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Buttigieg's message on restricting civilian drones near Hurricane Helene damage prompts outcry, clarification
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) clarified a message that warned civilian drone pilots not to fly near Hurricane Helene recovery and rescue efforts — or risk penalty, fines or “criminal prosecution” — after facing intense backlash online.
Reached by Fox News Digital, a DOT spokesperson said civilian drone pilots are permitted and are assisting in rescue and recovery efforts, and previous “temporary flight restrictions” have since been lifted.
Some X users — collectively with millions of followers — reacted adversely to a message addressed to drone pilots and with accompanying video from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared by the department earlier this week. The message and video argued the restrictions would prohibit civilian volunteers from legally searching for victims or survivors when response time matters most or capturing their own footage of the disaster.
“The USDOT tweet from yesterday was referring to temporary flight restrictions that were in place but were lifted late last night,” a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital Thursday, citing the FAA.
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The spokesperson explained the FAA “is not banning drones from providing Hurricane Helene disaster relief and recovery assistance.”
“At times, local authorities and law enforcement request the Federal Aviation Administration issue a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in order to ensure safety for aircraft or drones operating in certain areas,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “These restrictions occur at the request of local authorities or law enforcement. FAA does not put these into place without requests.”
The spokesperson said such restrictions apply to both manned and unmanned aircraft, or drones.
“With proper authorization, drones (and other aircraft) are permitted to operate within a Temporary Flight Restriction,” the statement continued. “These are only for limited areas identified by law enforcement and local authorities.
“Relief operations, including civilian operations and volunteers, that are coordinated with emergency responders can still access the airspace during these restrictions. Anyone looking to use a drone or other aircraft to assist in Hurricane Helene disaster relief and recovery efforts should coordinate with first responders and law enforcement on scene to ensure they do not disrupt life-saving operations.”
President Biden speaks alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a briefing on Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Oct. 1, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
The clarification comes after the DOT posted to X Wednesday, writing: “Drone pilots: Do not fly your drone near or around rescue and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. Interfering with emergency response operations impacts search and rescue operations on the ground.”
In an attached video message, Buttigieg said, “Our goal is to make sure that funding is no obstacle to very quickly getting people the relief that they need and deserve.
“There’s also some safety issues that come up. For example, temporary flight restrictions to make sure that the airspace is clear for any flights or drone activity that might be involved in helping to allow those emergency responders to do their jobs.”
The post pointed to the account for FAADroneZone, the Federal Aviation Administration’s site for drone activity.
“Interfering with emergency response efforts may result in fines or criminal prosecution,” FAADroneZone wrote, reposting Buttigieg’s remarks. “Always check Temporary Flight Restrictions before you fly.”
Search and rescue team members hike along North Carolina Route 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Oct. 1, 2024, in Bat Cave, N.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
The posts quickly received heavy criticism on social media.
“The statement from Buttigieg comes as the federal government continues to shuffle its feet to help people in need,” Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg wrote to his 1.5 million followers on X.
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“Kamala Harris announced that survivors could potentially get $750 in federal assistance,” Rugg added. “Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA doesn’t have enough money to make it through hurricane season after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on illegals.”
“U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tells Americans to stop using drones to help victims of Hurricane Helene. They’re using drones to FIND SURVIVORS,” podcaster Chad Prather wrote to his 496,800 followers.
“Pete Buttigieg has declared that private drones are BANNED from flying over areas affected by Hurricane Helene. They’re deliberately impeding the ability of volunteers to assist in search and rescue and documenting the extent of the disaster,” conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.1 million followers on X, added.
The remnants of a home are seen in Lake Lure, N.C., Oct. 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)
The death toll from Hurricane Helene surpassed 200 people across affected states as of Thursday. Hundreds remain unaccounted for in the aftermath.
Buttigieg visited FEMA headquarters and joined Cabinet members Tuesday to brief President Biden at the White House on the destruction of Hurricane Helene.
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The FAA, meanwhile, deployed teams “to restore communications to impacted towers and airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia,” the DOT said Tuesday.
