Lost homes, jobs and irreplaceable damage caused by Katrina have become a lifelong rebuilding process for those affected. However, for a UB civil engineering professor, the damage done to the large structures in Mississippi has become a helpful way to plan for future catastrophes.
Professor Gilberto Mosqueda represented UB in a group of individuals from various universities in Texas and California who were stationed in Biloxi, Miss., and the Gulf Port from Sept. 6 until last Sunday to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
"There were six of us in total and our purpose was to investigate some of the damage done to structures after the hurricane in the Gulf Coast in Mississippi," said Mosqueda.
The group of six individuals was split into pairs and given specific areas to evaluate. The three different groups focused on buildings, bridges and collecting data using satellite images.
"I was in the group that worked with buildings and we mainly studied how some of the buildings withstood the effects of the hurricane," said Mosqueda.
Overall, Mosqueda and his fellow researchers were interested in the buildings which engineers designed themselves as opposed to those which were built with no real plan or design.
According to Mosqueda there were some parking structures which were built differently, and some of the structures that were built a using a specific method were able to withstand the force of the hurricane.
Mosqueda's group noticed parking structures that collapsed were built using a pre-cast method, which involves pieces being constructed off-site and put together on site. The structures which proved to be strong were built using a cast and place method.
"The cast and place method involves the forms being made on-site and this type of building proved to be in better condition than the other ones we saw," said Mosqueda.
Due to the devastating effects of the hurricane, Mosqueda and his colleagues were in a rush to get to the sites before cleanup crews did their work in helping clear rubble and debris.
"We wanted to get to the sites before the demolition crews cleared away perishable data that is very important to what we were trying to do," said Mosqueda.
Some students feel that this effort made by professor Mosqueda and his colleagues helps in understanding how important UB's engineering department is and how much they are doing for the greater good.
"I think this research is a testament to the efforts of the school of engineering to not just be involved in local situations," said Ahmad Zakari.
Mosqueda also stated that his group checked in at a local airport and found more than just a solid structure that had made it through the storm.
He was having trouble grasping the magnitude of damage this storm had created.
"We went to the airport and we found a security guard and her family seeking shelter because she felt it was a safe building," said Mosqueda. "You see it on TV but when you see it firsthand, it's overwhelming to visit such a site."
Mosqueda stated that ultimately, the purpose of this research was to identify structural design in relation to the ability of structures like bridges and buildings to be able to withstand unforeseen circumstances like a hurricane.
"We're trying to reduce the impact to the infrastructure of buildings by taking the information we collected from Mississippi to apply it to future building projects," said Mosqueda. "We can't stop these tragedies from happening but we're trying to minimize the damage and we hope this research will help in the future."
Some students feel that planning ahead in the framework of structures for such catastrophes can help in preserving lives, homes and culture.
"I think it is definitely helpful to start thinking about ways to avoid such a large scale devastation so that helpless people will be protected," said Arianna Grassia, senior English major.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
