AnmeldenHow Disaster Recovery Technology Is Changing with Extreme Weather Events
Extreme weather events are increasingly impacting industries and individuals all over the world. See how the insurance industry is innovating documentation with 3D reality capture while creating more efficient commercial and residential claims cycles for
Extreme weather events are no longer rare disruptions—they’re a constant operational reality. In 2025 alone, the U.S. experienced 23 separate billion-dollar weather disasters, with total losses exceeding $115 billion. This continued a trend of rising severity and cost.
Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and freezes are placing unprecedented pressure on insurers, restoration teams, and property owners. Traditional disaster recovery workflows—manual inspections, fragmented documentation, and in-person site visits—weren’t built for this frequency of catastrophic events. As a result, recovery efforts often stall in uncertainty, disputes, and delays.
Modern disaster resilience and recovery technologies are now emerging. These resources coordinate action and enable faster, more confident recovery in times of great need.
Why traditional methods for disaster recovery are at a breaking point
The scale and complexity of modern disasters have fundamentally changed disaster recovery operations. Dozens of billion-dollar weather events are now being recorded every year, with global insured losses from natural catastrophes at record highs. These events are no longer isolated incidents. They often impact entire regions at once, overwhelming insurers, adjusters, and restoration teams tasked with responding at speed and scale.
Several other forces are also converging to push traditional recovery methods past their limits:
More stakeholders, more complexity: Modern disaster recovery involves insurers, adjusters, restoration contractors, engineers, regulators, and property owners. Coordinating across so many parties increases the risk of miscommunication, duplicated work, and delays.
Compressed timelines at a massive scale: As catastrophic events become more frequent, claims surge simultaneously across hundreds or thousands of properties. The pressure to assess damage and resolve claims quickly strains manual inspections and documentation processes.
Heightened regulatory and compliance demands: Insurers face stricter scrutiny around claims handling, documentation accuracy, and auditability—requiring detailed, verifiable records that legacy tools struggle to provide.
Rising expectations for speed and transparency: Policyholders and carriers alike expect faster decisions, clearer communication, and fewer disputes, even in the most complex loss scenarios.
Against this backdrop, legacy disaster recovery workflows are increasingly inadequate. Photos taken on-site, handwritten notes, spreadsheets, and in-person inspections create fragmented records that are difficult to standardize, easy to lose, and nearly impossible to share in real time. During large-scale or CAT events, these limitations slow assessments and introduce inconsistencies at precisely the moment when accuracy and coordination matter most.
Emerging technology for disaster recovery support
As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, disaster recovery is evolving from slow, reactive processes into data-driven operations. Modern technologies enable faster, more accurate, and more coordinated responses to upgrade the recovery process. Here, we’ll examine some of those technologies in detail.
Reality capture and digital twins
Reality capture is the process of using LiDAR scanning devices and cameras to create a highly detailed, three-dimensional digital model of a space. A digital twin is the resulting virtual version of that space: an interactive and accurate digital replica that can be explored, automatically measured, and annotated. With this, anyone can view an impacted property as if they were physically there, with precise details about its layout, structure, and contents.
In disaster recovery, digital twins address some of the biggest challenges teams face:
Inspecting unsafe or unstable sites: Virtual walkthroughs let adjusters and restoration teams assess properties safely via remote inspections, avoiding hazardous conditions.
Ensuring accurate documentation: 3D scans capture every corner, asset, and fixture, creating verifiable, court-admissible records for claims and restoration planning.
Coordinating multiple stakeholders: Cloud-based models provide a single source of truth, enabling insurers, contractors, and property owners to coordinate insurance restoration without repeated site visits.
Planning and preparing for disputes or future events: Permanent, immersive records support pre-disaster documentation, risk assessment, and defensible claims processing, helping teams make confident decisions during catastrophic events.
By consolidating the details of the scene into one detailed, accessible record, disaster recovery teams have the clarity to respond effectively.
Drones and aerial imaging
Drones are increasingly used in disaster recovery to capture high-resolution aerial imagery of affected areas. Drones fly over properties and neighborhoods to capture a bird’s-eye view that complements on-the-ground inspections. This gives teams a more complete understanding of the scope and severity of damage.
