UAVs in New Orleans

Reported here:

The original mission for these UAVs -- a new class known as the Evolution, an upgrade over the 4-pound Dragon Eye reconnaissance drones used in Iraq -- was to help in searching for stranded hurricane survivors.

But now the planes mainly are being used to assess damage to oil and gas distribution, dikes, berms and other aspects of the region's infrastructure, said Alfred Lumpkin, director of operations for ISR Group LLC, which is providing logistical support for the planes' maker, L-3 Communications Corp.'