Natural disasters are a fact of life, and they're only becoming more frequent and severe as the planet continues to warm. But despite the immense power of nature, there are also countless people building new technologies to keep us safer:
1. Designing flood-resistant homes
Having a home along the coast comes with a cool ocean breeze and magnificent views. It also comes with the threat of an increasingly encroaching ocean, especially during powerful storms.
Developers in South Florida — among other places as diverse as Massachusetts and Pakistan — are figuring out ways to make properties more resilient in the face of rising waters, adapting to the changing waterfront. These adaptations include redesigning how houses are built, including everything down to the utilities.
2. Suppressing wildfires before they spread
A startup has developed a drone with remarkable firefighting capabilities that can reach wildfires and stop their spread well before firefighters can. The drones can be controlled via a tablet at a fire station or from a vehicle parked at a safe distance from the blaze.
The drones use infrared sensors and AI-led navigation to locate fires. They carry more than 100 pounds of fire-suppressing materials and can accurately deploy them, even in windy conditions.
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3. Predicting volcanoes
As volcanoes spew magma into the sky and send molten rock rolling downhill toward helpless communities, it may seem like that represents the greatest danger, but that's not the case.
The collapse of a volcano's slopes poses a much greater threat because they can slip into the sea and cause tsunamis, and there's no way to know if or when a slope will collapse. But scientists are looking to change that. They've developed a method to predict how slopes will respond after an eruption and where a collapse is most likely to occur.
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4. Absorbing floodwaters with rocks
Floods don't have to be caused by major natural disasters. Prolonged heavy rain can be destructive to homes, roads, and infrastructure, especially in cities with more concrete and less green space to absorb water.
Hydrorock is a technology installed under roadways to absorb and store water like a sponge, reducing strain on sewers and the resulting polluted runoff. When the weather has passed, the water is slowly released back into the drainage network.
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5. Building fire-resistant communities
Over the last 20 years, wildfires have become more frequent, more intense, and larger, causing billions of dollars in damage. But a community in Northern California is fighting back.
A neighborhood consisting of 24 homes is being built specifically to remain standing in the event of a wildfire. The homes are constructed with flame-resistant exterior materials, top fire-rated roofing, and covered eaves. All structures are at least 10 feet apart and at least five feet from any plants or shrubbery.
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