NCDOT to study pre-positioning drones before major storms like Hurricane Helene

HAYWOOD COUNTY, North Carolina -- Thanks to a federal grant, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is looking into positioning drones before storms hit.

It is all part of an effort to respond to needs more quickly. NCDOT's "drone in a box" pilot program comes courtesy of a $1.1-million federal grant.

"We are going to use it to test out drone technology and see how we can better use it to respond more quickly after natural disasters like Hurricane Helene," said NCDOT spokesman Jamie Kritzer.

He says the funding can lift their existing drone usage to a new level. The drone-in-a-box program would pre-position drones in key areas around the state in advance of a storm. Immediately after the storm passes, the drones could be remotely launched to quickly collect vital information such as pictures of the extent of landslides, downed trees, road damage and bridge damage.

"They'd be able to haul in say insulin or other medicines that people may need. The quicker the better, because people's lives are at risk," Kritzer said.

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Kritzer says Lumberton will be the location for testing the drone in a box program, a location hit hard by Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. He says the pilot program will start with six drones and the plan is to conduct studies and research and collect input from residents.

Kritzer also says that with each storm, more lessons are learned.

"Hurricane Helene illustrated just how important not only fixed-wing aircraft but also helicopters and drones are," he said.

These are tools, Kritzer says, that are increasingly vital as weather patterns change.

"Climate changes are bringing about much more frequent and much more powerful storms," he said.

Having drones pre-placed and ready to help faster is the goal.

"Anything we can do to... increase our ability to respond and get critical things to people that need it the most, we're all about that," said Kritzer.

He expects the pilot program to be underway during the first quarter of this new year.

Featured video is from a previous report.