Buttigieg's message on restricting civilian drones near Hurricane Helene damage prompts outcry, clarification

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) clarified a connection that warned civilian drone pilots not to alert adjacent Hurricane Helene betterment and rescue efforts — oregon hazard penalty, fines oregon "criminal prosecution" — aft facing aggravated backlash online. 

Reached by Fox News Digital, a DOT spokesperson said civilian drone pilots are permitted and are assisting successful rescue and betterment efforts, and erstwhile "temporary formation restrictions" person since been lifted. 

Some X users — collectively with millions of followers — reacted adversely to a connection addressed to drone pilots and with accompanying video from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared by the section earlier this week. The connection and video argued the restrictions would prohibit civilian volunteers from legally searching for victims oregon survivors erstwhile effect clip matters astir oregon capturing their ain footage of the disaster.

"The USDOT tweet from yesterday was referring to impermanent formation restrictions that were successful spot but were lifted precocious past night," a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital Thursday, citing the FAA. 

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The spokesperson explained the FAA "is not banning drones from providing Hurricane Helene catastrophe alleviation and betterment assistance." 

"At times, section authorities and instrumentality enforcement petition the Federal Aviation Administration issue a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in bid to guarantee information for aircraft or drones operating successful definite areas," the spokesperson said successful a statement. "These restrictions occur at the petition of section authorities oregon instrumentality enforcement. FAA does not enactment these into spot without requests." 

The spokesperson said specified restrictions use to some manned and unmanned aircraft, oregon drones. 

"With due authorization, drones (and different aircraft) are permitted to run wrong a Temporary Flight Restriction," the connection continued. "These are lone for constricted areas identified by instrumentality enforcement and section authorities. 

"Relief operations, including civilian operations and volunteers, that are coordinated with exigency responders tin inactive entree the airspace during these restrictions. Anyone looking to usage a drone oregon different craft to assistance successful Hurricane Helene catastrophe alleviation and betterment efforts should coordinate with archetypal responders and instrumentality enforcement connected scene to guarantee they bash not disrupt life-saving operations." 

President Biden speaks alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a briefing connected Hurricane Helene effect and betterment efforts successful the Roosevelt Room of the White House Oct. 1, 2024, successful Washington, D.C.  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The clarification comes aft the DOT posted to X Wednesday, writing: "Drone pilots: Do not alert your drone adjacent oregon astir rescue and betterment efforts for Hurricane Helene. Interfering with exigency effect operations impacts hunt and rescue operations connected the ground."

In an attached video message, Buttigieg said, "Our extremity is to marque definite that backing is nary obstacle to precise rapidly getting radical the alleviation that they request and deserve. 

"There's besides immoderate information issues that travel up. For example, impermanent formation restrictions to marque definite that the airspace is wide for immoderate flights oregon drone enactment that mightiness beryllium progressive successful helping to let those exigency responders to bash their jobs." 

The station pointed to the relationship for FAADroneZone, the Federal Aviation Administration's tract for drone activity. 

"Interfering with emergency effect efforts whitethorn effect successful fines oregon transgression prosecution," FAADroneZone wrote, reposting Buttigieg's remarks. "Always cheque Temporary Flight Restrictions earlier you fly." 

Search and rescue squad members hike on North Carolina Route 9 successful the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Oct. 1, 2024, successful Bat Cave, N.C.  (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The posts rapidly received dense disapproval connected societal media. 

"The connection from Buttigieg comes arsenic the national authorities continues to shuffle its feet to assistance radical successful need," Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg wrote to his 1.5 cardinal followers connected X. 

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"Kamala Harris announced that survivors could perchance get $750 successful national assistance," Rugg added. "Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA doesn’t person capable wealth to marque it done hurricane play aft spending hundreds of millions of dollars connected illegals." 

"U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tells Americans to halt utilizing drones to assistance victims of Hurricane Helene. They're utilizing drones to FIND SURVIVORS," podcaster Chad Prather wrote to his 496,800 followers.

"Pete Buttigieg has declared that backstage drones are BANNED from flying implicit areas affected by Hurricane Helene. They’re deliberately impeding the quality of volunteers to assistance successful hunt and rescue and documenting the grade of the disaster," blimpish writer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.1 cardinal followers connected X, added. 

The remnants of a location are seen successful Lake Lure, N.C., Oct. 2, 2024, aft the transition of Hurricane Helene.  (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)

The decease toll from Hurricane Helene surpassed 200 people crossed affected states arsenic of Thursday. Hundreds stay unaccounted for successful the aftermath. 

Buttigieg visited FEMA office and joined Cabinet members Tuesday to little President Biden astatine the White House connected the demolition of Hurricane Helene. 

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The FAA, meanwhile, deployed teams "to reconstruct communications to impacted towers and airports, including delivering outer communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport successful North Carolina and ongoing enactment astatine Valdosta Regional Airport successful Georgia," the DOT said Tuesday. 

"FAA supported FEMA with 2 craft to behaviour flyover assessments and transport exigency unit and gear, specified arsenic outer communications kits. FAA is besides monitoring substance supplies astatine respective airports successful Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina that are experiencing reduced substance transportation owed to tempest impacts connected substance suppliers."