Allows Aerial Views Of Areas Cut Off From Ground Transportation

In the wake of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through rural Alabama Sunday, rescuers deployed drones into areas that were otherwise inaccessible to look for survivors and assess damage.

USA Today reports that Lee County, AL Sheriff Jay Jones said his department has been using drones for a "couple of years" but this is the first time they have been deployed for "extensive search and recovery. It gave us an overhead view of areas that we might’ve missed had we been at eye level on land," Sheriff Jones said.

Jones said that the small aircraft made searching for survivors much more efficient. Given the wide swath of damage caused by the storms, that was important.

In Lee County, Opelika, AL Fire Chief Byron Prather said that drones equipped with infrared sensors helped greatly in directing first responders to places where people needed to be rescued. "Ten years ago, it wasn't available," Prather said. That's technology helping us do our job better."

Chris Darden, who was a part of the team that helped test drones as a damage assessment tool when he led the National Weather Service Office in Huntsville, AL, was on the ground in hard-het Beauregard, AL following the storm. He said that the NWS was also planning to use drones to get a better handle on the storm's path and damage it caused. "Sometimes, it can take a tragedy to open your eyes to new tools you have available," he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report