When a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world these days, more than likely a drone is on the scene within minutes to record the event and its aftermath.  Scenes of last week’s devastating tornado in Mississippi are no exception.  Images of collapsed buildings and trapped and rescued residents are circulating across the websites of major broadcast media.

Where such film images might have existed in previous years, either from hand-held cameras or from videographers shooting from helicopters, remotely piloted drones can film continuously and up close in areas inaccessible to road vehicles and conventional aircraft.  They can give viewers an intense and often grim and grueling portrait of the devastation their city has just suffered.

But drones can do much more than simply film a natural disaster – they can also assist with disaster relief and recovery.  In fact, Mississippi has been preparing for recurring tornado damage for several years and has in place an extensive state-level drone infrastructure to ensure that tornado victims in  Mississippi obtain the fastest and most targeted support possible.

It started in 2019, when Mississippi State University (MSU)’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory acquired several TigerShark XP3 drones, built by NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corporation, at a cost of $2 million.  MSU obtained federal research grants to cover most of the expense.  The Lab began working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its state affiliate – the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) – to study the best ways to deploy drones for disaster response. It also formed a partnership with local agencies across the Mississippi Delta to support civic and public safety missions as well as agricultural and environmental work.

MSU’s new TigerShark drones boosted the state’s capabilities dramatically.  Its previous drones could only stay airborne for three to four hours of uninterrupted flight. The TigerSharks were capable of sustained flight for 8-12 hours without refueling.   Their payload capacity was also far superior.  With a large wingspan of 22 feet, and weighing 500 pounds, it could carry cargo weighing up to 100 pounds, sufficient to deliver blankets, medical supplies, food and water, and life preservers to trapped or stranded disaster victims.

As MSU’s Lab Director Dallas Brooks noted at the time,  “Our new drone system will allow our team to carry more equipment, fly at higher altitudes and for a longer period of time, which increases our ability to meet the needs of our federal research partners, as well as to directly support Mississippians in times of emergency….. Every minute in the air is a minute you might be able to find someone that needs medical assistance or evacuation.”

The initial MSU-MEMA collaboration laid the foundation for more continuous  technology development and the acquisition of new more advanced drones.  Nine in all –strategically prepositioned across Mississippi – were operational at the state level by 2021.  Since then, MEMA drone flights have supported local law enforcement agencies in their aerial search-and rescues of  lost and missing persons while providing the critical aerial surveillance and situational awareness needed by first responders during natural disasters and hazardous waste spills.  State officials say dozens of lives have been saved and the health and well-being of entire local communities better protected from dangerous toxic exposures thanks to Mississippi’s ever-expanding drone fleet.

The technology of the MEMA-operated drone fleet has also improved.  Most of the drones are equipped with thermal imaging technology to allow for identification of persons on the ground at night based on their heat signatures alone.  The drones are also stronger and tougher in the face of wind and rain, making it possible to stay airborne even during inclement weather that typically continues in the wake of a major hurricane or tornado event.

MSU has gone on to form a long-term partnership with other state and federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), expanding beyond disaster relief missions to include counter-drone vulnerability assessments and even border security.  MSU’s Rapet Lab has become the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s premier drone technology and flight test center and is now instrumental to the planned integration of drones into the FAA’s evolving air traffic management systems with conventional aircraft.

But right now, it’s Mississippi’s tornado disaster that is front and center for MSU and its federal partners.  MEMA drones are beginning to direct ground crews to the people and areas of greatest need and will become critical to post-tornado damage assessments.  And better drone technology may soon be available to better predict the expected damage from extreme weather events and to preposition rescue supplies in advance of an approaching storm.

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