CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A test-site research team from the Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence & Innovation (LSUASC) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been dispatched to Wimberley, Texas, to conduct low-altitude research flights in the wake of devastating flooding.
The town of Wimberley, about 30 miles southwest of Austin, was struck May 25 by heavy flooding along the Blanco River. More than 400 homes were destroyed. Four deaths were reported in Hays County and at least eight people reported missing. Nineteen storm-related deaths were reported in Texas and Oklahoma and 14 in Mexico.
“Our hearts go out to those who have suffered great losses in Hays County,” said Dr. Flavius Killebrew, President and CEO of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “We are making every effort to support recovery efforts there with tools we believe will be of value to state and local emergency-management personnel.”
The specific mission will perform real-time aerial searches for missing persons, livestock and vehicles, said Jerry Hendrix, Chief Engineer for the LSUASC test site and leader of the research team.
“We will survey land areas, including bridge and critical infrastructure and roadways,” he said. “It will be a general aerial assessment of damage due to storm and flooding.”
The LSUASC test-site team of three people will be based at a private ranch about five miles north of Wimberley to conduct low-altitude flights to assess damages related to the deadly storm that flooded the Blanco River.
The research “will assist in determining the process for use of UAS as a rapid-response tool in natural emergencies and the value of operating at 200 feet or less for aerial surveillance under such conditions,” Hendrix said.
The research vehicles include: An AscTec Falcon 8 provided by HUVRData of Austin, Texas, equipped with high-definition video and thermal-imaging cameras and multispectral sensors; a senseFly eBee provided by Urban Engineering of Corpus Christi equipped with a 16-megapixel camera and a 12-megapixel near-infrared camera; and a DJI Phantom quad-copter provided by A&M-Corpus Christi’s iCORE Lab and the University’s College of Science and Engineering equipped with a 16-megapixel video camera and a forward-looking infrared camera.
The FAA recently authorized its six UAS test sites to conduct small UAS research operations anywhere in the United States at altitudes less than 200 feet using any remotely-piloted aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds. The test sites are located in Texas, Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota, Virginia, and New York. The Texas test site is operated by the LSUASC headquartered at A&M-Corpus Christi.
“This new authorization gives us a great deal of latitude in assisting state agencies as they test UAS capabilities in fulfilling their statutory missions,” said Dr. Luis Cifuentes, Vice President for Research, Commercialization and Outreach at A&M-Corpus Christi and Interim Executive Director of LSUASC. “Our test-site program has been designed by the FAA to support government agencies and private-sector companies as they safely integrate UAS into their operations.”
Great that the UAS research groups are involved but, so are the “old school” air assets. This from CAP headquarters.
Civil Air Patrol Returns to the Skies Over Flooded Areas of Texas
MONDAY, 25 MAY 2015 BY JOHANNA AUGUSTINE
Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol returned to the air on Sunday after dangerous storms swept across Texas on Saturday.
A Texas Department of Transportation bridge engineer flew along with a CAP aircrew from San Marcos to survey damage along the Blanco River from Kendall County through the city of Blanco. Damage noted were 2 washed out bridges, 1 damaged bridge and damage to a dam.
Aircrews from Kerrville and Victoria flew survey missions along the Nueces River from Asherton to Corpus Christi. Over 2,000 photographs were taken along the 315 mile route. An Aircrew from Sugarland provided communications support for the 2 missions along the Nueces River.
All photographs are sent electronically to the State Operation Center in Austin for review, but due to the larger than normal data files, special arrangements were made to transport the data cards via aircraft.
An aircrew from San Antonio rendezvous with the 2 reconnaissance aircraft in Cotulla to retrieve the data cards and transport them directly to Austin where the imagery will be reviewed.
Information obtained from the imagery will used to determine where to perform search-and-clear operations and where potential search-and-rescue missions might be needed. Areas of interest are where people may become stranded and require assistance and roadbeds, pipelines, water treatment facilities and power transmission structures that are impacted by high water.
Aerial missions will continue throughout today.
“We expect to fly a Texas Task Force 1 radio repeater in the vicinity of San Marcos to support TTF1 river rescue operations,” Texas Wing Director of Emergency Services Maj. Steve Robertson said. “We expect to conduct aerial photography of the Pecos River Basin from Red Bluff Reservoir to City of Pecos and surrounding area to determine extent of river flooding.”
Robertson also stated the Texas Wing expects to fly the Nueces River from Three Rivers to Calallen and Nueces Bay looking specifically for residences and infrastructure impacted by flooding as it move down river.
CAP may receive more tasking as flooding worsens along the Red River.
Texas Wing has 33 aircraft and 3,200 volunteers available to assist the State of Texas and other agencies.