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Dozens Of Drones Surveil Houston For Damage After Hurricane Harvey (usatoday.com)
An anonymous reader quotes MIT Technology Review:
AT&T is using drones to inspect its cellular towers for damage, while insurance companies like Allstate and Farmers are rolling out their own fleets to follow up on claims... Rescue operations are benefitting, too. According to Axios, the company DroneDeploy is sending out vehicles to produce detailed 3-D maps that can help navigate the watery chaos. The company claims it can speed up rescue operations by providing imagery that allows rescuers to see around buildings and beneath tree cover.
The drones can fly high-definition cameras, and there's now dozens of them flying over Houston, reports USA Today: By Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized 43 drone operators in Harvey's wake, for recovery efforts and for news organizations covering it... Eight approvals went to a railroad company to survey damage along tracks running through Houston. Five went to oil or energy companies to look for damage to fuel tanks, power lines and other facilities. Emergency-management officials are checking damage to roads, bridges and water-treatment plants... The FAA has also prohibited private drone pilots from flying in a broad area around Houston to avoid areas where emergency aircraft such as rescue helicopters are plucking people from rooftops or searching for survivors.
The drones can fly high-definition cameras, and there's now dozens of them flying over Houston, reports USA Today: By Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized 43 drone operators in Harvey's wake, for recovery efforts and for news organizations covering it... Eight approvals went to a railroad company to survey damage along tracks running through Houston. Five went to oil or energy companies to look for damage to fuel tanks, power lines and other facilities. Emergency-management officials are checking damage to roads, bridges and water-treatment plants... The FAA has also prohibited private drone pilots from flying in a broad area around Houston to avoid areas where emergency aircraft such as rescue helicopters are plucking people from rooftops or searching for survivors.
I was wondering how on Earth we would get some pictures of the damage
when they see a drone in flight in a restricted zone?
HLM (Houston Lives matter) is a terrorist organization trying to kill western sufferers of wildfires. Why do Houston lives matter more than everyone else? Arrest them all as terrorists. HLM is a registered terrorist organization with Interpol. Why doesn't the President condemn these terrorists?
If that logic doesn't work for HLM, what kind of racist must you be to assert it doesn't work for BLM?
fuck you. Just because we don't vote your way doesn't mean we aren't human beings. I'm grabbing the fucking shooter and coming your way... look for it
You tell'em Billy-Bob!! You and Bubba-Ray should hook up with Cletus. He's got a new F-350 Diesel painted in Tactical Black. Cabela's gots a sale on .223 and WOoooooo Weeeeeeee we's can load up our ARs get in back'a Cletus' truck and Roll some Coal on the way and smoke them liberuls in thar Prius' homo-mobiles!
And then we's can start pick'n off them dones. You's just knows it them gubbermint folks spy'in on us!
Fight teariny!! That's was what we's gots to do!
This is the kind of story that is supposed to be on Slashdot - Using a new (or relatively new) technology in a new (or relatively new) way.
Where's the Google air boat with cams on top? We need an update of the Houston roads! I can't find my house now that the address sign is under water. Google help me!
Don't withdraw from Paris climate accord!
Don't open more coal mines!
Comb your wig!
Easy to talk sh*t about a thing when you're not impacted by it. Since I'm sitting right in the worst hit area, my thoughts on the matter likely differ from yours. See how fucking funny you think it is when it's your home that's six feet under water. Then the Army Core of Engineers mention it might be this way for MONTHS.
It's quite the feeling.
That said:
Hobby drones with live video feeds are invaluable to get into flooded areas where debris ( like a submerged fucking CAR ) makes boat navigation rather difficult.
It allowed locals to survey the damage in the surrounding area day + 1 and make a determination about the evac route.
The fact that folks can go all stereotype and make fun of anyone after a disaster such as this tells me everything I need to know about our species.
There ARE now dozens...
Progressive Railroading reports that Union Pacific is using those drones to survey for track "washouts" and such damage.
Washouts are when the rock and such underneath the tracks is washed away, especially where the track bridges streams and rivers. The rail road companies lay down large (1 yard or more) pipe for the streams to flow through, then building up sand/rock/gravel into a "road bed" to lay tracks on, to bridge these small streams and rivers. When that goes in major flooding, all you have left is rail and the wood/concrete "ties"... and that's not strong enough for heavy (several tons) of engine and track cars.
Houston isn't the only one that had that. New York's Metro North Railroad had washouts on it's Port Jervis line north of the NY/NJ border during Hurricane Irene in 2011.
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# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
I hereby propose to build a Ship Canal from Texan floods to the Californian wildfires It's just water in the wrong place. Forms a second "liquid wall" to complement the first one, for which it can it provide the large quantity of rock for the Mexican wall. Improves the transport infrastructure, Handy income from the shipping to pay for it. Mulitple birds, one stone. I hereby claim my free T-shirt.
skyvector.com shows all TFRs. I'm not seeing any over Houston other than a very tiny spot.