It’s been a little more than two weeks since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, spreading devastation across much of the southeast, causing floods, cutting power and killing more than 200 people. Never ones to let a good emergency go to waste or worry about how many people might be hurt by their actions, right-wingers began spreading lies to score political points. While many of the lies aren’t exactly Jalopnik’s purview, the alleged drone ban certainly is, so let’s put an end to that bullshit before Hurricane Milton makes landfall: There is no ban on operating a drone in disaster areas as long as you go through the right channels.
Anyone who tells you that Secretary Buttigieg banned private drone operators from helping with relief after Helene is either lying or too stupid to fact-check what they heard. That said, the Federal Aviation Administration has authority over airspace, and it has good reason to not want your drones flying over disaster areas — other aircraft.
Despite what you may have seen on Facebook or Nextdoor, Biden did not tell the Federal Emergency Management Agency to withhold assistance because he controls the weather and intentionally sent that hurricane to stop people from voting for Trump. Nor did FEMA run out of money because it spent it all on immigrants or Ukraine. In fact, FEMA has been working hard to clean up the devastation left behind and helping people get back on their feet.
That means there are more aircraft in the air than usual, and if a bunch of randos are flying their drones around hoping to become heroes, it puts the actual emergency responders in danger. You know, the people who know what they’re doing. After Helene, North Carolina had about 30 mid-air close calls in a single day. Just think what would have happened if one of those close calls had gone wrong.
In fact, this particular conspiracy theory has gotten so out of hand, the FAA had to issue a press release about it. And it’s not just drones. The FAA regularly temporarily restricts flights over disaster areas and sets up Airspace Coordination Areas because it doesn’t want some rando in a Skyhawk getting in the way, either. TFRs and ACAs aren’t new, but if they’re new to you, maybe that’s a sign that Florida doesn’t need your help after Hurricane Milton, either.
Of course, no disaster would be complete without Elon Musk clumsily inserting himself where he didn’t belong to spread more lies. If your Uncle Randy believes FEMA is stealing supplies from people trying to help and shutting down airspace to block aid, that’s one thing. For the richest man in the world to spread conspiracy theories that could get people killed is something completely different. That’s why the Secretary of Transportation felt the need to respond to Musk’s tweet and not your Uncle Randy’s.
Now, I want to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with drone operators wanting to help in an emergency. It’s normal to want to help other people. In fact, it’s weird to be so selfish and callous that you don’t naturally feel the need to help others. The thing is, there’s a difference between trying to help and actually helping. If you legitimately want to help instead of just getting off on feeling like you’re helping, there’s still a way you can pitch in legally.
Instead of cosplaying Nicholas Cage in Fire Birds, contact FEMA to let them know you’re in the area and have a drone but want to go through the right channels. They should be able to point you in the right direction to get the necessary waiver. And if they already have too many drones or aircraft in the area to need another one, now you know. You can always help out in another way.
Just please, for the love of God, don’t flood emergency airspace with random drones the FAA and FEMA don’t know about. The FAA doesn’t mess around with illegal drone use, and the consequences can be serious. It’s not a conspiracy. It’s just basic air safety.