***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone Story of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]***
Over the weekend, heavy rains brought on extreme flooding in Louisiana, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes and killing at least half a dozen people.
Aerial imagery, provided by a drone, shows the extent of the damage—including entire neighborhoods and cars half-submerged under the murky water. More than 20,000 people have been rescued from the floodwaters, while another 12,000 remain in shelters.
Drones, despite the bad rep they often receive, are a game-changer when it comes to natural disaster relief, providing surveillance and emergency monitoring in inaccessible areas. This, in turn, enables the government and other agencies to assess damage and deploy humanitarian aid more rapidly.
Read last week’s story here: When It Comes to Keeping Drones Away from the Olympics, Rio May Not Win the Gold
Filed Under: M2M (machine to machine)
