How Mobile Surveillance Units Help Manage Risks Before, During, and After Disasters

SUMMARY: 

• Why preparation matters: Extreme weather can escalate in minutes, making visibility and early warnings critical for saving lives.
• Before disaster: Mobile surveillance units collect data, identify risk patterns, and provide continuous monitoring for early alerts.
• During disaster: LVT® Units deliver real-time situational awareness, withstand extreme weather, and keep agencies connected when infrastructure fails.
• After disaster: From accurate damage documentation to looting prevention, mobile surveillance units speed up recovery and protect communities.

If you spent any time watching the news or scrolling through social media over the Fourth of July weekend this year, chances are you saw video after video of the flash floods in Kerr County, Texas. 

People filmed from their homes as the Guadalupe River climbed 26 feet in under an hour.

In just eight hours, Kerr County received 12 inches of rain, which comes out to roughly 120 billion gallons of water. To put that in perspective, that’s nearly twice the volume of water that pours over Niagara Falls in an entire day.

It was one of the deadliest flash floods Texas has ever experienced, claiming more than 135 lives and sweeping away cars, camps, buildings, and infrastructure. In the aftermath, Governor Greg Abbott called a special legislative session to focus on emergency planning.

While you can’t hold back extreme weather, you can put systems in place that give you more warning, more visibility, and more time to act. In this blog, we’ll explain how LVT’s mobile surveillance units support risk assessment and mitigation before, during, and after extreme weather events. 

Before Disaster: Risk Assessment and Early Warnings

Data That Drive Preparedness

Risk assessments help communities understand vulnerabilities and allocate resources before disaster strikes. Mobile surveillance units play a crucial role in these assessments; they’re data collectors. High-resolution video and AI-powered analytics help officials identify patterns like recurring flood zones or wildfire-prone regions. Teams can use  this knowledge to get ahead of future problems by clearing brush or reinforcing infrastructure.

Early Detection

Mobile surveillance units also provide continuous visibility of just about any site, from bustling city centers to remote locations that are difficult to reach. This 24/7 visibility allows teams to track evolving weather conditions and trigger alerts or warnings before the window for safe evacuation slams shut.

During Disaster: Situational Awareness and Rapid Response

Built for the Toughest Environments

LVT® Units are built to withstand extreme weather. Every unit boasts an IP rating of 54 or higher, meaning they can withstand heavy rain, high winds, and dust storms. Their solar panels keep power flowing when the grid collapses, and backup generators ensure uptime during long periods without sunlight. They’re also equipped with remote-operated lighting options, so they help improve visibility in blackout conditions. 

→ See LVT in action: Watch how an LVT Unit held up in 70-mile-per-hour winds during Hurricane Ida.

Remote Connectivity 

When buildings collapse, waters rise, or wildfires rage, sending responders in blind puts lives at risk. With the LVT® Platform, teams can view real-time video feeds and assess hazards, pinpoint safe routes, identify trapped civilians, and coordinate evacuations without putting more people in harm’s way.

Coordination Across Teams and Agencies

Disaster response requires all hands on deck; fire departments, law enforcement, utility crews, and medical teams need to be on the same page about what’s happening, who’s responding, and where resources are needed. The LVT Platform comes in handy here as well, giving all stakeholders that common view and helping streamline communication and reduce response delays.

Post Disaster: Recovery and Assessment

Accurate Damage Assessments

Insurance claims, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief, and reconstruction hinge on credible damage assessments. Mobile surveillance units give you a verifiable, easily-searchable record of the destruction by capturing high-definition video and storing it in the cloud. This speeds up the recovery process and makes what’s often the hardest part—tracking down documentation—one of the easiest.

→ Learn how LVT's forensic search feature helps you find footage of specific events, people, or objects in seconds. 

Preventing Post-Disaster Crime

Unfortunately, disasters often bring a secondary wave of risk: looting and theft. Power outages and stretched-thin law enforcement resources make neighborhoods especially vulnerable. Mobile surveillance units deter criminal activity with visible cameras, deterrent lighting options, and loudspeakers that, thanks to agentic AI, can automatically deliver personalized warnings to wrongdoers.

LVT’s Mobile Surveillance Units Are the Future of Security

Beyond disaster preparedness and response, mobile surveillance units deliver everyday benefits that make them hard to beat.

• Adaptable: Deploy them anywhere, from city streets to remote sites.
• Cost-effective: Avoid costly trenching, drilling, and wiring that traditional systems require.
• Scalable: Easily scale your fleet up or down as needs evolve—each unit can be set up in under an hour!
• Reliable: Stay powered through blackouts with solar energy and backup generators.

There’s a reason government agencies, law enforcement teams, emergency responders, retailers, and more trust LVT’s mobile surveillance solutions. Our units provide unparalleled flexibility and visibility where you need it, whenever you need it. As threats evolve and criminals get more creative, these units are setting the standard for what the future of security looks like.

Mother nature can be unpredictable, but your response to extreme weather doesn’t have to be. Ready to see how LVT’s mobile surveillance units can strengthen your disaster preparedness plan? Request a demo today.