sUAS Flights Generate 13,000+ Photos
for Puerto Rico Earthquake Response
Civil Air Patrol provided more than 13,000 aerial photographs taken from small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), more commonly referred to as drones, in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
Locations selected by FEMA were photographed by CAP sUAS team members. Flying no higher than 400 feet above ground level, the sUAS are equipped with high-resolution photo and video cameras, depending on the need.
Three two-member sUAS teams, each consisting of a mission pilot and a technician, and a unit leader deployed Jan. 9 following a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began two days earlier. A second group of seven CAP members arrived in Puerto Rico to staff sUAS operations Jan. 19, replacing the original team members, and completed its assignments Jan. 27.
