Wayne County Receives Grant For Drone Program

GOLDSBORO – The Wayne County Office of Emergency Services has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to support the launch of a new Multi-Hazard Drone Program. This program will strengthen the county’s ability to respond to emergencies by enhancing search and rescue operations, victim recovery, fire scene safety, situational awareness, and disaster damage assessments.

With North Carolina experiencing increasingly severe natural disasters in recent years, the importance of local readiness and coordination has never been greater. The Duke Energy Foundation’s investment empowers emergency response agencies, like Wayne County’s, to improve preparedness and build resilience across the state.

“In Emergency Management, we want to add every tool that we can to our tool belt to assist us in the preparation and response to disasters that affect Wayne County,” said Gary Tillman, Emergency Management Coordinator for Wayne County. “The grant funding provided to us from the Duke Energy Foundation will allow us to launch a Multi-Hazard Drone Program to enhance our capabilities during these disasters. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation for their ongoing commitment to the citizens of North Carolina, and to the Public Safety agencies tasked with keeping them safe.”

Over the past five years, the Duke Energy Foundation has supported more than 100 local emergency response organizations with more than $1.8 million in grant funding, helping advance storm preparedness across North Carolina.

“Last storm season underscored the resilience of our North Carolina communities,” said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “Proactive collaboration with local emergency response organizations is necessary to ensure that communities are prepared to maintain that resilience. We are committed to helping equip our growing state with the tools necessary to stay safe during the upcoming storm season.”

The Multi-Hazard Drone Program will provide Wayne County Emergency Services with critical technology to enhance operational response, improve safety for emergency personnel, and better serve the residents of Wayne County during times of crisis.