Amazon Used AI-Stitched Drone Imagery to Map 2,700 Acres After Hurricane Helene

Amazon's Disaster Relief team deployed drones to capture aerial imagery across roughly 2,700 acres affected by Hurricane Helene in 2025, using artificial intelligence to stitch thousands of individual images and videos into a single composite map of the affected area. According to the company, the resulting maps gave first responders a more detailed and rapid picture of ground conditions than manual assessment could provide, helping identify where search-and-rescue teams should focus efforts without requiring responders to physically search dangerous terrain on foot.

 

Amazon said the mapping approach allowed first responders to cover more ground more quickly and contributed to additional search-and-rescue missions being launched. The technology also supported delivery logistics during the response, with Amazon stating it worked alongside the National Guard to airlift and drop baby formula and other supplies into locations that were otherwise difficult to reach following the storm.

 

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Beyond imaging, the company said it is developing AI agents intended to synthesise large volumes of disaster-related data, including weather conditions, shelter occupancy and road access, into a consolidated operational picture for response teams. Amazon pointed to a similar effort by the American Red Cross, which is building an AI agent called Clara using an AWS grant, designed to identify emerging gaps in community needs, such as reports of hunger in areas with no active feeding organisations present, that might otherwise take days to surface through manual monitoring.

 

Amazon has said it has applied its drone-mapping approach in subsequent disaster responses, including earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela in 2026, where it also used AI to assist with translating packing lists for international shipments. The company's Disaster Relief programme, launched in 2017, has donated more than 30 million relief supplies across over 200 disasters worldwide, operating from a network of Disaster Relief Hubs positioned near disaster-prone regions across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

 

These figures and the technology's effectiveness are as reported by Amazon; they have not been independently verified by outside sources, and the company has stated that AI is intended to support, rather than replace, human judgement and local cultural understanding in its response decisions.

 

Source: Amazon Sustainability