“FAA supported FEMA with two aircraft to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits. FAA is also monitoring fuel supplies at several airports in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina that are experiencing reduced fuel delivery due to storm impacts on fuel suppliers.”
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Dates: May 18-20
Location: UGA Golf Course- Augusta, GA
Teams
1. Auburn
2. Illinois
3. Vanderbilt
4. BYU
5. Georgia
6. Louisville
7. Kansas
8. Northwestern
9. College of Charleston
10. Rice
11. Southern Mississippi
12. Harvard [The Ivy League]
13. Howard [Northeast Conference]
Format
The NCAA organizes six regional tournaments, and each field consists of 12 teams and six individuals. After three rounds of stroke play at a regional tournament, the top five teams from each location advance to the national championship. The top individual on a non-advancing team from each regional site advances as well.
The Course
The UGA Golf Course has received numerous accolades during its 55+ years of existence. It is a fixture in Golfweek Magazine’s collegiate golf course rankings, coming in at #26 in 2022. In the state of Georgia, the UGA Golf Course is ranked as the 12th best public golf course to play by Golfweek Magazine. GolfAdvisor, which is more focused on customer reviews, ranked the UGA Golf Course as the #1 course in Georgia, the #1 collegiate course in the U.S., and the 10th best course in the nation to play according to data collected in 2021.
In May 2006, Love Golf Design of St. Simons Island was hired to renovate the green complexes and add 21 new tees to both lengthen and shorten the golf course to improve playability for all golfer abilities. The new championship Bulldog Tees stretched the course to almost 7,300 yards and provided the best collegiate and professional golfers with a very stern test. The golf course reopened in December 2006 to rave reviews.
Vandy’s Roster
Wells Williams- Senior
#20 ranked player, 1 Top 3, 68.4 scoring average
Will Hartman- Freshman
#278 ranked player, 70.9 scoring average
Chase Nevins- Junior
#180 ranked player, 70.1 scoring average
John Ed Steed- Freshman
#86 ranked player, 1 Top 3, 69.5 scoring average
Ryan Downes- Sophomore
#80 ranked player, 1 win at the Bryson Invitational, 69.6 scoring average
How Vandy Got Here
Vandy put together another nationally relevant season in 2026, spending much of the spring ranked inside the top 15 and consistently competing against elite SEC and national fields. Under head coach Scott Limbaugh, the Commodores combined veteran leadership with one of the country’s strongest young cores.
The season was highlighted by several strong tournament finishes, including a runner-up performance at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, where Vanderbilt finished behind Auburn after shooting under par in all three rounds. Freshman Jon Ed Steed emerged as one of the team’s breakout stars with multiple top-five individual finishes during the spring.
Senior standout Wells Williams anchored the roster throughout the year and earned first-team All-SEC honors, while Steed was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Williams also repeated as SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Commodore golfer to win the award in consecutive seasons.
At the SEC Championship in Sea Island, Vanderbilt entered as a top-10/top-15 caliber team nationally, but the tournament ended disappointingly. The Commodores were in contention entering the final stretch before a difficult closing round dropped them to 15th place overall at 3-over par, ending their SEC title hopes early.
Opponents
1. Auburn
#1 ranked team nationally, won 5 and placed Top 3 in 10 events out of 12 played. Placed 1st in SEC Championship stroke play and 3rd in match play. Lead by Jackson Koivun (#1 nationally, 66.4 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Jason Dufner.
2. Illinois
#12 nationally ranked, Big Ten runner up, 3 wins and 8 Top 3’s in 11 tournaments. Finished 2nd in the Big 10 Championship. Lead by Max Herendeen (#51 ranked player, 69.5 average, 1 win). Most famous golf alumni is Steve Stricker.
4. BYU
#24 ranked, 3 wins and 6 Top 3’s in 12 tournaments. Finished 6th in Big 12 Tournament. Lead by Khei Akina (#6 ranked player, 68.0 scoring average, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s. Most famous golf alumni is Johnny Miller.
