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UID:pretalx-sotm-africa-2023-ZKWFRD@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=WAT:20231201T120000
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DESCRIPTION:The devastating impact of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi prompted an 
 urgent and coordinated response to provide assistance and relief to affect
 ed communities. This presented an opportunity to perform an in-depth analy
 sis of the utilization of drone & data technology during the emergency res
 ponse and how the technology can be efficiently stream lined in the future
  responses.\n\nCyclone Freddy made its initial landfall in Malawi on March
  13\, 2023\, primarily affecting the southern region. The cyclone brought 
 record-breaking rainfall to most areas\, which caused flooding and mudslid
 es that affected thousands of households\, claimed so many lives\, and mad
 e access extremely difficult. Due to the growing popularity of drones\, th
 e National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) engaged the African Drone and
  Data Academy via the Emergency Response Unit to join the Malawi Red Cross
  and WFP team with drone mapping efforts in the affected areas. The primar
 y objective was to provide preliminary information in the form of still im
 ages\, videos\, and orthomosaics to the EOC for use in logistical programm
 ing for the distribution of relief supplies and to visually assess the mag
 nitude of damage that the cyclone had left behind. The integration of dron
 e technology into the emergency response operations yielded significant be
 nefits and outcomes such as:\n\n•	Rapid Data Collection: Drones facilita
 ted the collection of high-resolution imagery and videos in a relatively s
 hort span of time\, providing quick and accurate situational awareness for
  decision-makers.\n\n•	Improved Damage Assessment: The orthomosaics gene
 rated from the drone imagery allowed for a comprehensive understanding of 
 the extent and severity of the damage caused by the cyclone\, aiding in pr
 ioritizing response efforts.\n\nWhile the drone-based emergency response d
 emonstrated significant potential\, several data and operational gaps were
  identified during the process and these insights serve as valuable lesson
 s for future emergency responses.
DTSTAMP:20260412T224019Z
LOCATION:Room 3
SUMMARY:From Above the Storm: Harnessing UAVs for Emergency Response During
  Cyclone Freddy in Malawi - Ndapile Mkuwu
URL:https://pretalx.com/sotm-africa-2023/talk/ZKWFRD/
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