Drones Continue to Assist Disaster Relief Areas after Hurricane Irma

Blog written by: Justin Clemmer, CrossFlight Pilot

Hurricane Irma brought widespread devastation to the state of Florida. Homes, businesses, roadways, and industries all across the state were impacted by the storm’s intense winds and floodwaters. In the wake of Irma, a fairly new kind of technology is being used in the relief and recovery efforts – drones. Drones are capable of producing high-quality aerial videos and pictures that are highly beneficial in operations such as search and rescue, powerline inspection, and building documentation.

Cell Tower Inspection by commercial drones

When a wide variety of agencies sought authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones in the affected areas, the FAA responded quickly, issuing a total of 132 airspace authorizations as of today to ensure safety in drone operation.

The Air National Guard as well as the private sector has been using drones to perform area surveys, assess disaster-stricken areas, and conduct inspections. Drones have been used by Florida Power and Light to play a significant role in helping to restore electricity for its 4.4 million customers, surveying parts of the state still not accessible by vehicles.

The stellar cooperation by local, state, and federal authorities has been cited by FPL, and this is only the beginning. In a speech given at the InterDrone conference last week, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta summed up the importance of drone operations to Irma and Harvey recovery operations saying,

“Essentially, every drone that flew meant that a traditional aircraft was not putting an additional strain on an already fragile system. 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.”

The use of drones will continue to provide much needed assistance in future disaster relief and recovery efforts. As the FAA continues to monitor the advancement of this growing drone industry, companies like CrossFlight Sky Solutions will continue to be on the cutting edge of this quickly advancing technology.

Hurricane relief and using drones for recovery efforts- they are hard to beat!

Hurricane Irma slammed into Florida and parts of Georgia this past few days. This resulted in power outages for millions of Americans and cell phone towers out of service, flooding, and massive damage to low lying areas as well as downed trees and power lines.  This resulted in lost lives and flooding of may low lying areas of Florida, Gulf coast, and South Carolina.

CrossFlight is partnered with other companies to provide experienced FAA certified drone pilots who are responding to disasters in the US.  Some of our pilots are in the disaster area working to restore power and cell phone towers to normal operations.  We provide aerial images and data for our customers to save time and money.

Drones are used for restoration of power, identifying downed power lines, inspecting property and equipment, and surveying the damaged areas from the air. Using drones we can take video images that help power line crews prioritize their work and improve safety of crews.

The key to any disaster is rapid response and recovery so people can begin to recover from the effects of a storm or natural disaster. Drones can be used to locate people who are stranded in their homes, insurance estimates of damages, video for news agencies and businesses, and insurance adjusters, and FEMA disaster relief teams.  CrossFlight's pilots are ready to respond on the ground in Florida and Georgia and South Carolina. 

Hurricane Irma Photo-  Damages in Coastal Areas and Jacksonville Florida Flooding

15 ft. storm surge damages all along the coastal regions

Florida Keys flooding and wind damages Photo

The CrossFlight team has deployed FAA certified UAS pilots who are responding to the call for Hurricane Irma.  We are honored to provide safe and efficient drone operations for disaster recovery efforts. Drones are changing the way we respond to Hurricanes and natural disasters. 

CrossFlight is bringing Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UAS) or Drone Technology Solutions to the Low Country

What does CrossFlight Sky Solutions do?

CrossFlight Sky Solutions is a commercial drone services company located in Bluffton SC.  We deliver high quality aerial images for businesses and government organizations. One of our products is Photogrammetry support, here is a brief description: 

What is Photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs. The input to photogrammetry is photographs, and the output is typically a map, a drawing, a measurement, or a 3D model of some real-world object or scene. Many of the maps we use today are created with from aircraft.   In Aerial Photogrammetry, the camera is mounted in an aircraft and is usually pointed vertically towards the ground. Multiple overlapping photos of the ground are taken as the aircraft flies along a flight path. The aircraft traditionally have been fixed wing manned craft but many projects now are done with drones or UAV's.  To learn more....please go to our website @ www.crossflightskysolutions.com

Example Job Site- Construction Site

Picture of a Construction site in Bluffton SC.  Volumetric measurements of the piles of materials is available in minutes using our software. We can provide precise volumes for contractors or site managers. 

This type of data is readily available using drones for progress reporting, inventory management for site supervisors or managers. We offer subscription services for site reporting with progress from start to final completion of the projects. Call 888-912-Drones (3766) for more information on our services.