Two AWARE Flood units on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain endured 140 mph winds and nearly six feet of water to provide essential water-level data for first responders after Hurricane Ida.
On Sunday August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida became the second strongest storm to make landfall in the state of Louisiana, just after Hurricane Katrina. Less than 24 hours before, the St. Tammany Parish Fire Department installed two AWARE Flood units in the city of Mandeville to monitor water levels on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, a major estuary that was likely to overflow during the Category 4 storm. These sensors were originally installed as a pilot program to bolster the county’s flood monitoring and response. Firefighters needed this flood data to monitor the water level in the lake and send alerts or evacuation notices.
Despite 10 hours of heavy rain, high winds, and intense storm surge, the two AWARE Flood units continuously reported water-level data. The system’s two pressure transducers recorded nearly 72 inches of water overwhelming the shores of the lake. At the same time, a camera sensor transmitted images from the site over several hours, even when flood waters unmoored its mounting point from the ground. As the storm now moves north and gets downgraded to a tropical depression, the AWARE Flood units are still reporting the receding flood waters so that St. Tammany Parish Fire personnel can safely reenter the area.
“The idea is that, from a response standpoint, even before we start to get the calls that it’s flooding, we would be able to either alert the people who live in that area, or we would be able to start sending resources that way to help get them out before water enters a structure,” Assistant Fire Chief Clint Ory told WDSU Channel 6 in New Orleans. “We’re testing it in an area where we know it’s likely to flood and where we have some historical data and where we can, in real time, measure it and compare it to the data we’re receiving.” Thanks to the resiliency of the system, fire departments can continuously monitor flood-prone areas without needing to send personnel into potentially dangerous situations.
This water-level data would not be possible without some extraordinary efforts from both Intellisense personnel and the Mandeville Fire Department. With the hurricane set to make landfall in just a few hours, Intellisense rush-shipped a second AWARE Flood unit to ensure they received the water level data they would need during the storm. When the delivery was temporarily stopped due to evacuation procedures, members of the Mandeville Fire Department drove over 45 minutes to retrieve the unit. They were able to install and test the communications node and pressure sensor just hours before Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana coast.
While we as a company are pleased to see the resiliency and effectiveness of the AWARE Flood System, our hearts are with those affected by this terrible storm. Intellisense will continue to assist first responders in St. Tammany Parish and the surrounding communities as they assess the damage and begin the rebuilding process. We hope that the data collected by our flood sensors can help in restoring the homes and livelihoods of those affected by Hurricane Ida.