See how drones can save lives
Dan Mattix reports
ST. Petersburg, Fla. – In a building on the St. Pete waterfront, scientists are looking at data that could save lives during hurricanes.
NOAA Director John Cortinas said his agency is working with the Saildrone company to launch a mission that will allow people to see hurricanes that cannot be seen by humans.
This is the second time NOAA and Saildrone have teamed up for a hurricane mission.
Cyldrone sends drones and seaplanes simultaneously above and below the water for views.
The drones read storm surges, wind speeds, water temperatures and currents to help scientists better understand how the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico transfers energy to the storm.
Cyldron has deployed unmanned air and water planes to monitor storm surges.
Cortinas said, “It really helps to understand how storms form. It’s very difficult if it’s not possible to collect data at that interface, and it’s very important, because this is where the power transmission helps to mitigate these storms.”
A decade ago, a tropical system had to be aligned with a sensor in the ocean to get the same reading. Now, drones can remotely navigate into the eye of the storm.
Last year, during Hurricane Sam, a Category 4 storm, a drone was able to fly into the eye of the system and provide the first-of-its-kind footage and data.
The drone escaped unscathed as the tornado reached speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
Seven Cyldrone machines take off from downtown St. Pete to join underwater skimmers and land surfaces, providing superior data on future storms.
