Floodvision maps future climate risks

AccuWeather

AccuWeather's Ali Reid talks with the Climate Central team about their Flood Vision Technology and how it can save lives.

Transcript

00:00As we go into the stormy season, a lot of thunderstorms around, it means flooding can occur quite quickly.

00:06And now there's a new tool helping communities with the impact of climate change before disaster strikes.

00:11It's called Flood Vision. It's combining science and storytelling into a powerful new way.

00:16Our Allie Reed is live this morning from Seaside Heights, New Jersey, where we believe, Allie,

00:22it's one of the places where this data has already been collected.

00:30Yeah, Flood Vision is a group that goes all up and down the East Coast and into different communities to really test this new technology.

00:38It's really, really interesting. And where we're live this morning in Seaside Heights, Bernie, you mentioned it.

00:43It is one of those locations where they have tested this tool.

00:47If we can, I'd like to bring up some visualization for you, kind of a side-by-side on our screen.

00:53This is a location right behind me, an exact location where they have mapped out the potential for sea level rise.

01:00It gives people in this community a better idea of what future storms can really look like here.

01:05And what's interesting is that they're able to take their technology in their cars, which they call flood rovers,

01:12to, again, these different communities all across the U.S.

01:14to potentially get ahead of some future issues and save lives here.

01:19Now, the rover itself might look like your typical, ordinary SUV,

01:24but on top are four mounted cameras with precision GPS and a LiDAR system that captures really incredible detail here.

01:33Now, as it drives, it gathers 3D street-level visuals, elevation data,

01:37and even the entry floor heights of buildings and homes,

01:40information crucial for understanding exactly what could flood during a hurricane or future sea level rise.

01:46All of that data is overlaid to build a fully immersive, photorealistic model of a neighborhood,

01:52showing what your street might look like underwater.

01:55And it's not just for scientists.

01:57Flood Vision was designed so everyday people, from homeowners to city leaders,

02:02can see their community's vulnerability with their own eyes.

02:05It's all part of a mission to warn communities before the next big storm hits.

02:09You always hear that during a hurricane, like, people always say,

02:13oh, I didn't expect it to be this bad, or I didn't expect this storm to, you know, flood like it did.

02:19And what we're hoping is that we can show people ahead of time, this is what it could look like.

02:23This could save lives.

02:25We're trying to pass, you know, hospitals and schools and collect data there that could be at risk.

02:30We wanted to show that, you know, these places can flood as well.

02:33And for places like Seaside Heights, still vulnerable more than a decade after Superstorm Sandy, right,

02:42if you remember back, that kind of visualization could mean the difference between complacency and preparation.

02:48Flood Vision doesn't just bring the science, it brings urgency.

02:51And as the climate continues to change, it could be a great tool for resilience.

02:55And standing here, again, we bring you back live to Seaside Heights this morning.

02:59It is hard to imagine this area underwater, but, again, you don't have to imagine it

03:04because you can quite literally see it through this tool, this technology,

03:07that Climate Central Flood Vision is really doing here.

03:10And, again, I mentioned it earlier, but they're trying to go to countries, or, excuse me,

03:14communities all across the country to get a better understanding of this.

03:19They started up and down the East Coast, and they hope to expand that in the near future, guys.

03:24All right, Ali Reid, cool story here this morning.

03:29It's a great, great product to get everybody ready.

03:32Hey, listen, mitigation, preparation is always key.

03:35Our Jersey Gar, Ali Reid, enjoying Seaside Heights here, I'm sure, this morning.

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