need to decide whether and how to redirect
a cruise ship on its return from the Caribbean to Norfolk You will know
the ship's planned track and schedule as it sails from Norfolk to the
Caribbean and back. The challenge is to track and make some predictions
about this hurricane that threatens cruise ships leaving out of Norfolk.
 
With the increased cruise traffic out of Norfolk, a new major cruise line
has decided to build its headquarters in the area. They would like to
build the new headquarters as close to the port as possible, but remembering
the news reports from Hurricane Katrina are wary of building it too close
to the port. Of course they are worried about winds - but winds are responsible
for only part of the damage caused by a hurricane. Storm surge, waves
and flooding also accompany hurricanes. Occasionally, a tornado may even
accompany a hurricane's landfall!
Your job is to find the best location in the Norfolk area
to locate the cruise line's headquarters, taking into account the hazards
caused by a hurricane and how best to minimize their impact. You can give
suggestions on what the building should be like and where in the Norfolk
area, it should be located.
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