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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New measurements of Hurricane Ivan's erosion of beaches, dunes and barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico underscore how vulnerable the American shoreline is to such storms, a U.S. Geological Survey oceanographer says.
Ivan's center made landfall Sept. 16 at Gulf Shores, Ala., with 115 mph wind and a storm surge estimated at 10 to 13 feet high.
Ivan washed away as much as 164 feet of beach in places, according to Abby Sallenger, an oceanographer for the Geological Survey's Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla. He presented his findings Friday at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans.
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