Defense Tech first spotted the 8-foot long, sausage-shaped Silver Fox drone back in early 2003, right before it was headed off to Iraq.
Now, it looks like five of the robo-planes, equipped with thermal cameras, will be headed to New Orleans, to hunt for Katrina survivors.
Five Silver Fox “unmanned aerial vehicles,” or UAVs, equipped with thermal imaging technology to detect the body heat of storm survivors, are en route to the crippled city, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Curt Weldon said.
Mr. Weldon told reporters in Baton Rouge that he had bypassed government bureaucracy to obtain the drones from a private company to be used in search and rescue operations in New Orleans, scene of one of the worst natural disasters in US history.
“With thermal imaging capability … you can actually see into the buildings and see the body image of a person still alive,” Mr Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, said.
“It could help assess whether there are people trapped alive in attics or upper floors,” he said. “Once you’ve got them pinpointed you can send rescue teams in.”
(Big ups: JQP)
THERE’S MORE: Over at Winds of Change, Murdoc has a terrific round-up of the Navy’s response to Katrina.
AND MORE: A few weeks back, we mentioned the giant sonic blasters being tested by the L.A. Sherriff’s Department. Some of the screechers are about to be shipped to the Gulf Coast, “so authorities can use the tools for crowd control, aid distribution and rescue operations,” Xeni reports in Wired News.
“See into buildings?“
Sorry but there is too much of a thermal lag for those things to ‘see’ into a building. Now if they had the microwave imaging devices, that might be different. I expect better from the experts than half baked ideas and dead wrong facts.
Why not equip drones with IR sensors & ‘smell’sensors to ID bodies or living ones amid wreckage & to sense any gas leaks etc in area. Very doable with software.
Need whole fleets to overview NO area alone from bases in OK AR TX GA TN KY.
Use other drone types with sensor pods.
Or drop Markers for SAR units alone.
& ORDER THOSE PEOPLE OUT OR RECIEVE NO FOOD IF not leaving area ASAP.
I think that anyone who feels sorry for the people of new orleans shouldn’t. The only reason this happened is because the government in NO spent all of the money that they were supposed to be using to keep this from happening on something else. The people of new orleans are saying it is because we are racist, that is incorrect we just don’t have anywhere to put thousands and thousands of the poorest people in the world. It is not anything to do with race, it just so happens that the poorest people in new orleans are black.
I think it is finally refreshing to see that the true story of incompetence is coming out — the true story of the incompetent mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of LA. They did not follow their written disaster plans. They did not follow their own written evacuation plans. It is illegal for the federal government and the military to act without being asked by the governor. Lousiana law gives the governor authority over all disaster response in the state. FEMAs guidelines states that FEMA is only to assist local and state governments. The local and state governments are supposed to establish a command center and lead the effort. The governor refused and still refuses to turn over authority to the federal government. Who is to blame?
Looks like the last 2 comments is just typical Republican retoric. Tje US government had a job to do and they failed, it’s not the State of LA or the mayor of NO’s fault. FEMA and the wonderful Bush admin. are to blame
Maybe we could use the UAV cameras to look at all the hundreds of School Buses that the Mayor of NO failed to utilize to evacuate the population of his city. He knew he had a CAT 5 Hurricane off his coast. He knoew his Levees were weak! He koew that if this Hurricane hit his city it would decimate it. You all and your blind attackes on Bush fail to understand that the real criminality here is at the local and state level. They bear full reponsibility for this disaster. They say the goverment didn’t give them enough money to repair the levees. But yet this city had the largest federal welfare drain of any US city. Thats where their money went. But they believed that they are NO and everybody loves NO therefore the Fed should give NO more and more money.
BTW the constitution says “Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” it does not say that the congress has the responsibility to bail out a city that has built itself under water. NO has been asking for this disaster. But they sat on their buts whining that the FEderal Gov’t wasnt giving them enough money and such. Local gov’t are responsible for the more than general welfare (meaning well being) of their constituents. People in this country need to quit looking to the Feds for every little thing and start caring for themselves. We need to shrink the FED and not increase it.
