Social Media Posts Misrepresent Airspace Restrictions After Hurricane Helene

Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. Quick Take The Federal Aviation Administration regularly restricts the airspace over areas affected by natural disasters to allow rescue and relief efforts to take place. But this routine activity has sparked misleading posts online that claimed volunteer drone operators were banned from helping in recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Full Story The Federal Aviation Administration is tasked with restricting the use of airspace following natural disasters in order to allow for rescue and recovery efforts to take precedence. The FAA issues Temporary Flight Restrictions, or TFRs, at the request of local authorities following natural disasters. This standard practice also occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which hit the Gulf Coast of Florida on Sept. 26 and subsequently caused widespread flooding and destruction in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. But some posts on social media have exaggerated or misrepresented the restrictions, claiming that “drones are banned.” Conservative influencer Jack Posobiec told his 2.7 million X followers on Oct. 3 that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg “announces private drones are RESTRICTED from flying over hurricane areas. This prevents civilian volunteers from locating victims in need or showing footage...