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As the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaches, New Jersey has introduced new technology to help keep key resources up and running in adverse weather.
“We were able to fly through the air with drones and see things like flooded walls and flooded pumps. We were able to provide the information we needed without having to do anything,” said Chris Kahn of American Water.
However, in order to fly drones in the event of a disaster, it is necessary to omit complicated regulatory procedures. This was the purpose of a seminar held at the National Aerospace Research and Technology Park adjacent to Atlantic City Airport in Egg Harbor Township.
“There are millions of dollars worth of new technology that cannot actually be deployed because there are no policies and procedures to approve when and how the plane will fly, who will fly it and who will use it.” That’s it,” says Howard Kyle, president of the National Aerospace Research and Technology Park. Officials say a plan needs to be put in place to put each agency on the same page from the federal level to the local level ahead of the next Sandy or Ida strike.
“New Jersey American Water is working with the State Police, OEMs and the FAA to use technology in breakthrough ways to provide our customers with resilient, safe and affordable water despite severe weather. “We are committed to continuing to provide water to our customers every day,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water.
“People like us can put drones in the air and see places that we might not be able to get to right away,” said Mark Pino, deputy coordinator for the Atlantic County Emergency Management Agency.
Simulated drone emergency training can now stream real-time data from utility companies to first responders, OEM coordinators, and federal agencies.