According to the Red Cross, the images the drone takes will help it funnel aid to areas that need it the most. They will also be used to evaluate billions of dollars of damage for insurance, since that's a necessary step towards the city's recovery. The program is funded by UPS' charitable arm, which is probably why the team is using a Cyphy drone -- the parcel delivery company owns a stake in the dronemaker. This isn't the first time UPS is using drones to send help either: last year, it also tested the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver emergency medical supplies.

Brad Kieserman, Red Cross Disaster Services VP says "The measure of success for the American Red Cross on this pilot will be to prove that drones can help support, complement and accelerate the work already being done by our tremendous volunteers." If the team successfully accomplishes their task next week, they could deploy the program for similar disaster-relief operations in the future. In fact, they plan to use the same drone and methods to assess Hurricane Irma's impact after it passes through Florida this weekend.