Here at DRMP, we are always striving to be one step ahead. That premise was put to the test last October when a natural disaster directly affected our community. We were able to take our surveying and mapping capabilities and use them in a new way—to assess damage and help local officials make real-time decisions to help residents get the help they needed as soon as possible.

I saw the destruction of Hurricane Michael on TV, but it wasn’t until I witnessed it with my own eyes that I understood the damage it caused when I arrived in Panama City Beach, Fla. The roads were thick with debris and homes were swept off their foundations. Florida’s Panhandle was the center of all the damage caused by the Category 5 hurricane.

You see hurricanes like this on the news and then you’re standing there with the damage and everything is completely demolished. It was devastating, to be honest.

Already under a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) General Engineering Contract (GEC) with Atkins Global, DRMP was requested to provide Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) services, commonly referred to as a drone, to survey the aftermath and provide real-time footage of the damage.

We were one of the first crews to arrive the morning after the hurricane. Hans Knoepfel, LSIT, CST III, DRMP Crew Chief, and I each flew an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) over several roads from Panama City Beach to Carrabelle while officials had a front-seat view. By providing real-time footage, officials were able to make critical determinations on what roads needed to be restored on the spot. The footage was later saved to FDOT’s system.

Before UAV technology, actual crews would perform conventional surveys and relay the information and that information wouldn’t be able to be used until a day or two later delaying restoration efforts. With the UAV, they’re getting real-time data and making real-time decisions. Having access to this technology at DRMP allows us to take our surveying and mapping capabilities and apply them to unconventional, but highly useful situations, such as natural disasters and damage assessment.