Exploring the Use of Drones in Disaster Management

Drones are already beginning to change the way first responders are taking choices about how they respond to emergencies in part due to the drones ability to have much quicker access to the location than responders on foot, while providing an extremely rapid visual contact from above, and assessment of the emergency scene. Drones are able to be on scene and obtaining useful aerial information typically within minutes. Drones are also able to assess buildings and roads following an earthquake, and can provide directions for the safest access routes into an area. Take those floods in India and Bangladesh – drones were lifesavers! They found towns that needed help ASAP, kept tabs on the water levels, and even spotted when mudslides or disease outbreaks might occur. Because of drones, rescues got done faster after that disaster, and that meant communities could recover quicker. But with their popularity growing and success from many case studies having been achieved, widescale application of drones in the management of disasters has some boundaries and restrictions.