Courtesy Photo | Imagery captured by the ERDC UAS team on Oct. 14 shows the damaged caused by flooding...... read more read more
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By: Tim Reeves, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Research and Development Center
As responders continue to help North Carolina communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, a team from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, is providing high-quality aerial imagery to guide recovery efforts.
The ERDC Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (ERDC UAS) team has been deployed to three mountainous counties in northwest North Carolina, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is helping clear roadways that have been obstructed by floodwaters and mudslides. These aerial images are providing responders with a clearer and more complete bird’s-eye view of the damage.
“This data we are collecting, much of it in areas that are very rural, will be used to pinpoint routes that can be cleared and reach areas, and people, in need of assistance,” Jenny Laird, ERDC UAS program manager, said.
Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that made landfall on Florida’s northern Gulf Coast Sept. 26, also brought torrential rain and flooding much further inland, inflicting massive destruction in the Appalachian region of Tennessee and North Carolina. By Sept. 28, hundreds of roads were blocked across western North Carolina because of flooding and other damage.
The request for UAS support came from Soldiers with the 27th Engineer Battalion (27th EN BN), who were in North Carolina as part of Task Force Castle. Handling the request was the USACE Reachback Operations Center (UROC) at ERDC.
The UROC, along with USACE headquarters and the Field Force Engineering (FFE) program, and in working with the 27th EN BN, pulled together the mission requirements that were quickly approved by USACE Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations Brig. Gen. Kirk Gibbs.
“When you see the USACE technology blended with our engineer Soldiers on the ground, it demonstrates the incredible impact that cohesive and proficient engineering teams can have when delivering solutions to problems wherever they are,” said Gibbs.
Through this implementation of FFE, the ERDC UAS team was on-site and collecting imagery within 48 hours of mission approval.
“The areas we are working are more rural,” Laird said. “There may be imagery of the impassable areas from helicopters flying over, or from a satellite, but maybe some of the resolution is not good enough and it didn’t capture some of these smaller communities that are being blocked.
“Our capabilities allow us to hone in and help get to areas where an immediate bird’s-eye view is needed.”
ERDC’s research, testing and experience with the latest in UAS technology allowed the team to rapidly deploy the right personnel and equipment to meet the mission. The team is using two UAS platforms, a small quadcopter for imagery and a fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for more detailed mapping and surveying.
“The dedication and expertise of our pilots are exceptional in their commitment to supporting emergency management missions,” Maj. Mark Wetsel, ERDC UAS pilot, said. “Their ability to provide real-time data, high-resolution imagery, and critical situational awareness makes them an invaluable asset to emergency management and USACE operations.”
Laird said the team can provide detailed orthomosaic maps and high-resolution 4K video and imagery of impeded roads and damaged terrain to the larger USACE team within 24 hours of collecting the data. These products include digital elevation models to illuminate impassable roads and damaged bridges and to reveal the location of various impediments, such as trees, mudslides and other debris.
“This type of capability is something we have grown into,” Laird said. “We have the experience of having responded to numerous Blue Roof missions and hurricane efforts. We’ve earned the respect because of our ability to respond quickly and provide the right information to the decision makers.”
Working in hard-hit Watauga, Avery and Buncombe counties, the team’s mapping and surveying efforts will not only help responders better reach people in need of assistance, but will also help support recovery efforts, such as clearing bus routes so schools can reopen.
ERDC, USACE and the Engineer Regiment will continue working in partnership with the local, state, and federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. While these Army Engineers bring rapid and robust capabilities to emergency responses, they are just one piece of a larger federal, Army and DOD team working to support the affected communities.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 21:38 |
| Story ID: | 483488 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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