REPORT Preparing for the Future Impacts of Megastorms on Archaeological Sites: An Evaluation of Flooding from Hurricane Harvey, Houston, Texas Leslie A. Reeder-Myers and Mark D. McCoy Powerful hurricanes in 2017—Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria—were stark examples of how these previously rare catastrophes are becoming increasingly normal due to climate change, with dire consequences for cultural resources. These storms, sometimes called megastorms or superstorms, were the first in which high-resolution satellite imagery was avail- able in the immediate aftermath, providing a new tool for rapidly evaluating damage to archaeological sites. Using Hurricane Harvey as a case study, we examined two recent spatial models of archaeological site vulnerability to long-term climate change to determine whether these models are also adequate for predicting the impacts of short-term climate catastrophes. We further exam- ined a number of individual variables that we expected to be useful in predicting which sites would be most vulnerable to flooding, such as proximity to rivers, the coast, or the floodplain. Neither the models nor the individual variables correlated well to increased risk to archaeological sites, with the exception of land use. Sites located within developed areas benefited from mea- sures to protect property and were less often flooded. We suggest that strategies for responding to megastorms would be most effective through a combination of preparedness, analysis of remote sensing data, and existing field research methods. Keywords: coastal vulnerability analysis, remote sensing, geographic information systems, super storm, hurricane recovery Los huracanes poderosos de 2017 —Harvey, Irma y María—fueron un claro ejemplo de cómo estas catástrofes, anteriormente raras, se están volviendo cada vez más comunes debido al cambio climático, con graves consecuencias para los recursos cul- turales. Estas supertormentas fueron las primeras para las que se obtuvieron imágenes satelitales de alta resolución inmedia- tamente después de su paso. Esto proporcionó una nueva herramienta para evaluar rápidamente los daños a los sitios arqueológicos. Usando el huracán Harvey como estudio de caso, examinamos dos modelos espaciales recientes de la vulner- abilidad de los sitios arqueológicos al cambio climático a largo plazo para determinar si estos modelos también son adecua- dos para predecir los impactos de catástrofes climáticas a corto plazo. Además, examinamos una serie de variables individuales posiblemente útiles para identificar los sitios más vulnerables a las inundaciones, como por ejemplo la proximi- dad a los ríos, la costa o la llanura aluvial. Ni los modelos ni las variables individuales se correlacionaron bien con un mayor riesgo de inundación, con la excepción del uso de la tierra. Los sitios ubicados dentro de áreas desarrolladas se beneficiaron de medidas para proteger esas propiedades y fueron inundados con menor frecuencia. Sugerimos que las mejores estrategias para responder a las supertormentas incluyen una combinación de preparación, análisis de los datos de teledetección, y méto- dos de investigación de campo existentes. Palabras clave: análisis de vulnerabilidad costera, teledetección, sistemas de información geográfica, súper tormenta, recup- eración posterior a un huracán M ajor hurricanes (Category 3 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale), previously rare in North America, are expected to become increasingly regular occurrences because of anthropogenic climate change (Knutson et al. 2010; Mann et al. 2017). Like any short-term wea- ther event, these largest hurricanes are difficult to predict, but their effects are readily apparent in terms of damage from flooding and high winds. The 2017 hurricane season included a series of Leslie A. Reeder-Myers ▪ Department of Anthropology, 1115 Pollett Walk, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA (leslie.reeder-myers@temple.edu, corresponding author). http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2093-9280 Mark D. McCoy ▪ Department of Anthropology, P.O. Box 750336, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA American Antiquity, page 1 of 10 Copyright © 2019 by the Society for American Archaeology doi:10.1017/aaq.2018.85 1