North Carolina is one of 23 states receiving grants totaling $130 million from the US Department of Transportation to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies and build safer, more efficient transportation systems.

In the latest round of funding, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation will receive $1.1 million to develop a program that would use the ‘drone-in-a-box’ technology in which an autonomous drone can be placed in a community before a storm and then be deployed remotely to start collecting images of damage and deliver emergency supplies.

“We are thrilled,” said Nick Short, interim director of NCDOT’s Aviation Division. “This will make us better prepared for natural disasters. With what we saw during Helene, Florence and other natural disasters, when you’re not able to use highway infrastructure to get goods and assets to an area, it seriously limits your ability to provide life-saving care and quick response to people in need.”

State aviation officials will develop a drone program in Lumberton to better respond to natural disasters. Pointing to past floods in the region, NCDOT said nearly half of Lumberton was flooded after Hurricane Florence, leaving many roads and culverts washed out in Robeson County. Two years earlier, Hurricane Matthew caused similar flooding in Lumberton and along Interstate 95 over the Lumber River.

The grant will cover all of the necessary studies to deploy the program, from researching the environment to community involvement and public feedback. Short explained that the drones can be deployed remotely so information can be collected to survey the situation, and supplies and medicine can be delivered on the side of the road.

Aviation officials hope to build upon what the agency was able to accomplish during Helene, the NCDOT press release said. Drones, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft gathered thousands of images of damage in places too difficult to reach by land.

“We will be able to deploy the drone remotely, so we can begin collecting data and delivering supplies without having to wait on someone to respond by driving into the area,” he added. “In doing so, we’re also removing the risk of putting people in further danger during a natural disaster.”

The infrastructure package enacted in 2021 provides $500 million over five years for communities through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program.

Meanwhile, NCDOT and the Division of Aviation celebrated Wrights Brothers Day on Tuesday in recognition of the first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on Dec. 17, 1903.