TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- When they write the history about what Hurricane Irma did to Florida, much of it will be based on data from the U.S. Geological Survey, which put out hundreds of storm surge sensors around the coast from Venice up to Jacksonville. Richard Kane, associate center director for the Florida and Caribbean office of the USGS, based in Tampa, says they had real-time data from locations such as Fort Myers and Fort Pierce, as Irma moved in.
USGS gauges also helped meteorologists and water management officials track river flooding across the state, with hundreds of permanent gauges on rivers and streams. Kane says about a dozen sites reported water levels consistent with a so-called "100-year flood."
USGS data proved crucial in the Florida Highway Patrol's decision to keep the I-75 bridge over the flooding Santa Fe River bridge in Alachua County open. They made a last-minute on-the-scene adjustment based on at-the-scene information on water flow.
"We needed to go out and make a calibration measurement, so.... NOAA could remodel the forecast for that site, to know whether or not they're going to shut down the interstate", Kane said.
About 120 U-S-G-S employees worked on hurricane Irma response in Florida.