Following the wake of the destruction of Hurricane Harvey and also the havoc caused by Hurricane Irma, thousands of people have found themselves without electricity and even more have been without the means to communicate with loved ones and family. The massive storms have caused outages for phone, internet, and television signals across the regions most heavily hit by the raging weather. Major service providers have been hard at work to get their customers back online despite issues with flooding and accessing cell towers that have become hard to reach because of the debris that is blocking the standard routes. One of their most invaluable sources of aid is coming from an unlikely source: emergency drones.

AT&T and Verizon, two of the nations biggest communications providers have confirmed that they are using drones to help their crews in this stressful and chaotic time and the drones have been incredibly helpful with the emergency efforts. Some of the tasks the relief drones have been taking on include: assessing the best routes to get to the damaged towers and even zooming in on towers to determine exactly where damage has occurred and what kind of repairs will be needed. This has been helpful in providing crews with the kind of detailed information they need to get to the towers efficiently and bring the proper equipment and tools to repair the damage.

Use of drones during emergency relief efforts actually started back in October of last year following Hurricane Matthew, according to Kate Harris, a spokesperson at Verizon. She recalled that the drones were able to take critical images via video of a cell tower which would have taken days to access and then get up and working. The drone saved them countless hours by showing the crew that it actually wasn’t damaged but simply in need of fuel.

In fact, the use of drones in emergency relief situations has been so successful that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has even devised an entire set of new regulations regarding the use of drones in and around any region that has been declared a state of emergency. For instance, there are restrictions prohibiting hobbyists or other people who fly drones for recreational purposes, from flying drones during times of emergencies. However, the FAA will “recruit” and register government, commercial, or nonprofit drones to assist with relief efforts. The administration also will map the flight plans of the drones so as to avoid collisions.

Using drones for help in emergencies has also become a valuable way for other emergency organizations like the Red Cross and emergency departments such as fire departments, to assess damage and assist emergency crews. Their reliability, efficiency, and accuracy has also led other types of businesses to rely on the assistance of drones. Railroad companies, insurance agencies, and even journalism groups are all using drones to help assess and report back on damage which helps in the filing of claims and in providing real time, factual information. With the positive impact that drones have been having on relief efforts, it is likely that they will continue to be used in the future and most likely will take on even more instrumental roles.