Here's one new thing for video surveillance cameras to watch: Hurricanes. WLOX television, an ABC affiliate in South Mississippi, reported the story of a new camera called "The Eye of the Storm" produced by a firm called World Class Companies. The camera is weather hardened to withstand the heavy winds, strong rains and flood waters a hurricane can produce, and can be set up immediately before a hurricane to record conditions.
WLOX reports that the businessman behind this camera, Darrell Jones, worked as a public adjustor following Hurricane Katrina. The camera is designed to record conditions so that insurance companies can know what conditions created the damage to properties they insured. Here's a little background for our readers as someone who grew up on the Mississippi coast -- there were a number of lawsuits filed by homeowners against insurers who sought not to pay on insurance claims homeowners filed; according to homeowners, most of the damage was wind related and was sustained before the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina hit the area, while insurers claimed that the damage was flood related, seeking to not pay out on claims (since most homeowners had wind storm insurance, and not flood insurance).
For more information, read WLOX's story on the new Eye of the Storm camera.
-Geoff