Drones assist with a number of challenges in disaster recovery scenarios:
Rapid assessment of large or inaccessible properties: Drones can quickly survey rooftops, industrial sites, or flood-affected areas that may be unsafe or impossible to reach on foot.
Comprehensive documentation: Aerial imagery captures structural damage, debris, and surrounding hazards in context, creating a clear visual record.
Improved risk evaluation and planning: By combining multiple aerial perspectives, teams can identify patterns of damage, prioritize resources, and plan interventions more effectively.
When paired with ground-level reality capture or digital twins, drone imaging helps create a complete, multi-dimensional view of disaster-impacted properties, enabling faster and safer recovery efforts.
Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics
Artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics are increasingly being used to help manage the growing complexity of disaster recovery. AI analyzes large amounts of data to uncover patterns and insights that would be difficult or impossible to detect manually. This helps teams make faster, more informed decisions.
In disaster recovery, AI analysis supports critical tasks, such as:
Identifying patterns in damage and risk: AI analyzes historical and current disaster data to highlight which properties, areas, or building types are most likely to sustain specific types of damage.
Automating damage estimation: Machine learning algorithms process images, 3D scans, or drone footage to estimate repair costs quickly and consistently.
Predicting future vulnerabilities: By combining weather data, structural information, and past claims, AI forecasts where damage is likely to occur, helping insurers and property owners prioritize preventative measures.
By integrating AI with reality capture, drones, and other data sources, disaster recovery teams can move from reactive responses to smarter, more proactive planning.
IoT sensors and smart monitoring
Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and smart monitoring systems are increasingly used to provide real-time visibility into property conditions, helping prevent small issues from turning into major losses. By continuously tracking environmental and structural data, these technologies support both early detection and ongoing mitigation during and after extreme weather events.
Key applications in disaster recovery include:
Monitoring structural integrity: Sensors detect stress, cracks, or movement in walls, foundations, and critical infrastructure, alerting owners and insurers to potential failures before they escalate.
Detecting water intrusion: Moisture, flooding, or leaks can be identified in real time, allowing restoration teams to intervene faster and reduce long-term damage.
Tracking environmental conditions: Temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors monitor conditions that could contribute to mold, corrosion, or other hazards after a disaster.
When IoT data is integrated with digital twins, it can be visualized in context, providing a spatially accurate reference for inspections and documentation. This combination allows stakeholders to understand not just where damage is occurring, but how it relates to the overall property, supporting faster, more informed recovery decisions.
Cloud platforms and remote collaboration tools
Cloud-based platforms give all stakeholders access to the same information at the same time. Instead of relying on emails, spreadsheets, or disconnected systems, teams can work from a centralized digital environment, improving coordination and accelerating decision-making. This is especially beneficial during large-scale or catastrophic events.
In disaster recovery scenarios, cloud platforms enable:
Shared access to documentation: Digital twins can serve as a central hub for recovery efforts, with critical details attached directly to specific locations in Tags, or discussed in shared Notes.
Faster collaboration across teams: Stakeholders can review damage, flag issues, and align on next steps remotely, reducing delays caused by scheduling site visits or waiting for updated reports.
Consistency and transparency: Working from a single, up-to-date dataset helps reduce discrepancies, miscommunication, and disputes throughout the claims and restoration process.
Seamless management of recovery workflows: Integrations and exportable assets allow captured data to connect with claims management, estimating, and restoration software, ensuring information flows smoothly from assessment to repair and reporting.
By centralizing data and enabling real-time collaboration, cloud platforms help disaster recovery teams move faster and stay aligned—no matter how complex or widespread the event.
Disaster recovery technology in action: Real-world scenarios
Extreme weather events don’t impact every property the same way. A hurricane may devastate coastal commercial buildings while inland facilities face flooding and power loss. Wildfires, freezes, and severe storms each introduce different risks, damage patterns, and recovery challenges for homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Here, we’ll explore real-world disaster recovery scenarios to show how emerging technologies are being applied in practice.
Commercial preparedness planning
Commercial properties face high stakes during extreme weather: delayed damage assessment can halt operations and trigger regulatory disputes. A clear understanding of a property’s layout and critical assets is essential to prioritize preventive measures or create emergency response plans.
