Engineer takes disaster preparedness into own hands after witnessing devastating flood: 'The road was just gone'

Necessity is often said to be the mother of invention. Vermont engineer and hydrologist Stephen Farrington is proving that disaster can also be the impetus for creative problem-solving. 

Vermont news outlet Seven Days reported that flood alert app RiverAware, created by Farrington, was released in January. 

Its development started more than a decade ago, when Farrington experienced severe flooding in his community of Stockbridge caused by 2011's Hurricane Irene (which reached Vermont as a powerful tropical storm). 

"The road was just gone," Farrington told the news outlet about a regional calamity during Irene in which homes were lost, people were stranded, and others went without food or water until the floods abated.

Unlike the road, Farrington's house was fortunately spared, but the episode left him with an urge to use real-time data already available from the government to better inform people about pending disasters. 

The high-tech solution is among other similar innovations built to provide a forewarning for flooding that is becoming more common as our planet continues to warm.

For example, a project in Texas connected roadside water sensors to navigation apps to make driving during storms safer. 

FloodJack, created in the United Kingdom, lifts homes above the flow, preserving the property. It's an example of tech that deals with water as it arrives. 

A decades-long NASA study from earlier this century — a period that included when Irene hit — found that the number of people living in floodplains grew 10 times faster than anticipated. 

The agency's experts have linked Earth's overheating to increased risks for severe floods because the atmosphere is holding more water vapor, leading to more precipitation. 

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RiverAware includes real-time and historical data from more than 14,000 river stations nationwide, as well as National Weather Service information. It allows users to custom-set warnings and watches. 

It's a great tool for anyone who lives near rivers or for those who spend time by the water for recreation. The basic download is free, according to the app's website. 

Seven Days reported that its arrival is timely, as Vermont has experienced deadly flooding that has caused $1 billion worth of damage in recent years. 

The app is "super easy and user friendly and a great resource for Vermonters," Karina Dailey, a restoration ecologist with the Vermont Natural Resources Council, told Seven Days. 

It's a problem affecting everyone, including highlanders, as these disasters impact insurance costs and availability. Staying informed about how Earth's warming is changing the weather can help not only prepare for storms, but even guide investments and voting intentions. 

Upgrading to a "green" 401(k) offers similar yields as traditional plans with enterprises that share your values, as one option. 

For personal safety, a simple app download could literally be a lifesaver during the next storm. 

"If you want all that data in one place, it's just not available anywhere else," Farrington told Seven Days about RiverAware.

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