The U.S. Department of Transportation warned against the use of drones Wednesday amid ongoing post-Hurricane Helene rescue efforts, according to statements.
“Drone pilots: Do not fly your drone near or around rescue and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene,” a statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) begins.
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can interfere with emergency response operations and negatively affect on-the-ground search-and-rescue operations, the statement added.
“Our goal is to make sure that funding is no obstacle to very quickly getting people the relief and the need that they deserve,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg explained in an accompanying video statement. “There’s [sic] also some safety issues that come up. For example, temporary flight restrictions to make sure that the airspace is clear for any flights or drone activity that might be involved in helping to allow those emergency responders to do their job.”
Interfering with emergency response efforts may result in fines or criminal prosecution. Always check Temporary Flight Restrictions before you fly at https://t.co/1ffEZYN28L. https://t.co/4Sda0bsn46
— FAADroneZone (@FAADroneZone) October 2, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also shared maps of restricted zones and warned that flying drones into the zones could attract fines or criminal prosecution. (RELATED: Bureaucrat Allegedly Threatens To Arrest Helicopter Pilot For Flying Unauthorized Rescue Flights In North Carolina)
Drone pilots: Do not fly your drone near or around rescue and recovery efforts for #Helene. Interfering with emergency response operations will cost you. Check Temporary Flight Restrictions before you fly at https://t.co/UgXvCDlhYt. #NorthCarolina #Tennessee #Florida #Georgia pic.twitter.com/EeJaCaU2Ir
— FAADroneZone (@FAADroneZone) September 30, 2024
The statements sparked some backlash online, with several posts telling people, “Do not comply.”
“Pete doesn’t want you to help fellow Americans,” one Twitter user commented.
“Pete doesn’t want you to see how much help people are not getting. Let’s be real honest here,” another comment partly reads.
“It is really important to NOT fly drones in the airspace that contains manned aircraft doing search and rescue,” another commenter replied, in part.
“They’re using drones to FIND SURVIVORS,” comedian Chad Prather posted. (RELATED: Secret Service Repeatedly Rejected Offers To Use Drones At Deadly Trump Rally, Whistleblower Says)
Now 168 hrs post Hurricane Helene landfall.
Civilians flying drones to get supplies to remote areas.
Civilians flying their own rotary wing assets and funding the operations.
Ask @CoryMillsFL what happened when they were flying rescue recovery missions, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/4Ua83iqElh— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) October 3, 2024
Russell Hedrick, a Hickory, North Carolina-based farmer, posted a video of a drone lifting what appeared to be supplies over a washed-out road to a mountainside home. Thanking SpaceX founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk for providing Starlink internet connectivity, Hedrick said in part, “Isolation is hard, isolation in a disaster is something that’s hard to describe.”
I sincerely hope that @elonmusk sees this. I don’t have to have a reply but thank you. Isolation is hard, isolation in a disaster is something that’s hard to describe. We got a star link form @TheShawnHendrix and Elon gave us data to save people.
Thank you
Bestway Drone team pic.twitter.com/FQ5qZ6Zj2M— Russell Hedrick (@CoverCropNC) October 3, 2024
The University of South Carolina baseball team meteorologist Chris Jackson shared a video of a Sep. 30 map of helicopter traffic in western North Carolinian skies. “Also one huge thing to note here. Most of these helicopters are civilian,” he wrote, adding that he wanted to acknowledge civilians for assisting the federal government that is “doing their fare [sic] share”.
Here’s 14hrs of helicopter traffic from yesterday of the ongoing #Helene rescue effort in western North Carolina. Loop begins at 7:30am and goes through 9:30pm.
Added in Hickory (KHKY) ATC traffic for some background noise. Unfortunately the LiveATC feed for Asheville approach… pic.twitter.com/9WVmfrvO1b
— ☈ Chris Jackson ☈ (@ChrisJacksonSC) October 1, 2024
Several individuals involved in civilian rescue operations — including veteran Tim Kennedy of the humanitarian organization Save Our Allies and Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills — alleged that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and President Joe Biden’s aerial tour of Helene-ravaged North Carolina hindered their efforts in various ways, according to FOX Business reporter Dagen McDowell.
Mountain Mule Packer Ranch is a company based in North Carolina that provides pack mules for military missions. The company has been using its mules to get donated food, lights, tarps, batteries and other supplies to stranded residents in Black Mountain and Swannanoa, NC. This is… pic.twitter.com/A367gP3rlI
— Dr. Clayton Forrester (@DrClaytonForre1) October 2, 2024
The mirror that caught our attention well over a mile away 👀 only way we we were able to find someone stranded in the mountains at bottom of steep canyon. 6 attempts to land due to difficulty but we got there – got him a chainsaw, EpiPens, insulin, chicken food, formula, gas, 2… pic.twitter.com/Wdl4w7hMZM
— Greg Biffle (@gbiffle) October 3, 2024
They can be invaluable in providing post-disaster relief. They can be flown into debris and narrow spaces in collapsed buildings, as well as areas partially submerged in floodwaters, where humans cannot directly go themselves. Drones also harvest information and create maps for rescue teams on the ground, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Determining who is responsible in the event that a drone malfunctions or the operators makes an incorrect decision can be challenging for the legal world, according to the IEEE.
There are also concerns about government surveillance and civilian voyeurism with drone use, according to the International Association of Defense Counsel.