By Greg Mantell
Over 100 AWARE Flood Sensors are installed in northern Charlotte to warn residents
of flash floods during heavy rain events.
In July 2018, Kashawne Rinehardt and five of his co-workers were trapped with heavy rain triggered
flooding around their recycling business in northern Charlotte. Thankfully, they were all rescued
without injuries. But John Wendel of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services wanted to
ensure that he and his city’s first responders were prepared for the next flood event.
In cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, the agency installed 100 AWARE Flood
Sensors to receive automatic alerts in the event of heavy rain like they experienced in July 2018.
Wendel praised the sensors’ reliable operations and communications with its integrated solar panels
and built-in LTE cellular modem.
Alerts from the AWARE Flood sensors are currently going to Mecklenburg County Stormwater
Services office, which then informs the fire and police departments of possible road closures and
evacuation notices. But soon, with the addition of 900 MHz radio, flood warnings reported by the
AWARE Flood system can sent directly to phones so that officials can react even more quickly.
“I wanted to take a moment and give a big congratulations and thank you to the whole team that has
committed countless hours to making the AWARE system a success,” said David Miller, the Vice
President of Products and Engineering at Intellisense Systems. “Their hard work and devotion are on
the verge of making a big impact, as AWARE Flood begins to improve the safety and resilience of
communities around the globe.”