Drone's Live-Streamed Footage Shows Extensive Flooding
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JOHNSON COUNTY (CBS11) - Johnson County Emergency Management has started live streaming drone video through YouTube, and soon on Facebook Live.
Emergency crews have shown flood conditions in real time, and plan to do the same with rescue efforts and trouble spots if flooding becomes severe.
"It's different if you can stream that image out to the public," said Jamie Moore with Johnson County Emergency Management. "They can see from the air, how much water is going over these roadways."
The county bought the drone about a year ago.
It can stay in the air for about 25 minutes and fly faster than 75 miles per hour. County officials think it is a perfect tool to keep the community informed in real time.
"This has never been done," said Moore. "I don't know of anyone else in the United States who is live streaming from their UAF… exactly what the emergency is, where it is, and what's occurring… out to the public in the way that we are."
The county has plans to stream brush fires, road closures and traffic jams in the future.
They have also been communicating with other local agencies that use drones, including Johnson County Sheriff, Joshua Fire Department, Burleson Fire Department and Mansfield Fire Department.
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