Case study

Portugal

Delivering 24-hour-turnaround data for Storm Kristin recovery efforts in Portugal

In late January of 2026, Storm Kristin broke all historical records as it sped up and hit land in Leira district, Portugal. As it progressed, its wind speeds exceeded 200 km/h causing catastrophic damage. This storm was followed by Leonardo, which caused massive floods in the same area. To get high-res maps and evaluate the damage as fast as possible, Wingtra stepped in in a volunteer capacity. This case demonstrates the efficacy of drone data to catalyze relief efforts directly after such intense natural disasters.

March 25, 2026

By Emily Loosli

Challenges

More than 2000 people were injured and 14 left dead as a direct result of storm Kristin. It also caused the largest power outage in Portuguese history—leaving 10 percent of the population without power. It caused € 4 Billion in damage and left the district of Leiria unrecognizable.

Solution

Wingtra technician Marcelo Caetano volunteered to survey eight areas most impacted by storm Kristin with the WingtraOne GEN II drone. The turnaround time of less than 24 hours helped the district to get a clear view of the damage and helped fast-track assistance to affected people.

Wingtra disaster response benefits at a glance

Flights

 8 
 small/mid-sized 

Flight time

 2.5 
 hrs 

Field time

 5 
 hrs 

Time to insights

 24 
 hrs 

Efficient capture over eight sites

Arega

Bracais

Casais da Arega

Casalinho

Jarda

Pavilhao Junta

Pegudas

Vendo do Henrique

Carlos Lopes

Mayor, Figueiró dos Vinhos Municipality

This natural disaster is at a scale none of us could have imagined. I’m grateful to Wingtra for helping make our response the most impactful possible—gathering maps of all of the affected areas and bringing them to us within 24 hours. I had no idea this speed was possible. It will help us to help others and fast-track the process of compensation and repair, putting a roof back over the heads of thousands of residents.

Storm Kristin survey

Location

Leira District, Portugal

Application

Disaster response

Average survey size

50 ha / 124 ac

Marcelo Caetano

System Tester at Wingtra

I discovered after our mission that the municipality hired a service provider for mapping the other half of the area using multi-copters. They flew the survey on a Monday but they have not delivered the maps as of Friday. So the mayor and the people around him were all very impressed by the efficiency of our system.

Toward smarter disaster management

U Challenge

Delayed time-to-data

After natural disasters, it’s impossible to gauge the damage to infrastructure from the ground, quickly.

m Solution

24-hour turnaround

Wingtra makes it possible to survey a complex disaster zone and deliver data within 24 hours.

U Challenge

Large files / complications

With some systems, sharing data may be complicated by large file FTP or third-party GIS software.

m Solution

Efficient data turnaround

WingtraPRO software makes sharing a one-click process and permissions ensure the right people see the results.

U Challenge

More noise in the chaos

Post-disaster scenes are chaotic; if you deploy a drone, you need to know it will get the data on the first try so you avoid complicating relief efforts.

m Solution

Clarifying the chaos

Wingtra’s VTOL fixed-wing design and intuitive workflow mean setup in under ten minutes and deployment from a 5 square meter area so you just get on with it.

Storm Kristin impacts at a glance

Wind speeds

 200+ 
 mph 

Overall damages

 6 BN 
 Euros 

Infrastructure damages

 27K 
 legal claims 

Storm Kristin felled 15 million trees, left millions without power and tore the roofing off of thousands of structures. Each roof repair claim warrants € 10K of government aid money. So the fast turnaround of the data helped people literally arrange to get a roof over their heads faster—a dire need considering Storm Leonardo came just days later to deliver flooding.