First off…its not the President of the United STates duty to evacuate a city.…it is teh governor of taht state who is in the lead control. They have the power to request federal assisatance and help but that have to do that. LA governor did not in fact she refused an offer from the White House prior to the storm and if you notice has rejected further offers to turn control over to the federal relief commanders and the federal government. It shows a complete lack of understanding of the chain of command when one says that this is President Bush’s fault. THE PRESIDENT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH STATES DISASTERS. He has offered help and it has been rejected by the LA governor. LAstly but not least keep in mind that the “SITUATION” would not be this bad if the people had been evacuated to begin with.….once again NOT THE PRESIDENTS RESPONISBILITY, but instead the government of the state. OHhh thats right most people refused and still refuse to leave and the ones that wanted out and coudnt get out can ask THEIR elected officials why they didnt help. It sna old sorry argument and very weak perspective to simply turn to the president and blame everything bad that happens on him.….how absurd.
The Governor of Louisiana STILL has yet to release the National Guard to Federal control. In fact, she has retained the counsel of a former Clinton advisor instead. So the failings of the National Guard are still on the head of the Governor. All they had to do was use the schoolbuses and get their populace through the first three days, and the Mayor and Governor couldn’t even handle that…
Man, the worst disaster in 100 years and when we should be all together, here come the moonbat Bush bashers to jump in the blood and start trying to force us apart. They know full well what they are doing, too. Despiciable.
The name of the game in this country is 47%–45% and there is nothing that you can do or say which will change it!
When you rely on goverment, any goverment you are likly to be disappointed.
If you read the US Constitution, this disaster is clearly in the court of state and local goverment, with the Federal Goverment to assist, Unless and until it is turned over the the Fed’s by the state. Without the Goveners permission, the Fed’s taking charge would be unlawful.
Jimbo,
I’m having trouble understanding how “providing for the common defense” equates “have disaster recovery plan for every city over 5000 people in place and ready to go at a minutes notice”.
The chain of response must start at the city level, and if turns out that city of New Orleans had over 200 school buses at it’s disposal, 36 hours in advance of landfall, then the buck stops there. If you only get 80% of those ‘stranded’ in New Orleans across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge, those remaining could have been dealt with pretty effectively by state resources.
As it is a massive federal agency, FEMA is not designed to be a ‘first-responder’. The fact that it has gotten in the way as it has in this case only underscores that fact. However, this problem (as much as you and Keith Olberman would like to think it is) is not administration specific. I will grant that it is more than a little baffling that our FEMA director would have so much experience with Arabian horses.
However, a comparison of the job they do should be judged based on what the agency does to restore New Orleans. FEMA’s response to Flood of 1993 was (at least in Valmeyer, IL) was a standard to be held to. However, there needs to be perspective when making this comparison — Valmeyer was a town of 900 that was moved 1.5 miles away — the entire project cost $8.7 million (split 75/25 federal/state). That project took two years. Anyone expecting New Orleans, a town with 500x more citizen to be rebuilt in anything less 5 years is lying to themselves and to whoever they try to sell that BS too.
Should we talk about the levees next?
As a lot on people know FEMA was really created to insure the continuation of the United States government if there were a nuclear war. This is the reason it was folded into HLS. You can look at FEMAs web site and see that a lot of the jobs require secret or top secret clearance. I think the part of FEMA that responds to natural disasters should be separated out and placed on its own.
Bureaucracies are, by nature, inefficient. For years, any Republican that dared to say we need to cut out the fat was excorciated. Remember how the suggestion that reducing the percentage increase of growth was portrayed in the media as a cut. The bureaucracy grows, consumes money and resources and becomes ever more inefficient.
The Bush bashing crowd is salivating over this one. Instead of spewing their reason of the day to hate the president, they now can say we now have a real reason to hate him — He caused a hurricane to come in and kill the poor blacks he hates so much and then intentionally prevented rescue relief from arriving! He decided to flood NO because more black poor people would drown and die and he only sent the hurricane to wipe out the homes of the rich folks because they can easily rebuild. Amazing (not really) that while bodies are being recovered, so many look at this as an opportunity to gain political points. How sad. Hatred brews hatred — We need to learn from this in order to be better prepared in the future.
Yeah, let’s all take turns bashing the administartion for not responding more presciently to the worst natural disaster this country has ever seen. Morons… Why not go do something constructive with your time than posting complaints here?
oops.…sorry about the typos you lackeys! I’d hate to have my point diluted by my dyslexia.
