Tech from San Francisco drone company helps in Camp Fire recovery

Even months later California is still reeling from the Camp Fire, and not many people know the story about how drone technology helped both save and rebuild lives during the fire season.

In response to the Camp Fires, the Butte County Sheriff's office partnered with DroneDeplo, a San Francisco-based drone software startup, to coordinate the largest drone disaster response in history.

Here's how drones helped in the aftermath of the fire and why they'll be a crucial tool next fire season:

• Aerial data from DroneDeploy (over 10K+ mapped acres) quickly identified areas of concern for key responders in planning and responding to the mudslides that resulted from the fires. Drones can process large amounts of data much faster than humans — pinpointing the areas in which fire responders should focus their efforts.
• Drone data expedited response times to speed up ongoing search and rescue efforts. It also helped fire, police, FEMA, and emergency response teams process insights faster — speeding up the issuance of FEMA relief funds to families.
• Drones freed up human surveyors, helping authorities assess damage faster and speeding up disaster recovery to get wildfire victims back on their feet.

For more information on the largest coordinated drone disaster response in history, visit https://blog.dronedeploy.com/supporting-the-relief-efforts-of-californias-most-destructive-wildfire-from-above-7c50c1128108