Photo: geospatialworld

From Onlinekhabar English

Photo: geospatialworld.net After a disaster, one of the first calls is often to someone who owns a drone. The request may sound simple: Can you fly over the river? Can you check whether anyone is on that roof? Can you show us what remains of the road? The flight is rarely simple. The August 26 flood in northern Nepal destroyed roads, bridges and communication links across already difficult terrain. The US Geological Survey says a glacial collapse probably triggered the flood and debris flow. The IFRC estimated that about 93,000 people may have been affected, while access problems continued to slow assessments. I followed the response as a filmmaker and drone pilot, not as a member of the rescue operation. That distinction matters. I know how to fly in Nepal and how quickly mountain weather, altitude and signal loss can change a plan. I also know that experience on a film set does not qualify a person to run a search-and-rescue mission. This is where our current gap begins. Nepal has aircraft. It has skilled operators. What it does not yet have is a dependable way to get the right pilot and equipment to an emergency on short notice.