Video: New York City deploys drones to warn residents of weather

NEW YORK (PIX11) — New York City is using its fleet of drones to help warn people of weather advisories .

Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said New Yorkers seeing the worst of this storm will have very little time to tell if things are getting bad.

“We know the tri-state area is the target area right now. Right now, you have maybe an hour’s notice, and you know what’s going to get hit very hard,” Iscol said.

With a buzzing sound in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker flies over homes, warning people who live in basement or ground-floor apartments about impending heavy rains.

“Be prepared to leave your location,” said the voice from the sky in footage released Tuesday by the city’s emergency management agency. “If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.”

About five teams with multiple drones each were deployed to specific neighborhoods prone to flooding. Iscol said the messages were being relayed in multiple languages. They were expected to continue until the weather impacted the drone flights.

Flash floods have been deadly for New Yorkers living in basement apartments, which can quickly fill up in a deluge. Eleven people drowned in such homes in 2021 amid rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

The drones are in addition to other forms of emergency messaging, including social media, text alerts and a system that reaches more than 2,000 community-based organizations throughout the city that serve senior citizens, people with disabilities and other groups.

“You know, we live in a bubble, and we have to meet people where they are in notifications so they can be prepared,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Adams is a self-described “tech geek” whose administration has tapped drone technology to monitor large gatherings as well as to search for sharks on beaches. Under his watch, the city’s police department also briefly toyed with using a robot to patrol the Times Square subway station, and it has sometimes deployed a robotic dog to dangerous scenes, including the Manhattan parking garage that collapsed in 2023.

“Not everyone gets their information from social media. Some people don’t speak English, so we must meet New Yorkers where they are, and Zach has been able to do so by coming up with this real portfolio on how to meet as many New Yorkers as possible,” Adams said

New York’s first responders are also on high alert. FDNY vehicles are equipped with higher axles for water rescues, and the sanitation department works overtime to clear catch basins.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.