High Water
Map the damage. Route the help. · Operation FLOODGATE · 4 days suggested (1–7)
The river crested overnight. Roads are under water and nobody knows which ones are safe. After floods, wildfires and earthquakes, emergency managers use drones to map damage quickly, find blocked roads, and decide where to send help first. Conditions change fast, and resources — batteries, time — are limited.
- ◆ I can prioritize objectives when time and battery are limited.
- ◆ I can adapt my flight plan when conditions change.
- ◆ I can explain how drone assessments help emergency managers decide where to send help.
- Pilot: Flies the assessment route and adapts to changes.
- Mission Commander: Prioritizes sites and makes the go/no-go calls.
- Engineer / Safety Observer: Tracks battery and conditions; calls return-to-base.
Simulator challenges
Hold a 1 m hover over the flooded street for 3 seconds, then land on dry ground.
Fly it →Crisis Mode: assess the bridge, the shelter and the stranded car, adapt to changing wind and hazards, and land at the command post with battery to spare.
Fly it →Touch down at the depot to load a virtual medical kit, cross the flood, and deliver it to the shelter. Choose your route carefully.
Fly it →Program a triangle route that checks three sites in order and returns home. Use a loop if you can.
Fly it →Three site cards, one battery, a time limit. The Commander chooses the order; the crew must land with battery to spare.
- ☐ Commander explained the priority order
- ☐ Adapted when something changed (teacher may move a card!)
- ☐ Landed with battery to spare
- ☐ Assessed all sites
Measure how flight style changes battery use with get_battery(), and learn safe battery care.
- ☐ Collected before/after battery data
- ☐ Demonstrated battery inspection
- ☐ Explained why moving uses more power
Mapping camera (simulated): Holding over a site records an assessment image in the simulation. Real CoDrone EDU: CoDrone EDU has no camera. In class, crews 'assess' sites by hovering over cards and reading them aloud.
Your report closed the dangerous bridge, confirmed the shelter, and saved rescuers a wasted trip. You adapted when conditions changed — the most important skill in disaster response.