ORLANDO, Fla. — As we continue to keep our eye on the tropics, local utility companies are preparing to help those who are impacted by any developments. Orlando Utilities Commission is training a team of drone pilots to help survey storm damage.
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Lessons learned from Hurricane Ian in 2022 has pushed OUC to utilize new technology to help restore power.
“The amount of recovery that was delayed by those access challenges can easily be overcome by using these drones,” Maguire Mulligan, a research engineer for OUC, said.
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Downed trees or flooded roadways will not stand in the way of a drone. Four certified drone pilots within the Emerging Technologies Department of OUC can now accompany crews to problem areas.
“Having a drone go over that access challenge and just tell us what’s beyond that thing, whether it’s a broken fuse or downed transformer, that will allow us to stage our resources ahead of time,” Mulligan said.
So, when hazardous areas are cleaned up, crews can head directly to the site with a solution instead of questioning what the issue is. This means if your power is out this technology can help get it back on faster.
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“In the grand scheme of things restoring power is saving lives,” Mulligan said. “People depend on this power, they depend on electricity, they need it to live.”
Tuesday, workers were trained on how to properly fly the drones. Buckets were lined up and angled in all directions. Pilot’s then followed steps to learn how to maneuver around the buckets to take photos.
“These are used to help the pilot understand how to operate the drone effectively and efficiently,” Mulligan said.
OUC does plan to send crews to impacted areas following the most recent tropical disturbance.
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