Preparing for Spring Flood Season

Nic Nunn-Faron UAV`Operations Manager

The United States is currently in the midst of its annual spring flood season, and as such, jurisdictions around the country have been ramping up efforts to improve their response capabilities to this threat.  

While the impact thus far in 2020 has been down compared to last year, the National Weather Service states that the chance of riverine is still 10% to 30% higher than average. By the agency’s estimation, over 128 million Americans will see some level of flooding throughout the spring. Of these individuals, 1.2 million, primarily located in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains, have an elevated risk of experiencing “major” flooding.  

Flooding is oftentimes an underrated risk throughout the United States. However, it accounts for over 100 deaths and $50 billion in damages each year. The American Rivers Foundation has stated that the following areas are at the highest risk of flooding: 

1. Upper Mississippi River (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin) 
2. Lower Missouri River (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas) 
3. Big Sunflower River (Mississippi) 
4. Puyallup River (Washington) 
5. South Fork Salmon River (Idaho) 
6. Menominee River (Michigan, Wisconsin) 
7. Rapid Creek (South Dakota) 
8. Okefenokee Swamp (Georgia, Florida) 
9. Ocklawaha River (Florida) 
10. Lower Youghiogheny River (Pennsylvania) 

Integrated Solutions Consulting has been supporting flood response and recovery operations since 2006, working to ensure that jurisdictions across the nation have the resources necessary to support their residents. In 2019, ISC worked to respond to flooding throughout the Midwest region, including the introduction of drone and 3D imagery to track and inspect flood levels and damage.  

Utilizing this technology in Alton, Illinois, ISC was able to track the Mississippi River flood levels as they rose and fell along the downtown Alton riverfront and levees. ISC is proud to offer this service to jurisdictions across the nation, as it can be utilized to help document and track infrastructure damages for Public Assistance reimbursement.  

If you have any questions or would like to see this technology implemented in your area, email us at drone-services@i-s-consulting.com. ​

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