By Greg Mantell
The city in northwest Virginia partnered with Aware Monitoring Systems and the Virginia Innovative Partnership Corporation to install the AWARE Flood System to improve its flood response after suffering significant damages in 2020.
Staunton (pronounced “stan-ten”) is home to 24,000 residents, three buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and the birthplace of former president Woodrow Wilson. Since 2020, however, they have seen increases in severe flooding that has resulted in 166 reports of damage, totaling $3.1 million in losses. Staunton officials are committed to improving flood mitigation and response efforts, and they found the ideal solution in the highly accurate water-level measurements provided by the AWARE Flood System.
Staunton officials recently installed AWARE Flood communication units and pressure sensors at the city’s three main watersheds. This network of flood sensors will provide critical water-level data in practically real time so that first responders can prepare for potential flooding events and issue evacuation notices or detour traffic as needed. In a recently issued press release, city leaders announced that the installation of the AWARE Flood System will greatly enhance the city’s overall storm water management strategy. NBC 29 and WHSV both reported on the story.
The city chose the AWARE Flood System based on input from the Virginia Innovative Partnership Corporation (VIPC), formerly known as the Center for Innovative Technology. This organization showcased the AWARE Flood System at the inaugural Virginia Smart Community Testbed in May 2021. The expo highlighted several new and emergent technologies that could serve communities’ pressing needs, such as flood mitigation efforts. The AWARE Flood System stood out as a rugged, low-cost, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled innovation that was networkable, highly accurate, and proven in regions like northern Virginia.
“Flooding has such a devastating impact on communities,” said Chuck Kirby, the VIPC Vice President of Smart Communities. “It is a privilege for VIPC to partner with the City of Staunton to provide vital smart communities technology, such as AWARE Flood sensors, that can save lives and reduce property damage when flooding occurs.”
The AWARE Flood System is now in use across several states and in major metropolitan areas like Charlotte, North Carolina. The system’s year-long deployment in that city demonstrated its effectiveness and accuracy. It also provided on-site imagery and water-level data for first responders in St. Tammany Parish during Hurricane Ida, the second strongest storm in Louisiana state history. The AWARE Flood System endured 10 hours of heavy rain, high winds, and intense storm surge on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain so that the fire department knew when it was safe to reenter the area.
Additionally, Staunton city planners will install rain gauges at the city’s three watersheds. Should the need arise, the AWARE Flood System can also connect to tipping bucket rain gauges, as well as non-contact water-level sensors like radar. Every AWARE Flood sensor and communication unit can be set up by a small team of 2–3 crew members in just 30 minutes.