Drones playing critical role in hurricane relief efforts

Drones have been playing an “invaluable” role in Hurricane Irma relief efforts, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday.

After Florida and the Caribbean suffered widespread destruction from Irma’s winds and floodwaters, the FAA issued 132 airspace authorizations for drones to help with recovery and response efforts.

The Air National Guard, for example, is deploying drones that are normally used for combat operations to help perform aerial surveys, assess disaster-stricken areas quickly and decide which need the most assistance.

{mosads}Customs and Border Protection is using unmanned aircraft systems to help map areas in Key West, Miami and Jacksonville and using radar to survey key geographic points on infrastructure.

In the private sector, commercial drone companies are helping provide clearer images of damaged homes to insurance companies so that they can more quickly act on claims.

And Florida Power and Light is using dozens of drone teams to help restore electricity and air conditioning in the area by sending out drones to survey parts of the state that are still not accessible by vehicles.

Drones played a similarly critical role in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Texas, the FAA noted.

“Essentially, every drone that flew meant that a traditional aircraft was not putting an additional strain on an already fragile system,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said at a conference last week. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the hurricane response will be looked back upon as a landmark in the evolution of drone usage in this country.”