FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEMPHIS, TN —The Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) is in the early stages of developing a network of licensed drone pilots to aid emergency management in the event of a catastrophic earthquake in its eight-state region.
Established in 1983 with funding support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, CUSEC’s primary mission is, “… the reduction of deaths, injuries, property damage and economic losses resulting from earthquakes in the Central United States.” CUSEC is a partnership of the federal government and the eight states most affected by earthquakes in the central United States. Those states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
In November of 2016, CUSEC Executive Director James M. Wilkinson, Jr. reached out to Wesley Flint of Precision Aerial Imaging, LLC to gauge interest in working with CUSEC to develop a network of volunteers who could be called on to aid emergency management agencies in the event of a catastrophic earthquake in the region. This would be similar to the network of HAM radio operators that already assist emergency management agencies in the event of natural disasters. After two months of reaching out to other drone operators in the eight state region, our first meeting of volunteers will take place on Feb. 23rd at CUSEC headquarters in Memphis. Volunteers who can’t be at the meeting in person will be able to watch via web simulcast.
Wesley Flint of Precision Aerial Imaging, LLC in Olive Branch, MS, says ‘As drone pilots, we have the unique ability to capture aerial footage that emergency management agencies can then use to better assess damage and make more informed decisions through better situational awareness. Many people think of drones as toys, but there are many users who understand that drones can be a very useful tool with many commercial applications. This includes mapping & survey, agricultural crop health assessment, search & rescue, commercial video/photography and more. Commercial drone operators are required to have their FAA Part 107 Remote Pilots License in order to operate.
For more information, contact CUSEC at (901) 544-3570 or at cusec@cusec.org.
###
