5 ways U.S. electric and water utilities can recover faster and respond smarter to floods using near real-time satellite data

Power grids and water systems are the backbone of modern civilization. According to the EPA, the U.S. electrical grid encompasses more than 7,300 power plants, nearly 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, and millions of miles of low-voltage lines and transformers, serving around 145 million customers. There are also approximately 148,000 public water systems in the U.S.

These systems ensure that homes are powered, hospitals remain operational, industries stay productive, and communities stay connected. Yet, this lifeline of society is increasingly at risk. Extreme weather events are exposing vulnerabilities in infrastructure that was largely designed for a different era.

Every year, hurricanes, floods, and severe storms cause cause billions in damage across the electric grid and water systems. Not to mention, energy restoration time and access to quality water put significant pressure on utility operators and local government officials. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. electricity customers endure $25-50 billion annually in losses from sustained power interruptions - over 70% of which are borne by commercial operations. 

Restoration Timeline: Hurricane Helene’s Impact on Asheville 

Using SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)-derived data, electric and water utilities can identify infrastructure at risk, reducing power downtime and expediting water service restoration. Since 2020, ICEYE’s SAR satellites have captured flood extent and water depth data covering over 113,870 square miles. in the U.S., including hundreds of utilities and water infrastructure at risk.

The margin of error is narrowing, and the need for faster, smarter responses has never been more urgent.

Why traditional monitoring falls short

Traditional damage assessment relies heavily on ground crews, aerial flyovers, and optical satellite imagery. While useful, these approaches cause work force challenges and delays:

• Cloud Interference: Hurricanes can often be slow-moving, with rain bands extending hundreds of miles from the center and cloud cover expanding even further out – potentially obscuring actual damage on the ground from optical imagery for days. For example, heavy rain from Hurricane Harvey lingered over Texas for 3-4 days as the storm stalled, and the cloud cover persisted days beyond that, limiting the timeliness of imagery. 
• Slow Damage Assessments: Utilities often wait days before accurate damage reports can be compiled, leaving communities in the dark - literally and figuratively. Two days after Hurricane Ida tore through New Orleans, its surrounding area remained almost totally without power, having knocked out all eight transmission lines into the city.
• High Costs: Mobilizing helicopters and field teams after every storm is expensive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous. T&D World claims 20,000 personnel responded and helped restore 800,000 storm-related outages statewide after Hurricane Helene.

In the face of intensifying natural disasters, these traditional methods are no longer sufficient. Utilities need solutions that deliver resilience before, during, and after a storm. 

How satellite technology changes the game

SAR satellite constellations are setting a new standard of resilience with persistent, all-weather monitoring. SAR provides near real-time, high-resolution insights that enable utilities to act decisively.

SAR satellites are not hindered by weather or lighting. They can “see” through clouds, rain, and darkness, ensuring that utilities have uninterrupted access to critical intelligence when it matters most.

After a major storm, utilities often face challenges assessing the full scope of damage because traditional optical imagery—whether from satellites, planes, or helicopters—is limited and delayed by cloud cover and daylight. By the time aerial images can be captured, floodwaters may have already receded, obscuring the true extent of inundation. This makes it difficult to determine flood boundaries and building impacts. In contrast, ICEYE’s SAR sensors can penetrate clouds and capture conditions in real time, providing clear insights into flood extent to identify impacted substations and other utility infrastructure as well as the impact on customers and to prioritize restoration efforts.

For Hurricane Helene, ICEYE delivered near real-time flood extent and depth data, enabling emergency management agencies to assess the impact on 177,159 buildings across the Southeast, including significant flooding in Asheville, NC (more than 400 buildings just in the city limits). 

Several electric and water utilities in the Southeast leveraged ICEYE Flood Solutions for near real-time situational awareness, allowing them to prioritize crews, identify dangerous areas, and restore power and water services more quickly based on precise SAR data, rather than waiting days for aerial or ground assessments to reveal the damage.

Here are five ways SAR-powered solutions empower utilities to get operations up and running within a matter of hours instead of days:

1. Pre-stage crews and assets: Traditionally, utilities pre-stage crews and equipment before hurricanes using weather forecasts, but forecasts cannot pinpoint flood damage. With ICEYE’s SAR-powered insights, utilities gain near real-time data within hours of flood onset, enabling faster resource deployment, crew prioritization, and restoration of services.
2. Pinpoint damage in hours, not days: SAR satellites capture detailed imagery within hours of a storm, enabling utilities to assess impacts to critical infrastructure and utility assets.
3. Prioritize restoration: instead of guessing, utilities can direct repair crews to the hardest-hit assets first, reducing downtime for critical electrical and water services based on observational flood data.
4. Validate and enhance risk models: Use SAR-derived geospatial data to plan for future floods, identify storm surge pathways and recurring vulnerabilities. For example, ICEYE’s historical flood archive now includes over 120 U.S. flood events since 2021, providing utilities with unique insight into substations with recurring vulnerabilities.
5. Support data-driven mitigation: Leverage SAR-derived depth and extent data to validate infrastructure performance and inform future upgrades. For example, a water management agency used ICEYE's Flood Insights to secure federal mitigation funding for improved pump sizing and drainage capacity.
   
   

Electric and water utilities cannot afford to be reactive. The era of climate uncertainty demands proactive resilience. Persistent, all-weather monitoring from SAR satellites represents one of the most effective tools available today. By adopting SAR technology and data solutions, utilities can:

• Save millions of dollars in recovery costs
• Restore services faster to communities in need
• Reduce safety risks to employees and the public
• Future-proof infrastructure against climate uncertainty