UCI Engineers Create Computer Model of Hawaii Dam-break Flood

Brett Sanders, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has released a computer simulation of the dam-break flood that occurred Tuesday, March 14 on the Hawaiian island of Kauai following the failure of an earthen dam supporting Ka Loko Reservoir. The simulation shows the path and timing of flood waters that moved across

Kuhio Highway

and into Kilauea Bay. According to Sanders, the model suggests that there would have been little time to evacuate even if failure was immediately detected.

Sanders’ research team included Lorenzo Begnudelli and Stephen Esaki, a native of Kauai.

Sanders studies the simulation of hydrodynamics and water quality in rivers, estuaries and costal waters. Animation/ computer model and image files can be found at the following website under “Model Applications”: http://sanders.eng.uci.edu/