Expert: Drones crucial for flood relief and rescue ops

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texas lawmakers begin talks on possible changes to the flood warning system, KXAN's Sally Hernandez spoke with Matrix Space's Lori DeMatteis about the critical role drones played in Kerrville and the need to fund cities with the technology. 

DeMatteis specializes in the technology that has been a game-changer for first responders. The interview below has been edited for clarity.

Hernandez: "Give me an idea of how small these drones are."

DeMatteis: "So drones can be, literally, as small as your hand, but the drones that the teams are using right now are probably a couple of feet across, or they're not huge. They're usually about five or 10 pounds, and so they're very lightweight. They're easy to operate and they're safe."

Hernandez: 'How does it work, exactly?"

DeMatteis: "As the floods reside, the drones are still just as important. Where do we need cleanup activities? Where do we need people involved ... So you can constantly be taking pictures. These drones have very sophisticated cameras on them that enable immediate and instant review. I mean, immediately, I'm a pilot flying those drones, I can see exactly what's happening, and I can take those pictures, and then I can send those pictures in seconds to somebody else who might be on the ground and tell them, 'you got to have a rescue team go five feet the other direction.' And that's the game changer."

Hernandez: "Is it receptive from the community, from law enforcement? Do we need to get more of these in their hands? And what are they saying about it?"

DeMatteis: "They do, they desperately, definitely do. The communities are now accepting it. You know, they see the situation going on, and they see the benefits. It's no longer the scary 'Big Brother,' but it's, 'how can I help my family?' And so our first responder community needs those funds to be able to adopt this technology, and we've seen that with Kerrville. You know, they've talked about technology is there, but where is that funding? And so that's the next step — that's what's so important. Now, we have at the federal government, community grants available to cities that can apply. If there are other mechanisms where they can get some matching funds — you know, there are things that are happening to make sure that communities that are interested in this have that potential to take advantage."