Genasys awarded $94M contract to build Emergency Warning System
California-based Genasys Inc. has secured a $94.3 million critical infrastructure project to develop an Emergency Warning System (EWS) for 37 in Puerto Rico, the company announced.
Genasys specializes in protective communications systems and solutions and was selected to engineer, procure and build the EWS “for the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors living downstream” of the dams.
The company said it expects to recognize $60 million to $70 million in revenue over the project’s duration.
Awarded by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the project will utilize Genasys’ Protect platform for early detection and communication of flood threats, which includes proprietary software and hardware solutions, with sensors and communication equipment.
Genasys’ proposal was “unanimously selected by all parties, topping all criteria categories,” said Genasys CEO Richard Danforth.
“Although the competitive request for proposal process for this award started just last October, Genasys has been working with FEMA, PREPA and the government of Puerto Rico since the devastating hurricane Maria in 2017,” he said.
“Today’s announcement represents the most comprehensive implementation of Genasys Protect for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) to date and is a testament to the value of Genasys’ Protective Communications solutions,” Danforth said.
In response to the disaster of the Guajataca dam, which required the evacuation of 70,000 residents shortly after hurricane Maria in 2017, the Puerto Rico Emergency Agency, funded by FEMA, contracted with Genasys to design and install the first EWS on the island starting in 2018.
The EWS system will be installed in all government-owned dams, which belong to PREPA, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority, and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
“The EWS is vital to the community’s safety. Through these alarm systems, people will be notified in case of emergencies such as extreme floods, controlled flood releases, or seismic activity, so they can take timely action to reduce disaster risks,” José G. Baquero, FEMA’s federal disaster recovery coordinator, commented in a press release issued on Jan. 25, detailing the funding for the final 17 dams.
“Besides helping save lives and property, this will strengthen disaster preparedness and risk reduction in the communities located downstream of each dam,” he said.
The project will cover the different components of each EWS, including dam instrumentation, sensors, Genasys Protect ACOUSTICs, GPS and controls system, evacuation route signage, and a community outreach program via the Genasys Protect platform. That suite of software and hardware solutions is aimed at improving preparedness, response and communication capabilities.
It is anticipated that the project will require about 18 months, though groups of dams will come online in phased activations as the project moves forward, company officials said.
