Drones are expected to play a key role in hurricane-devastated Houston’s recovery effort, by helping locals assess damage to homes, roads, bridges, power lines, oil and gas facilities and office buildings.

According to Wired, there are some 2000 licensed UAV operators in the Houston area. 

“This is the one of the first big disasters where we can show how valuable drones can be,” Brandon Stark, who directs the Center of Excellence on Unmanned Aircraft System Safety at the University of California, Merced, told Wired.

The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted airspace over the affected region, banning the majority of professional drone operators for the moment. However, they have issued at least 43 unmanned aircraft system authorisations for groups involved in response and recovery efforts.

Wired writes that:

"Pilots working for Fort Bend County, to the southwest of Houston, have used drones to assess damage to roads, bridges, and water treatment plants—and posted the footage online. Other local governments and agencies, including fire departments and state environmental quality officials, have worked with drone operators to identify flooding and drainage problems."

Read the full story here.