The company’s data would allow FEMA to more accurately assess the impact of floods at a street and individual property level rather than relying on static flood data, like one-in-a-hundred-year models that were never designed for disaster response.

Co-founder and chief executive Juliette Murphy said it was “a really big deal” for the company which is already working with Australian governments and emergency services.

The company was started 2018 and sparked by the Brisbane floods of 2011. The technology can predict flood levels in real time.

“In the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement they have revealed the value of the first phase which is $200,000 and there are four phases and we can’t comment yet on the quantum of that because it is milestone-based,” Murphy said.

“We can say it’s a really significant contract for us.

“Over the four phases we would collaborate with the DHS and FEMA to roll out to work towards national operational coverage.

“That is going to be a journey. Right now, the focus has been on Virginia and then it would be other parts of the eastern states and the south and mid-west that are exposed to flooding.

The company has been working with mapping app Waze to deliver flood intelligence in Norfolk, Virginia, a city that faces regular flooding.

“That has been live for over a year and we received confirmation from 10,000 drivers so far who have said our flood alerts were accurate,” Murphy said.

“We are really excited about what it will mean for us to better support other government agencies at federal, state and local government level. There has been a lot of interest from governments.

“We are seeing a fast adoption (in Australia) and state and local government level. We are also seeing a lot interest in critical infrastructure to help them.”