AV News: Drones Helping Hurricane Harvey Recovery Efforts

Cities in Texas are drying out from one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the U.S. in recent history and drone pilots are there, helping out. Right after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas coast, the FAA asked drone pilots to stay away. Now that's changed; the agency has cleared more than three dozen groups to fly in damaged areas. They include energy companies, and media outlets. AirVuz contributor Reagan Gillespie is using his Phantom 4 to document the destruction. As the fourth largest city in the U.S., Houston is getting the most attention. But the flooding and damage is much more widespread. Reagan is flying in Lumberton, a small city north of Beaumont. That's about one hundred miles northeast of Houston. Reagan says this situation was the perfect time to fly his drone. He's aware of the rescue operations going on, including helicopters flying - in fact he's been asked to help them. He describes himself as a hobby pilot, and while the hurricane has put rescue efforts on a big stage, this isn't the first time Reagan has put his drone in the air for a good cause. Coordinating with law enforcement and getting their okay is essential in this sort of situation. Do that, and like Reagan, you can help your community if a tragedy hits. You can help the storm victims- the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are among the many national charities helping out. The New York Times has a link to those and other vetted charities here. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Kendall Mark: 00:03 Cities in Texas are drying out after one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the US in recent history, and drone pilots are there helping out. Kendall Mark: 00:12 Right after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas coast the FFA asked drone pilots to stay away. Now that's changed. The agency has cleared more than three dozen groups to fly in damaged areas. They include energy companies and media outlets. AirVūz contributor, Reagan Gillespie, used his Phantom 4 to document the destruction. Reagan G.: 00:33 It's just so surreal to actually see it and know that you're trapped and that everybody's, you know, everything's flooded. It's just, it's not, I still can't wrap my mind around it. Kendall Mark: 00:40 As the fourth largest city in the US, Houston is getting most of the attention, but the flooding and damage is much more widespread. Reagan is flying in Lumberton, a small city north of Beaumont, that's about 100 miles northeast of Houston. Reagan G.: 00:54 We're able to find a two year old little girl, um, with her family and they were able to send a rescue boat out to them. We found about two or three pets, uh, and, uh, a lot of people just want to see their homes to see the bad damage. Um, but like I said, most of all their homes are completely covered all the way up to the roofs. Reagan G.: 01:09 Since we're an island, I try to get as close as I can to where the, you know, the water, you know, starts, and I'll try to talk to the police. And I'll park my vehicle on the side so I can get as far out as I can. You know? Uh, radius. So I just go to each side of the island, uh, where we are now and I just park the car where the water and I just coordinate. And then I'll fly after that. Kendall Mark: 01:29 Reagan says this situation was the perfect time to fly his drone. You heard him mentioning coordinating. Yes, he's aware of the rescue operations going on, including helicopters flying. Reagan G.: 01:39 The Marines are here. Uh, the police is here. Uh, even the State Troopers so I just communicate with them and, and they're real good. They let me, you know, fly the drone. We just watch for all the helicopters that are constantly landing but, uh, I talked with all the law enforcement and they're okay with it, so I've worked with them and they've been more than kind to let me, uh, help people. They've been more than willing to help and they've wanted us to help, um, so we can see what's going around and, you know, try to help the community. Reagan G.: 02:05 So, they haven't been threatened or they haven't had a problem at all with our, our local area here. Don't be scared. You know? It doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no. It's just you got to get out there and let them know you're here to help and sometimes they'll, uh, let you help like this, you know, this experience. Kendall Mark: 02:18 He described himself as a hobby pilot and while the hurricane has put rescue efforts on a big stage, this isn't the first time Reagan has put his drone in the air for a good cause. Reagan G.: 02:27 There was a lost lady at a nursing home and a lost pet one time. But I mean, other than that, I just use it for, you know, just scenery and making videos around the community. So this is the first big, uh, rescue stuff I've been able to do. Kendall Mark: 02:40 Coordinating with law enforcement and getting their okay is essential in this sort of situation. Do that, and like Reagan, you can help your community if tragedy hits. Reagan G.: 02:49 It's overwhelming. I guess it's, you know, your heart goes out to all these people and as soon as I put it up, you know, everybody saw it and started trying to come up, you know, wanting help. So I, it's just overwhelming all the people that are so lost out there and they've lost everything. Uh, it's just overwhelming. Kendall Mark: 03:04 You can help out the storm victims too. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are among many national charities that are helping out. The New York Times has a link to those websites and to other vetted charities. Where you can find that link is right below in the description for our story. Kendall Mark: 03:19 At AirVūz News, I'm Kendall Mark.