Building Safer Communities in Florida: Meet SBP Resilience Fellow Kurt Williams

Floodwaters can rise quickly when heavy rain falls in Charlotte County, Florida, closing streets, damaging homes, and stranding residents. When hurricanes hit, the surge can be devastating, overwhelming neighborhoods and leaving emergency responders scrambling to assess where help is needed most. 

But what if the county had real-time data showing exactly where floodwaters were rising, how fast they were moving, and which areas were at greatest risk?

That vision drives Kurt Williams, an SBP Resilience Fellow working with Charlotte County officials to turn that “what if” into reality. Partnering with the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners and Water Quality Manager Brandon Moody, Williams is hoping to secure funding for a Flood Monitoring and Response Network, an advanced system of storm elevation gauges that could save lives and protect property in the face of future storms.

SBP created its Disaster Resilience Fellows Program to strengthen the capacity of small- to medium-sized communities on the front lines of disasters. SBP’s Fellows collaborate with community leaders and networks to secure the recovery assistance they need when disasters strike. They also empower communities to prepare for and mitigate their risks and strengthen their resilience to future disasters.  

From Data to Action: A Critical Need for Storm Gauges

Williams and Moody’s project would install remote sensors to monitor, measure, and transmit real-time data on water levels in key tidal areas like the Myakka River, Charlotte Harbor, and Lemon Bay. By placing smart sensors in flood-prone areas, the county can track exactly how much water is coming in and how fast it’s moving. This information feeds into an alert system that helps emergency managers make faster, more informed decisions, such as when to close roads, issue evacuation orders, or send resources where they’re needed most.

“The lack of real-time data during past storms like Helene and Milton highlighted just how critical a flood monitoring and response network is,” Williams explains. 

Over time, the data will also inform the development of a comprehensive stormwater model for western Charlotte County. This will complement existing efforts in nearby Sarasota County and the City of North Port to create a high-tech model for the Myakka River/Big Slough basin to help predict where flooding might happen and how stormwater would move through an area during a storm. 

The goal is to move from reacting to floods after they happen to staying one step ahead of them. By understanding flooding as it unfolds, the county can better protect lives, homes, and critical infrastructure. 

The 2024 hurricane season was a stark reminder of how vulnerable coastal communities are to storm surges and flooding. 

“The one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged thousands of homes across the county, leaving entire neighborhoods nearly destroyed and some in our community homeless,” Moody says. “Our planned flood and tide monitoring network aims to [enable] our Emergency Management team to quickly prioritize areas for today’s post-storm response and recovery, while also giving us data and toolsets to identify the best path forward for strengthening our resiliency to tomorrow’s events.”

Real-Time Solutions: The Push for Storm Gauges to Protect Charlotte County

Williams joined SBP as a Resilience Fellow just as the 2024 hurricane season began. He brings both federal and local emergency management experience to his role, along with a Master’s degree in Homeland Security Policy from American University. At FEMA, he led key efforts to expand the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), helping federal, state, and local agencies adopt more modern, resilient technology to better communicate during emergencies.

Flooding is one of Charlotte County’s most pressing concerns, so Williams quickly prioritized the storm gauge project. 

“Even summer rains can close streets here,” Williams says. “Add a hurricane to the mix, and you’re talking about significant risks to life and property. This project is about addressing those risks head-on.”

Charlotte County faces a unique challenge when it comes to funding critical projects like the flood monitoring network. With an older population living on fixed incomes and a smaller commercial and property tax base, the county lacks the local funding resources that neighboring Sarasota and Lee Counties used to finance their own monitoring systems. Unlike those counties, Charlotte has also not had the opportunity to secure cooperative agreements with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), making alternative funding options essential to moving the project forward. 

Moody said, “The onslaught of hurricanes impacting our shores over the last several years has forced our staff to focus much of its energy on response and recovery. Assistance from organizations like SBP provides the manpower and expertise necessary in acquiring a robust network of tools, plans, and projects to support our community’s resiliency needs now and into the future.”

Deeper Community Commitment After Hurricane Helene

During his tenure as a Resilience Fellow, Williams has worn many hats, especially in the wake of recent storms. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Florida, he temporarily took on response and recovery responsibilities. He coordinated the distribution of essential resources—from water, food and tarps, to high-water rescue vehicles. “I handled mission requests to the state for supplies and supported logistics and operations branches by setting up Point of Distribution sites for affected residents,” Williams says.

This hands-on experience has given him a unique perspective on the county’s strengths and gaps in disaster response. “What I’ve learned from these storms is shaping everything I do,” Williams says. “My goal is to address those gaps and make the county more resilient to future events, enabling them to better protect the most vulnerable community members.”

Williams’ commitment to Charlotte County goes beyond professional responsibility. Though he’s relatively new to the area, his wife grew up in the community and her family has deep roots here. “This is a tight-knit place,” Williams says. “It’s not just about helping strangers; it’s about protecting the people I care about and ensuring this community stays strong.”

With the support of the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners and Moody’s leadership, the storm gauge project represents a significant step toward greater resilience. Real-time data from the gauges will inform immediate responses to flooding and set the stage for long-term improvements in flood mitigation.

“This project is about more than just equipment and data,” Williams says. “It’s about building a safer, more prepared community. And that’s something worth fighting for.”

Initiatives like Charlotte County’s Flood Monitoring and Response Network are exactly what SBP envisioned when launching the Disaster Resilience Fellows Program. Disaster-prone communities often face resource and staffing gaps that limit their ability to plan for and respond to future risks. Fellows like Williams help bridge that gap, bringing added capacity, technical know-how, and a deep commitment to the communities they serve. 

SBP’s Resilience Fellows Program in Florida is made possible thanks to the Walmart Foundation.