S&T deploys real-time predictive, situational awareness tech ahead of hurricanes

Hurricanes are a devastating reality for the U.S. coastline, but the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to reduce their threat through predictive and support technology.

The tools form several important roles in crisis response. For one, they provide predictive modeling so responders can react accordingly, through a tool known as ADvanced CIRCulation. It is storm surge and coastal flooding modeling software utilized by the Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others.

“The ability to click on a spot on the Elizabeth River in downtown Portsmouth and definitively show on a graph that we weren’t looking at anywhere near historic storm surges was critical to my recommendation that we didn’t need to evacuate-and we didn’t,” Robert Hughes, an operations technical advisor with USCG Atlantic Area, said. “With the plethora of internet weather sites that people can choose to look at, having a data source that is recognized as a DHS Center of Excellence is critical to overcoming some of the hyperbole that is so readily available.”

Agencies also make use of the SImulation-based decision support system for water infrastructural safety (DSS WISE) Lite system, which models scenario maps caused by dam or levee failures. This allows for emergency action plans to be drawn up ahead of time, which is increasingly necessary for natural disasters like Hurricane Florence.

Other systems in use include the Web-based HURREVAC system, which analyzes the potential impacts of storm surge, win and inland flooding for up to a five day period after. It allows merging and visualization of modeled storm surges from the SLOSH storm surge products as well, making a hurricane evacuation planning systems experts say helps prevent over or under planned evacuations.

Residents still need to be concerned about what happens after a storm makes landfall, though. To that end, S&T recently provided — during Hurricanes Florence and Michael — a tactical situational awareness solution called the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) to state, local and federal agencies. It was a cloud-based server allowing hundreds of users and organizations to share information to mobile and web applications.