During the past three weeks, South Carolina and parts of the Southeastern United States, especially Florida, have faced hurricanes Bonnie and Charley. These two hurricanes caused destruction of property, particularly in Florida where Charley made landfall in mid-August. We also witnessed several inches of rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaston last Sunday, and, to top this off, we expect Hurricane Frances to arrive at our coast in days.

Most of the coastal regions are already quite wet from prior precipitation, and Hurricane Frances is likely to cause more damage than the previous events. The rainfall totals from Bonnie, Charley and Gaston have ranged from 2 inches to 4 inches a day (or even more) over several days in parts of the state.

All this rain and wind can reshape the land, especially if it is already saturated.

Hurricanes produce high-intensity precipitation. This intensity, most of the time, exceeds the infiltration capacity of the soil, resulting in overland flow. At the same time, the winds uproot trees, utility poles, houses and any other obstructions in their path and leave the bare soil exposed to the high-intensity rainfall. The rain erodes and washes away the soil, leaving behind large holes that are prone to future erosion as well.

Traditional flow paths such as streams and creeks are not necessarily followed, as their carrying capacity may be inadequate, and new flow paths (because to the erosive property of the water) are created.

In those regions that are not in the path of the hurricane, the rainfall intensity and winds are much lower, and the precipitation actually recharges the aquifer.

In coastal areas, hurricanes have the above effects and also create storm surges and rip tides that scour away portions of the beach. Specifically, the ocean currents during hurricanes intensify and produce scour around man-made structures such as houses, piers and boardwalks. The sediment from these locations is washed away into the ocean.

So what do we do in order to minimize the damage and destruction from hurricane-associated weather?

First, about building structures: We should not build on loose soil, especially near the coast. These structures (houses, bridges, piers or boardwalks) will be a victim of wind damage as well as scour associated with overland runoff or storm surges from the ocean because of high tides. Manmade flood or hurricane-control measures, such as re-landscaping and planting more trees, grasses and shrubs, attenuate the problem but do not make it go away. A large hurricane would uproot the trees and other vegetation and scour the soil.

Presence of a structure in a hurricane-prone area and very close to the beach is a danger to the natural environment and causes damage in the long run. Real estate development (or overdevelopment) in the coastal areas should be regulated in this regard.

Secondly, presence of drainage and flow paths: While most cities and towns have storm drainage systems running in conjunction with the roadway systems, coastal communities may need more avenues to drain water — specifically, areas around houses and other structures placed away from the road and those in low-lying areas.

Rapid drainage prevents water from seeping into the subsurface and harming basements and foundations of houses and other construction. Though the presence of such drainage systems may not prevent water damage in periods of extremely high rainfall intensity and overland flow, they would go a long way in mitigating these effects, and might prevent them in smaller events.

A few years ago, I was at the beach in Charleston, and I heard a little boy from Kansas speak in amazement of the beach. As he frolicked and played in the water, it made me think that we in South Carolina, especially those in the Midlands and the coast, are blessed with such a great treasure. We must preserve this for the future generations.

Dr. Lakshmi is an associate professor of geological sciences at the University of South Carolina.