ResilienceBolstering resilience to withstand floods

Published 8 November 2018

Historically, flooding is the most destructive natural disaster in this country. Facing this ever-growing threat, many wonder, “What can be done to protect life and property, reduce insurance claims, as well as help communities become more resilient?” DHS S&T has initiated multiple projects across the nation through its Flood Apex Program to offer an answer to this question.

Hurricane Florence smashed into North Carolina on 14 September 2018. Although upon landfall it registered as only a Category 1 storm (winds clocking between 74-95 miles per hour), it brought with it an 11-foot storm surge. As the tempest stalled over the state, it dumped well-over 30 inches of rain in some areas. The flooding was devastating, dozens of people perished in the storm, and early estimates put the financial losses in the billions.

Historically, flooding is the most destructive natural disaster in this country. Facing this ever-growing threat, many wonder, “What can be done to protect life and property, reduce insurance claims, as well as help communities become more resilient?”

S&T says that to mitigate the impact of flood disasters, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has initiated multiple projects across the nation through its Flood Apex Program. One of the projects involves partnering with five communities around the country to test and evaluate low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) flood sensors.

According to Dr. David Alexander, DHS S&T Flood Apex Program Director, “The goal is to provide a bridge between industry and local governments, while simultaneously performing real-world research and development.”

S&T technology innovation and partnership
As part of a pilot, S&T selected three small business industry partners. The companies were each tasked with designing, developing and providing 100 flood sensors that would be deployed to five communities. The devices are to be clustered in flood-prone areas, near existing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), state or county flood sensors. Dr. Alexander explained that “By co-locating the new devices in these watershed areas, S&T is able to measure the performance of the competing company’s gauges against one another and against a higher-order, scientific grade control gauge (the USGS sensor).”