How Data Can Help Improve Communities from Future Flooding and Power Outages
By Peter Behrend and Aerinet Editor Team
Are we at the end of the beginning or at the beginning of the end?
Thinking about climate change may lead one to question our species’ longevity.??We don’t think much about the specifics of the process. Many of us think about how to ensure that we don’t have a mass extinction. Some worry about an unpredictable meteor explosion.??However, scientists see a more gradual demise compared to the one the dinosaurs faced.??As CO2 increases, violent weather swings are becoming more common. This increases more natural disasters. This all leads to new epidemics, anxiety, and new options to reduce the effect of these issues.?
Flooding Is Not Just a Seasonal Thing Anymore
I’m more of a “bad news before good news” kind of guy.??Flooding has become more common and extreme in areas not previously susceptible to such disasters. Sacramento, California for example, had its wettest day on October 24th, 2021.??In just 24 hours, an average of 5.44 inches of rain fell on Sacramento. This is equal to the two and a half months of rainfall for Sacramento. Many urban areas surrounding Sacramento also broke new records of rainfall. The town of Paradise in Butte County, California had a record-breaking 7.57 inches in 24 hours.?
The yearly cost of flooding in the United States continues to grow exponentially. For example, in the 16 years between 1998 and 2014, there was 48.6 billion dollars total invested in flooding reparations of bridges, roads, utilities, and infrastructure fixes.???To put that into perspective, the flooding damage this year is equivalent to 16 years of flood damage just a decade ago.?
We can prepare for flooding but need to think more creatively
There are plenty of flood preparations that anyone can do if they feel threatened by the prospect of a flash flood. First, checking your local flood map is a must.??Flash flooding becomes much more common every year. Areas that may have at one point been completely flood proof are flooding today.?
Assuming that your area is in a flood zone,??you should next plan an escape route in case of flash flood warnings.??It’s wise to find a place to stay if you must wait out the floods. You should also assemble an emergency kit with food, bottled water, first aid supplies, medicine, a flashlight, and battery-operated radio with spare batteries. You can sign up for your community’s warning system and learn the difference between warning and watch alerts. Finally, remember to grab the five P’s before leaving your home. The five Ps are people/pets, prescriptions, paper documents, personal needs, and priceless items. Swiftness is key in flood situations and these steps are designed to maximize swiftness. Remember never to drive over flood waters.?
Lastly, establish a process with your loved ones to ensure that everyone can be accounted for during a flood.?
Be prepared in case of a flood, it will save you a lot of headaches
In terms of flood defense, there are ways to protect your house, cars, and physical belongings. Here are some steps you can take to protect your house and other assets. First, keep the gutters and drains cleaned and free of debris. This will help facilitate the drainage systems off the house and make systems. The installation of a sump pump will increase flood protection for similar reasons. On the topic of installations, a check valve is a much cheaper installation that will greatly improve the flow of your drainage systems.?
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The flood maps are currently being redrawn. Presently only 17% of Americans have flood insurance.??Homeowners, who previously didn’t need flood insurance may benefit from getting flood insurance.?
Our infrastructure needs a severe overhaul to withstand the new weather patterns
Dam and levee failures are becoming increasingly more common. One recent example is the flooding of Midland Michigan.??The Edenville and Sanford dam’s surrounding the town collapsed. The Edenville Dam burst causing the Sanford dam to burst. This led to the destruction of 50 homes. The Edenville Dam was ninety-six years old when it collapsed.??There are specific reasons why the Edenville dam burst but it was mostly due to old age. Edenville dam’s replacement was never updated for strictly financial reasons. The owner purchased the dam as a tax write-off.??The owner didn’t invest in securing the dam.?
There are many ways a levee can break. Levees can break by seepage due to water overflow and stronger currents.??Levees are also affected when the ground shifts. Essentially levees need more monitoring to keep communities safe. However, some flooding issues were compounded by infrastructural problems.?
Seaside areas are using data to offset the flooding issues
Stormwater systems are usually a front-line defense against flooding.??The flood maps are finally being redrawn. However, the local data needs to be updated since highly populated areas are now flooding. Even seaside areas that are being hit by heavy rainfall, like Hampton Rhodes, Virginia and the Outer Banks, NC, haven’t updated their stormwater systems since the 90s.??We should also expect a category 4 hurricane every 10 years on the east coast. Look at Ian in Florida with the storm surges reaching 10 feet. Several of these areas are not insurable since they are less than 3 feet above sea level. Therefore, if you are set on living there you need to prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario.
We can use the data across the nation and the globe
Several hybrid informational and scientific systems are incredibly useful to understanding, predicting, and preparing for floods. Many of these technologies use Geographic Information Systems (GIS).??Weather data along with flood plain data can be overlayed to warn consumers of possible flooding issues.???Aerinet Solutions?uses an AI-GIS hybrid technology in their patented PwrMetrix platform. This specific technology overlays weather, outage data, and flooding data for the local communities. Over 300 utilities use this system to evaluate current and past power outages. The system can detail where future outages may occur. It can also track flooding that leads to increased power restoration times.??By overlaying years of data, utilities can build out distributed energy resources (DERS) to support energy restoration in the event of flooding.???We know that more people die after the storm due to diseased water and lack of heating. States and counties should invest in a data-driven methodology to assess their risk. These technologies are relatively inexpensive and can significantly lower the risk factors associated with flooding. The PwrMetrix system can predict where outages and local future flooding will occur based on the line crew's current inputs and outage data.
If you remember, Hurricane Harvey dropped 60 inches of rainfall in Texas.??Flooding epidemics previously affected poorer areas that didn’t have proper infrastructure and had a higher risk of flooding. Flooding now affects the wealthiest areas as well. For example, Maui had a foot of rain in less than 24??hours.2??The global population is now 7.9 billion. We have a moral obligation that we implement advanced technology and infrastructural developments both domestically and globally. The data predictions can foresee the future. We know what to do. We just need everyone’s commitment to doing it.
1.?????https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/25/580689546/harvey-the-most-significant-tropical-cyclone-rainfall-event-in-u-s-history