Fugro provides rapid support to Florida authorities to help prioritise recovery following Hurricane Isaias

As Hurricane Isaias approached Florida’s Gulf Coast, FDOT requested an urgent survey of coastal areas near the storm’s anticipated landfall in the Florida Panhandle. Within 13 hours of receiving the request, Fugro had developed an operational plan, mobilised aircraft and personnel, secured flight approvals and deployed to the survey area.

Fugro conducted aerial mapping missions on the day before and two days after the hurricane made landfall. Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on 9 October as a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It caused widespread damage and left hundreds of thousands of customer accounts without power across Florida. Across approximately 150 square miles and a 70-mile stretch of coastline and barrier islands, Fugro collected 20-point-per-square-metre topographic lidar data and four-band aerial imagery. Processing through Fugro’s ROAMES® platform enabled the rapid delivery of survey products, including analysis showing changes between pre- and post-storm conditions.

The resulting information provides state agencies with a consistent view of conditions immediately before and after the storm, supporting infrastructure assessments, recovery prioritisation and longer-term resilience planning. Despite challenging weather and operational constraints, Fugro completed surveys of the full area of interest twice, including authorised operations within military-restricted airspace.

“Rapid access to reliable Geo-data is critical when communities are preparing for and responding to severe weather,” said Keith Owens, Fugro’s Commercial Director for Americas Remote Sensing & Mapping / Power. “The dedication and close coordination of our airborne operations, survey and data-processing teams enabled us to provide FDOT with timely information to support decision-making before and after the storm.”