How AI and Drone Technology Are Helping Facilities Managers Protect Properties from Severe Storms

Facilities Managers Focus on Strengthening Properties as Storms Intensify

With the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season underway and storms growing stronger each year, facilities managers in commercial real estate are prioritizing property resilience. Increasingly severe storms mean greater risks and potential damage, making proactive measures essential.

Technology is playing a key role in this shift. Site Technologies, for example, leverages drones to help facilities managers identify vulnerabilities in their properties before storms arrive. These drone-captured images are then processed through Site’s AI platform, which combines expert knowledge and automated analysis to deliver detailed condition and risk reports for building exteriors.

How Drone and AI Technology Helps

Originally a construction company, Site Technologies partnered with engineers specializing in pavements, roofs, facades, and landscaping to develop a system that captures and evaluates property data efficiently. Although Site does not operate its own drones, it contracts freelance pilots nationwide, enabling surveys of around 13,000 properties across 15 countries.

After drone flights, the images feed into Site’s AI platform. The system generates condition reports, risk assessments, and recommendations for maintenance spending over the next three to five years. Facilities managers can prioritize repairs based on risk levels, focusing resources where they are needed most.

Predictive Maintenance for Commercial Real Estate

This approach allows managers to address issues early — from clogged drains and overgrown trees to weakened roofs — preventing costly damage. For clients with large portfolios, such as Prologis and Link Logistics, annual drone surveys offer a comprehensive snapshot of property conditions that would be impossible to achieve with manual inspections alone.

Site also provides post-storm drone flights to document damage, assisting in insurance claims through clear before-and-after comparisons.

Technology Trends in Risk Management

Similar technological advances are helping reduce wildfire risks. Companies like Pano AI, Satelytics, and AiDash combine satellite imagery with artificial intelligence to detect fire hazards, working with major electric utilities to improve safety.

For commercial real estate facilities managers, adopting drone and AI technology is becoming an effective way to stay ahead of natural disasters, manage maintenance budgets wisely, and protect valuable assets.

• Annual drone surveys provide detailed property condition reports.
• AI-driven analytics identify high-risk areas and maintenance priorities.
• Post-event drone inspections support insurance claims with visual evidence.
• Technology enables managing large property portfolios efficiently.

As storm seasons become increasingly challenging, leveraging these tools offers commercial real estate managers a practical path to enhancing property resilience and reducing unexpected costs.