What We Learned from Our Drone Response to Hurricane Melissa

Our locally led, globally supported drone response to Hurricane Melissa called for an extraordinary collective effort. Jamaica Flying Labs, WeRobotics, Esri, and numerous other organizations across the world came together in response to the disaster, contributing their expertise, resources, and time.

Throughout the response, one principle guided our work above all else: local expertise — local pilots, local organizations, and government agencies — had to remain at the centre and in the lead. Our role was to rally around them, providing additional resources and support where needed. What resulted from this work was proof that it can be done. 

Following Hurricane Melissa, CDEMA and the Government of Jamaica entrusted Jamaica Flying Labs with leading the drone response effort. Working alongside emergency responders and government agencies, the team coordinated aerial data collection and damage assessments that helped inform response and recovery efforts. In the video below, Valrie and Dean from Jamaica Flying Labs, who were at the forefront of this work, reflect on the lessons they carried away from the experience. 

As the response unfolded, we meticulously documented our workflows and coordination mechanisms. We wanted to ensure that the knowledge gained through Hurricane Melissa would not remain confined to a single event, but can instead inform future responses elsewhere. These experiences are now being translated into the Drones for Disaster Response Blueprint — a documented, tested, and reusable digital solution that can be deployed and adapted following major floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters across the Caribbean and potentially other regions. 

In moments of crisis, speed matters — and so does the power of local communities to lead their own recovery. Locally produced geospatial data is one piece of the puzzle. Over the next year we plan to strengthen the Blueprint by refining it with local government and civil society stakeholders, testing through a live deployment or large-scale simulation, and packaging it such that other disaster-management agencies and local drone ecosystems can adapt it in the future. If you’re interested in joining this solution space and taking the next step towards this future with us, we would love to hear from you.