Photos and discussions about China’s recent use of heavy-duty drones to “airlift” villagers affected by flooding in Guangxi have gone viral but almost two decades ago, the disaster-prone country once relied on risky, low-tech means to fight natural calamities.
China’s rapid tech advancement, represented by the development and deployment of drones, has helped it better handle emergencies, such as how first responders have been rescuing residents from widespread rainstorms and floods since June.
In the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, swarms of drones carried out quick surveys of inundated areas and identified those still trapped, as local authorities raced against time to save people earlier this month. In some dramatic cases, drones were seen deployed in aerial extractions of stranded residents from rooftops or out of harm’s way.
But 18 years ago, when western China was jolted by a devastating earthquake in May 2008, the country resorted to desperate measures including sending paratroopers in extreme blind-drop operations under treacherous weather conditions into worst-hit regions to survey damage and restore communication.
Back then, drones were nonexistent and unheard of.
Since then, China’s dominance in drone tech and manufacturing has transformed inspection, surveying and logistics. The roles of drones in disaster relief and search and rescue operations have also expanded and become central and even indispensable, as China battles more frequent extreme weather events.
These unmanned aerial systems can swiftly enter hazardous areas or disaster zones that are difficult for rescuers to reach. But it is the unusual drone airlifting missions in Guangxi that have thrust the tech and its producer, DJI, back into focus.
