VIDEO: While assessing the damage from Typhoon Halong, federal transportation officials are relying on an unexpected ally aiding remote communities—drones. Following the destruction left by Typhoon Halong, drones are being deployed across remote communities to assess damage, check critical infrastructure, and send real-time information to emergency teams.
Stan Caldwell, director of the SMART grants program with the U.S. Department of Transportation said drones are being used to “assess the infrastructure, ice roads, bridges, trails and provide that information in real time so that it can be used for search and rescue.”
Alaska received $2 million to launch its drone assessment program and another $12 million to expand it. Even in harsh winter conditions, drones reach areas that would take human teams hours—or days—to safely access. Caldwell explained that during the storm response, “They were able to look at a bridge a thousand miles away in real time in order to make sure that that bridge was operational. They were able to expedite the evacuation.”
