The City of New Orleans, United Way and Verizon Announce the Integration of Hyfi Flood Sensor Data onto Streetwise
NEW ORLEANS – The City of New Orleans, United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) and Verizon announced the integration of Hyfi flood sensor data onto Streetwise, giving residents the ability to see what parts of the city are experiencing flooding during a weather event in real time.
Following an initial citywide installation of 27 Hyfi sensors, water level readings from these wireless, solar-powered sensors became available to stormwater professionals on a web-based app and provide emergency responders with real time awareness of flooding during Francine’s landfall.
The new integration of Hyfi’s flood sensor data with the Streetwise platform expands upon the City of New Orleans’ efforts to quickly and efficiently distribute critical information to residents during climate-induced flooding. By working directly with the City’s IT department to build a pipeline integrating flood sensor data onto Streetwise, the platform will now provide flood alerts based on real-time water level readings, rather than relying solely on public reports of flooding through New Orleans 911.
The flood sensors were brought to New Orleans in July in partnership with Verizon and UWSELA. Hyfi, an inaugural winner of Verizon’s Climate Resilience Prize, has been working with the telecom leader to power the flood sensors over Verizon’s best-in-class network and deploy them in historically flood-prone communities.
“More information is always better,” said NOHSEP Director Collin Arnold. “It is crucial that our emergency responders and residents have access to the timely information that’s needed to make informed decisions. Hyfi’s flood sensor data and its integration with Streetwise will aid us greatly in our ability to prioritize public safety during weather events.”
“In addition to increasing public safety, this real time information helps us as emergency responders to better monitor and respond to flooding across the city. The data from this effort will also support understanding the causes of flooding and planning to reduce future flood risk,” said NOHSEP Hazard Mitigation Director, Austin Feldbaum.
“Access to real-time flood data through the Streetwise app is a game-changer for our community, especially for ALICE households that struggle to recover from the costly impacts of flooding. This resource empowers residents to make informed decisions that can prevent devastating losses, keeping their families safer and their finances more secure. We are grateful to Verizon, Hyfi, and the City of New Orleans for their commitment to this partnership and investing in innovative tools that enhance public safety and build a more resilient future for our city,” said Michael Williamson, UWSELA President and CEO.
“By working with climate-tech experts and entrepreneurs such as Hyfi, Verizon is bringing tech-infused climate resilience systems to vulnerable communities across the U.S. With Hyfi’s innovative strategy of providing real-time data to Streetwise, both first responders and residents are in a stronger position to prepare for and recover from severe flooding,” said Donna Epps, Chief Responsible Business Officer at Verizon, “We are proud to work with these important partners, in addition to the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, to ensure communities in New Orleans continue to thrive amid increasingly severe climate events.
“It’s exciting to be part of this partnership and witness what we’ve been able to achieve. Supporting public safety by integrating real-time Hyfi data with Streetwise has been a goal since day one. This is a meaningful milestone, and we are grateful to be a resource for the city and its residents,” said Brandon Wong, CEO of Hyfi.
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