Drones capture devastation caused by tornadoes over Easter weekend

Drones capture the devastation caused by at least 40 tornadoes over the Easter weekend, as they struck parts of the South and Southeast of the United States, leaving 30 people dead, hundreds of buildings destroyed and 1.3 million people without power, according to the Washington Post.

About 25 million people are under a tornado watch along the East Coast on Monday, according to CNN. The storm system has caused at least 40 tornadoes in parts of Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia over the Easter weekend.

Mississippi state’s Department of Emergency Management said that at least 11 people were killed. Six people were killed in Georgia as the storm system spanned more than 1,200 miles, according to the National Weather Service on Monday.

Drones capture devastation caused by tornadoes

The states that were already grappling with the coronavirus outbreak, will now also have to recover from the devastation of the tornadoes and storm system.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency stressed that people should go to a safe place. In case the safe place is. public shelter, people were instructed to:

“If you go to a public shelter please wear a mask, bandana, or scarf around your nose and mouth. Practice social distancing. We will get through this!” according to a tweet from MSEMA.

And in another tweet, MSEMA said that:

“Our Area Coordinator captured this drone footage of the devastating damage in Jefferson Davis County following yesterday’s severe weather outbreak.”

Drones can help after a disaster strikes

Drones can play an important role in areas struck by disaster. The unmanned aircraft can provide a quick aerial assessment of the situation on the ground. Drones can help locate people and communicate with them. They can also help and guide first responders by, for instance, quickly mapping flooded areas and overlaying Google Maps information to provide street names as well as providing GPS coordinates. Furthermore, drones can help insurance companies speed up their claims process by providing detailed aerial photos to assess damage to buildings and structures. Lastly, drones can help re-establish communications by providing coverage. These are just a few quick examples of how drones can help in areas that have been hit by tornadoes or other disasters.

Just unbelievable video coming out of Seneca, SC right now of damage from this morning's tornado. Seneca is located just west of Clemson. https://t.co/LQ5D71cwFO pic.twitter.com/UwYGwUMQ0X

— WMBF News (@wmbfnews) April 13, 2020

Director Michel and our team are monitoring the weather and standby ready to assist. Have a safe place to go. If you go to a public shelter please wear a mask, bandana, or scarf around your nose and mouth. Practice social distancing. We will get through this! pic.twitter.com/owoDLwL3rI

— msema (@MSEMA) April 12, 2020

Intense tornado damage from Bassfield, Ms. #MsWx #Tornado #Damage #Drone pic.twitter.com/nWpGpyEOJb

— WxChasing- Brandon Clement (@bclemms) April 13, 2020

Our Area Coordinator captured this drone footage of the devastating damage in Jefferson Davis County following yesterday's severe weather outbreak. pic.twitter.com/cfkl6Z4yVt

— msema (@MSEMA) April 13, 2020