The Northern Plains UAS Test Site is assisting in tornado recovery by sending a team to fly drones to assist in aerial searches for scattered belongings and debris.
Spokesman Victor Meza says Northern Plains was made aware of social media posts circulating and asking for help – and they felt they were in a good position to do so. Much of the damage was spread across rural areas, and drones would be useful in locating those scattered materials before crops got tall enough to make those searches difficult.
He says three pilots assisted in search efforts near Enderlin and Sheldon this morning.
"We've done help with flood efforts here on the eastern side of the state, we helped with the ice storm a few years ago on the western side of the state. Drones have helped out quite a bit in these types of situations; our group, we had the three volunteers who could do the quick turn around and get out there to help, and hopefully return some of those items that were lost in the tornado."
Meza says the effort reflects the core mission of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, to use technology to serve the public good and give back to communities.