By Greg Mantell
On the 35th anniversary of the worst flood in the state’s history, the Virginia Center for Innovation Technology announced the deployment of Aware Monitoring Systems’ AWARE Flood System across the city of Roanoke to improve its flood preparedness and resiliency.
On November 4, 1985, a tropical storm dumped several inches of rain across Virginia. The Roanoke River rose nearly 20 feet in ten hours, resulting in 10 deaths and damaging 3,000 homes. Since then, the city and state have taken several steps to improve its flood response efforts, but Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) made their biggest leap yet with the installation of the advanced AWARE Flood System from Aware Monitoring Systems, Inc. across key sites in Roanoke. With support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), CIT installed sensors in vulnerable areas that help in the evacuation of flood-prone homes, proactively closed roadways, and improve floodplain management.
“I experienced the Flood of 1985 first-hand, and vividly remember the light of heroism demonstrated during that dark time,” said Chuck Kirby, CIT Vice President of Smart Communities. “It is a privilege for CIT to provide vital smart communities technology, such as Aware Monitoring Systems’ Flood Sensors, that can save lives and reduce property damage when flooding occurs.”
“The City of Roanoke will never forget The Flood of 1985,” said Roanoke City Manager Robert S. Cowell, Jr. “We learned many lessons from that tragic event in our history. Thanks to emerging flood sensor technology leveraged by dedicated staff, the City of Roanoke is working hard to protect its citizens during local flooding.”
The AWARE Flood System bolsters flood prediction with rugged, low-cost sensors and communication units that autonomously report water level and precipitation through a variety of accessories. Every AWARE Flood unit can be attached to pressure level sensors, water-resistant camera sensors, and tipping bucket rain gauges. Recently, the DHS S&T published a performance analysis of the AWARE Flood System after a two-year deployment in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The system met—and in many cases exceeded—the needs of the local storm weather services with water level measurements that nearly matched the existing and more expensive USGS flood gauges.