Emergency response

Dominica

Category-5 Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the Caribbean region in 2017, cutting off large swaths of affected populations across several islands including Dominica. One of the key priorities for the humanitarian community was to help local communities get access to information and reconnect with their loved ones by restoring communication networks. Damages to roads and communication towers made it particularly challenging for WFP and its partners to restore vital communication networks. During this time, WFP began piloting the limited use of drones to get high resolution images of infrastructure damage, helping speed up assessments and resource allocation.

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Angel and the drones

Angel Buitrago is an IT officer in the World Food Programme (WFP)’s regional bureau in Panama. Here he provides a first-hand account of h...