Current:Home > MyNew Yorkers are warned from the skies about impending danger from storms as city deploys drones-InfoLens
New Yorkers are warned from the skies about impending danger from storms as city deploys drones
View Date:2024-12-23 16:32:56
NEW YORK (AP) — Gone is the bullhorn. Instead, New York City emergency management officials have turned high-tech, using drones to warn residents about potential threatening weather.
On Tuesday, with a buzzing sound in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker flew over homes warning people who live in basement or ground-floor apartments about impending heavy rains.
“Be prepared to leave your location,” said the voice from the sky in footage released by the city’s emergency management agency. “If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.”
About five teams with multiple drones each were deployed to specific neighborhoods prone to flooding. Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner, said the messages were being relayed in multiple languages. They were expected to continue until the weather impacted the drone flights.
Flash floods have been deadly for New Yorkers living in basement apartments, which can quickly fill up in a deluge. Eleven people drowned in such homes in 2011 amid rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
The drones are in addition to other forms of emergency messaging, including social media, text alerts and a system that reaches more than 2,000 community-based organizations throughout the city that serve senior citizens, people with disabilities and other groups.
“You know, we live in a bubble, and we have to meet people where they are in notifications so they can be prepared,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Adams is a self-described “tech geek” whose administration has tapped drone technology to monitor large gatherings as well as to search for sharks on beaches. Under his watch, the city’s police department also briefly toyed with using a robot to patrol the Times Square subway station, and it has sometimes deployed a robotic dog to dangerous scenes, including the Manhattan parking garage that collapsed in 2023.
veryGood! (33596)
Related
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- Worker trapped under rubble after construction accident in Kentucky
- Research reveals China has built prototype nuclear reactor to power aircraft carrier
- Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Phillippe Introduces Adorable New Family Member
- Don't Miss Cameron Diaz's Return to the Big Screen Alongside Jamie Foxx in Back in Action Trailer
- Shaun White Reveals How He and Fiancée Nina Dobrev Overcome Struggles in Their Relationship
- Congress heard more testimony about UFOs: Here are the biggest revelations
- Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
Ranking
- IAT Community Introduce
- Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
- Louisiana man kills himself and his 1-year-old daughter after a pursuit
- Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
- Wisconsin agency issues first round of permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around reservation
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Good Try (Freestyle)
- 32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
- Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
Recommendation
-
PSA: Coach Outlet Has Stocking Stuffers, Gifts Under $100 & More for the Holidays RN (up to 60% Off)
-
Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
-
32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
-
Advocacy group sues Tennessee over racial requirements for medical boards
-
What do nails have to say about your health? Experts answer your FAQs.
-
Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
-
Dick Van Dyke says he 'fortunately' won't be around for Trump's second presidency
-
Nelly will not face charges after St. Louis casino arrest for drug possession