Large or multi-location buildings are particularly vulnerable. These spaces are difficult to document consistently, and incomplete records often delay the identification of potential exposures.
Digital twins allow teams to document buildings, equipment, and key assets in detail before a disaster occurs. This can be used as a valuable asset for risk assessment and planning. Cloud-based platforms make this information accessible to multiple stakeholders simultaneously, so that mitigation efforts can be coordinated proactively.
Once comprehensive pre-loss records are established, businesses are in a better position to minimize operational disruption and respond to extreme weather threats with confidence.
Residential extreme weather event recovery
The devastation of an extreme weather event impacts all areas of a community. However, perhaps nowhere is that felt more greatly than with the residences that are destroyed and the people who are displaced in the aftermath. Delays in inspecting and documenting damage also extend displacement and financial strain.
Rapid assessment is essential to help residents return safely and quickly. Digital tools allow adjusters and restoration teams to inspect properties remotely, navigating hazardous areas with 3D walkthroughs that provide a full view of affected rooms and structures.
Observations can be attached directly to the digital record in Tags, so damage and repairs are tracked clearly and shared with everyone, including the homeowner, to alleviate concern. Progress scans provide a chronological view of restoration, showing what’s been repaired and what remains.
Efficient application of disaster recovery technologies helps to return residents to safe, restored homes sooner.
Catastrophic (CAT) event response
When hurricanes, wildfires, or other large-scale disasters strike, hundreds or thousands of properties can be affected at once. The sheer volume of damage can overwhelm traditional workflows, while limited adjuster availability and unsafe conditions delay inspections and slow recovery.
Disaster recovery technology helps to assess and respond at scale. Drones provide rapid aerial surveys, while digital twins make it possible to capture accurate records across dozens or hundreds of properties quickly. These assets can then be remotely evaluated to identify neighborhoods and properties with the most urgent damage, without unnecessary risk to response teams.
Cloud-based access also helps teams to share information instantly and coordinate priorities across dozens or hundreds of properties. This reduces operational bottlenecks to process large-scale claims projects with accuracy and safety, even in the chaos of a CAT-level event.
Infrastructure and critical facility recovery
Hospitals, schools, data centers, and other critical facilities cannot afford extended downtime after extreme weather. Damage in these facilities is often complex due to restricted access, hazards, or security protocols. Meanwhile, any delay in assessment slows the restoration of services that protect lives, safeguard information, and keep operations running.
Digital twins provide a detailed, spatially accurate record of the facility, allowing engineers and restoration teams to understand complex systems and plan repairs before entering hazardous areas. Remote access lets teams inspect hard-to-reach zones safely while cloud collaboration and annotation tools keep stakeholders aligned, tracking which systems need priority restoration and ensuring compliance requirements are met.
Technology helps to restore essential services faster and safely manage the repair of complex environments.
Portfolio-level risk assessment and business continuity
Managing multiple properties across a region or portfolio creates unique challenges. Insurers and property owners must ensure consistent disaster readiness and plan for business continuity. Manually tracking hundreds of sites is slow and prone to gaps, leaving some locations underprepared when extreme weather strikes.
Pre-loss digital twins and detailed floor plans provide a reliable baseline for every property. Centralized cloud access allows stakeholders to review multiple locations remotely, simulate disaster scenarios, and align on preventive measures. Meanwhile, AI-powered risk management tools enable data-driven mitigation strategies.
Working with technology to anticipate challenges helps to reduce exposure and maintain portfolio-wide operations, even during widespread disruptions.
Building infrastructure resilience in an era of extremes
As extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe, the insurance and restoration industries are shifting toward automated, AI-driven, and digitally integrated workflows. Scalable CAT response, predictive insights, and centralized collaboration have become essential for maintaining operational continuity.
New disaster resilience and recovery technologies provide the infrastructure for this future. From pre-disaster planning and mitigation to post-event restoration and reconstruction, they create a shared system for safer, more efficient recovery.
By embracing these innovations, the industry can bring clarity and stability to increasingly volatile conditions, improving resilience and ensuring that communities, properties, and businesses can recover with confidence.
