Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed an AI system, CLARKE, that lets emergency responders analyze drone images of disaster damage without an internet connection, turning them into compact reports that could help officials make decisions about a day sooner.
After a hurricane, drones can capture detailed images of damaged homes and roads. But getting those images to emergency responders is difficult: the files are huge, and connectivity after a storm is often spotty. CLARKE, developed at Texas A&M University with funding from the National Science Foundation's AI Institute for Societal Decision Making, is designed to speed up the process.
After a drone lands, the CLARKE system can analyze images without an internet connection. Teams can then send compact reports detailing building damage and road conditions, rather than large image files. By reducing delays in transferring and interpreting images, researchers estimate CLARKE could help emergency managers make decisions roughly a day earlier, allowing them to focus on the hardest-hit areas first. In a serious crisis, that could save lives.
"The information exists for emergency managers to make decisions, but it exists in a place where they can't get to it," Texas A&M researcher Tom Manzini said. Manzini says CLARKE can assess 2,000 homes in seven minutes.
Emergency responders used the system after hurricanes Debby and Helene in 2024. It is now part of the standard operating procedure for Florida's disaster drone team, FL-UAS1. In total, Manzini and his team have trained 125 emergency responders on using CLARKE.
The work is part of a broader effort to use AI in emergency response. After Myanmar experienced a major earthquake in March 2025, Microsoft's AI for Good Lab analyzed satellite imagery to help aid groups identify damaged buildings.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- CLARKE moves AI analysis to the disaster site, where connectivity is unreliable, cutting the wait for damage assessments.
- Faster damage maps let emergency managers prioritize the hardest-hit areas first, which in serious crises can save lives.
- Adoption by Florida's official disaster drone team makes the system part of routine response, not just a pilot project.
Background
AI is increasingly used in emergency response, from analyzing satellite images after earthquakes to processing drone footage after storms. Drone imagery is rich but heavy, and transferring and interpreting it quickly is a known bottleneck. CLARKE is an attempt to solve that by doing the analysis where the drone lands, offline, and sending only the results.
What to Watch
- Whether other states or disaster agencies adopt offline AI damage mapping as standard procedure after Florida's use.
- How CLARKE performs in future hurricanes and whether the estimated one-day gain in decision-making holds in real operations.
- How drone-based and satellite-based AI tools are combined in the next major disaster.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedCLARKE maps hurricane damage from drone images to speed up emergency response.Semafor: “Using AI to map disaster damage for faster rescue and recovery.”
- SupportedCLARKE, built at Texas A&M, sends compact reports instead of huge image files.Semafor: “CLARKE, developed at Texas A&M University with funding from the National Science Foundation’s AI Institute for Societal Decision Making, is designed to speed up the process. After a drone lands, the CLARKE system can analyze images without an internet connection, and teams can then send compact reports detailing building damage and road conditions, rather than huge image files.”
- SupportedCLARKE was developed at Texas A&M University with funding from the National Science Foundation’s AI Institute for Societal Decision Making.Semafor: “CLARKE, developed at Texas A&M University with funding from the National Science Foundation’s AI Institute for Societal Decision Making, is designed to speed up the process.”
- SupportedAfter a drone lands, CLARKE can analyze images without an internet connection.Semafor: “After a drone lands, the CLARKE system can analyze images without an internet connection”
- SupportedTeams can send compact reports detailing building damage and road conditions instead of huge image files.Semafor: “teams can then send compact reports detailing building damage and road conditions, rather than huge image files.”
- SupportedResearchers estimate CLARKE could help emergency managers make decisions roughly a day earlier.Semafor: “researchers estimate CLARKE could help emergency managers make decisions roughly a day earlier.”
- SupportedEarlier decisions could allow emergency managers to focus on the hardest-hit areas first.Semafor: “This, in turn, allows them to focus on the hardest-hit areas first.”
- SupportedTexas A&M researcher Tom Manzini said, “The information exists for emergency managers to make decisions, but it exists in a place where they can’t get to it.”Semafor: ““The information exists for emergency managers to make decisions, but it exists in a place where they can’t get to it,” Texas A&M researcher Tom Manzini said.”
- SupportedManzini says CLARKE can assess 2,000 homes in seven minutes.Semafor: “Manzini says CLARKE can assess 2,000 homes in seven minutes.”
- SupportedEmergency responders used CLARKE after hurricanes Debby and Helene in 2024.Semafor: “Emergency responders used the system after hurricanes Debby and Helene in 2024.”
- SupportedCLARKE is part of the standard operating procedure for Florida’s disaster drone team, FL-UAS1.Semafor: “It is now part of the standard operating procedure for Florida’s disaster drone team, FL-UAS1.”
- SupportedManzini and his team have trained 125 emergency responders to use CLARKE.Semafor: “In total, Manzini and his team have trained 125 emergency responders on using the CLARKE system.”
