Above the Flooding, High-Tech Drones Capture Storm Damage and Data

After interning and then getting hired at Censys Technologies Corporation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Matthew Davis knew the power and effectiveness of drones in disaster recovery efforts.

So when Hurricane Milton recently left debris and flooded streets in neighborhoods near Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, he promptly joined the Censys team actively assessing storm damage in the city of South Daytona.

“It was horrible to see the flooding and damage that was done,” said Davis, a senior Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) student from nearby Ormond Beach. But “it felt great to get out and be able to do something to help.”

In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, high-tech uncrewed aerial aircraft systems, or drones, have become the eyes of first responders navigating flooded terrain, blocked roadways and other storm damage. The technology is not only being deployed after powerful storms but also to obtain data to prevent future flooding.

Founded by Embry‑Riddle alumni and housed in the MicaPlex at the Research Park on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, Censys used its high-tech Sentaero 5 drone to fly over South Daytona’s flooded neighborhoods to collect data for post-storm assessment, including street conditions, infrastructure damage, debris accumulation, flood mapping and potential water main breaks.

Embry-Riddle student Matthew Davis is a UAS pilot for Censys Technologies Corporation and was part of a team assisting the City of South Daytona with post-storm assessment after Hurricane Milton. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Censys Technologies Corporation)

The Sentaero 5, built by Censys, is equipped with sensors, cameras and a collision-avoidance system that allows for gathering essential data over large areas more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods. It also qualifies for a “beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS) waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration. BVLOS capabilities allow UAS to fly beyond the operator’s visual range to cover and collect data from distant locations.

Following Hurricane Helene, which tore through Florida’s Gulf Coast this past September, Censys teams completed a five-day post-storm mission mapping hard-hit areas from the Panhandle to south of Tampa.

They worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to capture road blockages, debris accumulation and damaged infrastructure. Four Embry-Riddle alumni comprised the two mobile UAS teams from Censys that deployed to the region.

“Being there right after the storm and being able to contribute to that recovery process was a real eye-opener,” said Joseph Clement, a 2021 Embry-Riddle graduate who is now a lead UAS pilot for Censys.

Adam Zirkelbach, Censys’ director of marketing, said the company received a Special Government Interest (SGI) authorization from the FAA that enabled their teams to conduct BVLOS operations. This allowed the Censys crews to fly the Sentaero 5 drones farther and more rapidly.

“Providing post-storm mapping response for Hurricane Helene was a whirlwind of an experience,” said Larry L. Leovan, an Embry-Riddle alumnus who was on the project and is Censys’ head of government sales. “In total, we were able to capture 499 linear miles of roads, 20,507 images 501GB worth of data in five days.”

In addition, Censys has been working with Flagler County to use the Sentaero 5 drone to survey beach erosion before and after the storm.

Protecting Communities From Future Flooding

Embry-Riddle students are also using UAS to help mitigate flooding in local communities and reduce future storm damage.

James "Tyler" Deal, a senior Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) student, was involved in a project using UAS and LiDAR data to help assess eco-friendly stormwater solutions in Cape Canaveral, Florida. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, uses pulsed laser light to measure distances and recreate 3-D objects.

Eagle alumni Larry L. Leovan (left) and Joseph Clement (right), of Censys Technologies Corporation, were part of a team using UAS to map 500 miles of Florida’s Gulf Coast after Hurricane Helene.

“Tyler modeled city flooding before the hurricane,” said Dr. Nickolas “Dan” Macchiarella, a professor of Aeronautical Science. “The modeling was based on LiDAR collected data from drones, and we used the LiDAR data to create a model of flooding to help build infrastructure that would mitigate flooding.”

The project is funded by a National Science Foundation grant in conjunction with Stetson University and the city of Cape Canaveral.

“UAS are essential in any flood mitigation toolbox as an invaluable resource to gather accurate models through LiDAR and photogrammetry,” said Deal. “These models are necessary to accurately predict the impact of future weather and allow for simulation and iteration of flood mitigation strategies at a low cost.”

Dr. Jason M. Evans, professor of Environmental Science and Studies and executive director of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience at Stetson University, said he looks forward to collaborating on more UAS projects to help other flood-prone communities.

“The detailed imagery and topographical information that can be collected by UAS gives us capabilities for flood risk modeling that were unimaginable just a few years ago,” Evans said.

Macchiarella said these real-life experiences provide Embry-Riddle UAS students invaluable hands-on learning opportunities.

“Over the years, students have used uncrewed aircraft systems to remotely sense cities and critical infrastructure both before and after disasters,” he said. “This data collection and analysis provides a meaningful completion to classroom learning and helps communities.”

Posted In: Aviation | Uncrewed Systems