New York City Deploys Drones for Heavy Rainfall, Flooding Alerts

New York City officials have employed air drones to alert residents about oncoming heavy rainfalls and flooding to prevent casualties and further damages from the growing number of weather disasters in the city.

On a cloudy Wednesday morning, drones equipped with loudspeakers were deployed across the city advising affected residents to "be prepared to leave your location" amid continuous rainstorm downpours.

Many parts of the New York state are currently suffering from severe thunderstorms and flash floods as Tropical Storm Debby continues to affect extreme weather conditions in the region.

New York City Heightens Emergency Response Amid Severe Rainfalls

According to The New York Times, the severe weather has already split at least one tree in Queens, flooded several apartment buildings in the Bronx, and even trapped one car in a flood expressway.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the city's emergency management agency said that the announcements will continue until the weather makes it impossible for the drones to fly.

City officials have already deployed text message alerts to over 2,000 communities in addition to regular updates on its social media pages in an effort to minimize damages.

The heightened efforts can be seen as the city's increased prioritization of disaster response after 11 people drowned during a flash flood in 2021.

New York City Officials Employ Hi-Tech Equipment for Emergency Response

The deployment of air drones was not the first time the city employed new technology to innovate its emergency response to its 8.336 million constituents.

The city government has earlier used drones to monitor large gatherings last Labor Day to respond quickly to emergency calls.

Despite privacy concerns about the drone stunt, New York City added robot patrols in New York subways but later recalled it after completing its test runs.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain and a self-declared "tech geek," continues to insist on the application of new technology to law enforcement and disaster response.