There are 50 states and hundreds of cities. It is the job of each state and each city to have plans for natural and unnatural disasters. The federal governent cannot conceivably manage thousands of disaster plans.
There was a a clear warning of the hurricane. Anyone left in N.O. was doomed. The local and state governments were in charge of the “evacuation”. Yet these people who are whining and blaming others about all the poor who couldnt get out did absolutely nothing to get them out.
The mayor, parrish heads and governor all belong in jail. Instead they are getting a completely free ride by the media, who are intent in blaming Bush(read Bush..not Federal Gov).
Who are the morons who sent people to a stadium that didnt have food or water? Who are the morons who left school buses parked and empty?
The only thing I agree with some of the leftists on is that the truth is, the poor get screwed. While it is sick and reprehensible to insinuate that Bush or anyone else intentionally victimized them, they are always last on the totem pole.
However, what hypocrisy for the mayor of NO, etc etc to be wailing and blaming others.
Sean,
Good point.
I was writing my post from the HMS Sean Penn, but it, uhhhh, sank.
The mayor of NO, the police leadership, the elected city leaders, the fire dept., all failed. Fed bodies cannot make a city prepare for thier specific risks, only encourage. The outrage over fed response is not correct. The city is responsible for plans to protect the pop.
It seems that the feeling of entitlement felt by poor and economically disadvantaged people has made a leap to an entire city, where New Orl is harboring a sense of entitlement as expressed by the city leaders. Typical for them to cry that someone else must be at fault.
Of course, when this company shows up in NO and asks the military airspace coordinator (who’s busily managing 100+ helicopters executing grid searchs plus 100+ fixed wing relief flights a day) for permission to operate a bunch of drones which can neither see nor evade other air traffic, he’s going to be thrown out on his ear.
Maybe the Right Honorable Curt Weldon should have asked somebody who knows something about air space deconfliction before sticking his oar in.
Not to say UAV’s can’t play a role. Using medium to high altitude UAV’s like Predator (above the low-altitude ops of helicopters) as comms relay would help to make up for the disrupted telephone grid.
WAITED TWO WEEKS?!? The storm hit 8 days ago. There were several hundred miles of road to clear, hundred of warehouses to open and unload, thousands of people to deploy. No matter HOW MANY planes you could land in New Orleans, there was NO WAY to get enough supplies there or get enough people out in that amount of time. TRUCKS needed to be brought in. Can’t even begin to do that until the millions of pounds of debris were removed and parts of the roads were inspected and/or repaired. Anyone who thinks the government dropped the ball, has no idea of what it takes to mobilize that kind of recovery effort.
I would have figured that on a site like this, people would be aware of this.…
Brian Sloan
Harris County Emergency Management.
Hello, Democrats? Real world here. Fallible people. Shit happens. Deal with it. Or would that mean getting your hands dirty?
I know — try telling that to the thousands who died because Bush was on vacation, etc., etc. At least he and FEMA and others are NOW trying to do something USEFUL.
How ’bout you?
Thank you to a few intelligent folks in here for countering the transparent partisan carping with some facts and a little common sense.
The arm-chair quarterbacking from the professional as well as amateur complainers has reached a new level this week.
As the president said during the campaign, a list of complaints is not a plan. Yet, still, we are innundated with complaints and finger-pointing from his detractors, but never a solution.
BTW, Derrick, Bush had declared the region a disaster area before Katrina hit, specifically to remove legal road blocks from the state requesting aid, etc.
The “Silver Fox” reminds me of the Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the “Bug”, that was invented by Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio. It was developed and built by Dayton-Wright Airplane Company in 1918 for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Although the “Bug” had a biplane configuration, the physical appearance is remarkably similar. You can check the Natinal Museum of the United States Air Force for more info at http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/early_years/ey3a.htm
Sorry, but I’m very familiar with thermal imaging cameras and they cannot see people inside a structure. Handy tools for seeing in darkness or smoke filled rooms, but not through walls or roofs.
The dead are still uncounted or buried and the LEFT is going off because they see a political opportunity.Shame on them
Blah blah blah Bush’s fault blah blah blah impeach Bush blah blah blah bash Bush blah blah blah blame Bush.
