Disaster Assistance and Damage Assessment
The owner of BC Engineering and Design LLC, as part of the South Carolina State Guard Engineer Command, received a call Monday evening after the hurricane came up through Florida and along the South Carolina coast to mobilize Tuesday morning to Edisto Island with the drone. He spent the day overflying areas too flooded to access by land vehicle. The guard was able to assess within about a 10 minute flight that there was no roof or significant damage, apparent from the air.
The video files were downloaded to a laptop and viewed on a large screen monitor to share with Edisto Island city officials and set their minds at ease that, although there was a lot of water to dissipate and some sand to remove, the residents homes were intact.
The SC State Guard Engineer Command is an all-volunteer group of professional engineers, architects, and land surveyors who mobilize to assist with disaster recovery and damage assessment to structures, bridges, dams, and facilities. With a background as a retired US Navy submarine officer, owner of BC Engineering and Design LLC for over 20 years, clearance and certifications to work in commercial nuclear facilities, an FAA licensed drone (sUAV) pilot and licensed private pilot, Brian A. Christiano, P.E. has recently joined the SC State Guard with the rank of LtCol.
