realestate

Commercial Real Estate Adapts to Hurricanes with Drone and AI-Powered Resilience Strategies

Site Technologies uses drones to identify vulnerabilities in CRE properties before storms.

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s the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway, commercial real estate facilities managers are prioritizing property resilience in the face of increasingly intense storms and costly damage. One way to achieve this is through technology, which has already made significant strides in combating wildfire risk. Companies like Pano AI, Satelytics, and AiDash use satellite technology with artificial intelligence to pinpoint fire hazards, serving major electric companies.

    Site Technologies employs drones to help facilities managers identify vulnerabilities in their properties before storms hit. Originally a construction company, Site teamed up with experts in pavements, roofs, facades, and landscaping to develop data-capturing capabilities for engineering work and property condition reviews. The company uses freelancers across the country to survey properties and deploys drones annually for large customers with hundreds or thousands of facilities.

    Site's AI platform analyzes captured images from drones, incorporating expertise from its staff to provide condition and risk reports for each facility's exterior. This predictive maintenance allows managers to address issues before they become liabilities, such as clogged drains, overgrown trees, or weak roofs. For existing customers, Site offers post-event drone flights for insurance claims assessments.

    Major clients include Prologis, a warehouse real estate investment trust, and Link Logistics, along with large national retailers. Most clients have at least 100 properties, making human surveyors impractical for annual snapshots. According to Austin Rabine, Site CEO, technology like this has made it viable to get an annual snapshot of facilities for the first time.

Commercial buildings adapt to hurricanes with drone and AI-powered resilience strategies in coastal cities.