Don’t any of you people who hate Bush have any original thoughs in your head or are you all just leftist syncophants?
I lived in New Orleans over 25 years ago and had many discussions about what would happen if a storm like Katrina came and people didn’t take the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and get out of town in advance. I can’t say for sure, but I’m betting the people who decided to only build the levees to handle a Cat III storm were not appointed by or under Bush. I’m also betting those who blame Bush for cuts in levee funding are unaware the Constitution gives the power of the purse to Congress, not the President, or maybe they know this and they’re deliberatly misleading us when they blame this on Bush.
This event is proof that people need to stop depending on government and start depending on themselves. As I told Bill O’Reilly last week (and he subsequently included in his “Talking Points” memo):
Those who rely on government will inevitably be disappointed.
Oh yeah, one more thing. When you desert in the military it’s grounds for a summary court martial and execution. How about those 500 policemen who abandoned New Orleans when the going got tough? How many of them you think joined the bands of looters, rapists and murderers?
And this: You know everyone is talking about how it’s racist that better quality help didn’t get to New Orleans faster. They’re trying to invoke slavery as an issue again. Last time I checked there were no slaves, no children of slaves and as far as I can tell no grandchildren of slaves left in the U.S. How long will people use something that happened many generations ago, and probably not even to their ancestors, as an excuse not to be responsible and productive?
I’ll tell you why things got ugly in New Orleans. Because people like MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY, whom I begged to get out before the storm hit, were complacent. Now, if they survived it, they are refugees who’ve been through heck. So if you’re going to point your finger at ANYONE (and remember when you do three fingers are pointing back at you) start by pointing it at those who didn’t find some way out before Katrina hit.
As for those too poor, why didn’t the mayor use the fleets of busses which stayed to end up underwater? You know if he had announced pickup points hardly anyone would have shown up…
Judy’s right: Weldon is exaggerating what the thermal cameras can do.
People on the left and right, too, are going off because they’ve been lied to.
I have the three days of supplies, as the Department of Homeland Security recommends on their web site. I had presumed that their suggestion was evidence that the cavalry would ride in after three days.
Looking at New Orleans (and, honestly, the rest of the Gulf Coast), that’s clearly not the case. I’ve done everything that they suggested, I’ve taken responsibility for my own safety, and I’d still be screwed in the event of a major disaster in my area.
Sure, the mayor of New Orleans didn’t do a great job, but you can’t convince me that the screwups all of the Gulf states are all the fault of the locals. After four years and billions of dollars, I certainly expected better from DHS.
“There were several hundred miles of road to clear, hundred of warehouses to open and unload, thousands of people to deploy. “
And Harry Connick Jr. drove right into town on Tuesday morning.
In a four-door sedan.
The “Excuses, excuses” administration strikes again. Nothing is ever their fault.
A government for the people… by the people…
the government isn’t some “thing” over there or over here… it is supposed to be the collective efforts of the people. If you think the government failed, then WE have failed. We keep thinking the disaster won’t happen to us or “the gov’t will be able to help us.…” If the system in place failed, the people should take control and help themselves… organize… act… Many examples exist in the Katrina news stories of people helping each other and joining together for the better good… not sitting around waiting for somebody else to do something.
Was it not in the disaster plan to use school buses, private vehicles and other modes to get those out that couldn’t get themselves out? I keep seeing the president being blamed for being on vacation a day too late, but nothing about what the mayor/governor did to help their own citizens out before the massive entity known as big government could have arrived in town.
How is it that my city, Houston, was able to provide for such a large number of folks in such a short time? It’s call emergency planning at the LOCAL Level, that’s where it starts. Is it the FEDs or FEMA that are responsible for a local plan? for every city in the nation.? This storm taught our local emergency planners that Houston needs to rewrite our plan. (Houston Chronical Sunday) Anybody with a tv or radio in Houston knows if the big one comes we need to go. So remember it starts at the local level and works up. So play the blame game if you want but look at what Houston can do with a LOCAL PLAN.
