New York City has moved beyond traditional methods of emergency communication, trading in the bullhorn for cutting-edge technology. To alert residents about potential weather dangers, city officials are now deploying drones equipped with loudspeakers.
With a faint buzzing in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker hovers over neighborhoods, broadcasting warnings to those living in basement or ground-floor apartments about the threat of heavy rainfall, as reported by AP.
“Be prepared to leave your location,” says the voice from the sky in footage released Tuesday by the city’s emergency management agency. “If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.”
To cover neighborhoods prone to flooding, the city has dispatched five teams, each with several drones. According to Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner, these warnings are being delivered in multiple languages and will continue until weather conditions make drone flights unsafe.
Flash floods have proven deadly for New Yorkers residing in basement apartments, which can become death traps during severe rainstorms. In 2021, eleven people tragically drowned in such homes during the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
These drone warnings are part of a broader strategy that also includes social media alerts, text notifications, and a communication network that reaches over 2,000 community organizations across the city. These organizations support seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable 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, who describes himself as a “tech geek,” has been a strong advocate for incorporating technology into city management. His administration has used drones to monitor large crowds and spot sharks at city beaches.
Additionally, the NYPD has experimented with robotics under his leadership, briefly using a robot to patrol the Times Square subway station and deploying a robotic dog in dangerous situations, such as during the 2023 Manhattan parking garage collapse.
With a faint buzzing in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker hovers over neighborhoods, broadcasting warnings to those living in basement or ground-floor apartments about the threat of heavy rainfall, as reported by AP.
“Be prepared to leave your location,” says the voice from the sky in footage released Tuesday by the city’s emergency management agency. “If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.”
To cover neighborhoods prone to flooding, the city has dispatched five teams, each with several drones. According to Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner, these warnings are being delivered in multiple languages and will continue until weather conditions make drone flights unsafe.
Flash floods have proven deadly for New Yorkers residing in basement apartments, which can become death traps during severe rainstorms. In 2021, eleven people tragically drowned in such homes during the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
These drone warnings are part of a broader strategy that also includes social media alerts, text notifications, and a communication network that reaches over 2,000 community organizations across the city. These organizations support seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable 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, who describes himself as a “tech geek,” has been a strong advocate for incorporating technology into city management. His administration has used drones to monitor large crowds and spot sharks at city beaches.
Additionally, the NYPD has experimented with robotics under his leadership, briefly using a robot to patrol the Times Square subway station and deploying a robotic dog in dangerous situations, such as during the 2023 Manhattan parking garage collapse.