I would like to take a minute out from cursing the president to say a few words about those fine citizens of New Orleans who ignored the order to evacuate, and now have scarce resources tied up rescuing them. This storm didn’t form monday morning, there was plenty of warning, and that storm should have hit a ghost towm. Sure, the mayor & governor could have done a better job of getting everyone out. There’s railroads there too and a box car could hold a nice group. All that was needed initially was to get the people outside the levees, then after the storm passed getting supplies and shelter to them would have been much easier.
it may be worth talking about appointing people that are not qualified. because that can be the case many of times. but when there is a massive failure at the local level, the local level needs to be looked at carefully. and so far, i haven’t seen anyone showing a timeline of where the governor or mayor were. but there are plenty of timelines of where bush was. response isn’t from the top down. response is from local level up. if the local level isn’t organized, than the whole thing ends up chaotic. and that is what needs to be addressed. there are so many areas of this disaster that can be improved on, it just takes people to stop bitching at one another and get started. but to just start yelling that one group needs to be fired without having the whole picture shown is not right. there are people that need to be fired on every side every level. government, the larger it gets, gets uneasingly slow. which is why states are placed in charge of first response to begin with. it’s a tragedy that this had to happen to highlight areas that need to be changed. but instead of saying it’s an excuse administration, take steps back and start where response is supposed to start. but in my opinion, the local response is where everything went wrong. they didn’t come anywhere close to executing a somewhat decent pre response and first response.
Though it is in the greatest traditions of this great nation to exercise free speech, I would caution restraint at this point. Less than a week after landfall of the most damaging hurricane in the last fifty years, many have decided that all the suffering in La is the fault of the current federal administration. My opinion is that, though the federal response was disjointed and somewhat uncoordinated,the vast bulk of the responsibility for this debacle will come to rest with State of Louisiana, the City of New Orleans and its people, who refused to get out of harm’s way. I strongly suggest that we all adopt a wait and see attitude with regard to the blame game. The truth may surprise quite a few of you.
The BBC actually has a story that carries multiple points that are worth noting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4216508.stm
“Baah! Baaaah! The dead are still uncounted or buried and the LEFT is going off because they see a political opportunity. Shame on them! Baaaaahh..“
Actually, you are mistaken. The right is going off as well.
And yes, there is a political opportunity. An opportunity to wake up sheep like you to the fact that the Republican agenda has been leading our country to ruin. Record deficits, more dead in Iraq after Sadaam than during Sadaam, record high oil prices, Al-Queda stronger than ever, schools going without funding, rich getting tax cuts — you don’t see a problem? Well if you don’t, then yes, this is a political opportunity, an opportunity for reality to pry your wool-covered eyes open.
Live each day like it’s your last.
When it comes to idiots it takes one to know one.
According to the NIMS (National Incident Management System) which is designed for occuances such as this, The incident commander is always a local elected official. Nowhere in the command structure does the Federal Gov’t ever take over and run the show. This is how it is supposed to work. But it assumes that the local officials actually give a sh*t about their constituents. Obviously the leaders of NO didn’t.
Hal,
You have inhaled too much DU. You clearly don’t know what you are talking about. I am an investigative journalist and I not only have a copy of the request from the local authorities that was not responded to, but a fairly good idea why this happened and it wasn’t due to incompetence. It was purposeful. Bush, his daddy, Frank Carlucci and several others are all involved. STOP BLAMING THE “LIBERAL” PRESS, the stupid people (and believe me, you are not exempt from that group) and “liberals.” This was orchestrated by neocons, their donors and minions as payoff.
You had better wake up and soon. You are not part of the “us” that Bush is so fond of, YOU ARE A THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! So is everyone else that is not rich and connected to their circle. Get a friggin’ clue and call for the removal of these treasonous bastards before their is no county left. OH AND THE REFUGEES? Some of them are being detained in “CAMPS” that they cannot leave. The camps are owned or run by FEMA.
Wake up. The people that you think are so stupid, get what is really going on, while you keep nursing these idiotic pipe dreams about who the neocons are and what they want.
Typing correction to the above:
2nd paragraph 4th line
.…now in positions of authority.…
sorry
Someone educate me,
Even if the gov of La had not given the FEDs the OK. What right did FEMA have to turn away help and supplies. Could this help have come at the formal or implied request of the gov? I am not trying to make a point — I only want opinions.