5. Georgia
#26 ranked, 3 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 12 tournaments. Host school for region. Lead by Carter Loflin (#67 ranked player, 69.7 scoring average, 2 wins. Kevin Kisner is most famous golf alumni.
6. Louisville
#36 ranked nationally, 0 wins but 3 Top 3’s in 10 tournaments played. 7th in ACC Tournament. Lead by Cooper Claycomb (#115 ranked player, 1 win, 69.8 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Adam Hadwin.
7. Kansas
#37 ranked team, 1 win and 5 Top 3’s in 12 events. 5th in Big 12 Tournament. Lead by William King (#145 ranked player, 0 wins or Top 3’s but a 69.9 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Gary Woodland.
8. Northwestern
#50 ranked team, 0 wins or Top 3’s. Finished 9th in Big 10 Tournament. Lead by Daniel Savard (#69 ranked player, 2 Top 3’s, 69.2 scoring average). Matt Fitzpatrick is most famous golf alumni.
9. College of Charleston
#51 ranked team, 3 wins and 5 Top 3’s in 10 events played. Finished 3rd in CAA Championship. Lead by Miles Eubanks (#117 ranked player, 1 win and 2 Top 3’s, scoring average of 69.7). Most famous golf alumni is Kieron van Wyk.
10. Rice
#62 ranked team, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 11 events played. Finished 3rd in the American Conference Championship. Lead by Lukas Boandl (#93 ranked player, 1 win and 2 Top 3’s, 69.6 scoring average. Most famous golf alumni is Brad Lardon.
11. Southern Mississippi
#63 ranked team, 2 wins and 7 Top 3’s in 10 events. Finished 3rd in the Sunbelt Conference Championship. Lead by Benjamin Fernandez (#203 ranked player, 4 Top 3’s, 70.6 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Mark Blackburn.
12. Harvard
#124 ranked team, 2 wins and 3 Top 3’s in 7 events played. Won the Ivy League Championship. Lead by Barry Zhang (#598 ranked player, 1 win at the Ivy League Championships, 72.2 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Edwards Stimpson who invented the stimp meter.
13. Howard
#190 ranked team, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 11 events played. Won the NEC Championship. Lead by Francisco Perez (#768 ranked player, 1 win at the Colin Montgomery HCU Invitational, 73.2 scoring average). Their most famous golf alumni is Gregory Howell Jr.
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4 things to know about the weather:
- Hot Monday
- Potentially record heat Monday and Tuesday
- Dry start to the week
- Showers, then milder end of week
After a hot end to the weekend, the heat continues to crank up for the start of the new workweek. Highs on Monday and Tuesday will be near record levels, possibly tying or beating them. Temperatures will elevate to the mid to upper 90s.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
Wednesday will also be hot, but a cold front will come and bring showers and storm chances, then knock temperatures down for the end of the week. Highs will be in the 60s by Friday.
QuickCast
TONIGHT:
Few clouds
Wind: S light
LOW: Mid 60s
MONDAY:
Sunny
Wind: S 5-10 mph
HIGH: Mid 90s
TUESDAY:
Mostly sunny
Wind: SW 5-10 mph
HIGH: Upper 90s
WEDNESDAY:
Shower & storm chance
Wind: W 5-10 mph
HIGH: Mid 90s
SUNRISE: 5:53 a.m. SUNSET: 8:16 p.m.
AVERAGE HIGH: 77° AVERAGE LOW: 59°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
Anadolu staff
18 May 2026•Update: 18 May 2026
Two suspects were taken into custody and police continued searching for a third suspect on Sunday following a series of shootings in Austin, Texas that injured four people, authorities said.
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said the suspects were linked to at least 10 attacks carried out between Saturday and Sunday, adding that one victim sustained serious injuries while three others suffered minor wounds.
Police said the shootings appeared to be random and that no clear motive had been identified. Most incidents occurred in South Austin, including at least two shootings targeting fire stations.
“At this time, the investigation is ongoing, and APD (Austin Police Department) asks that our community remain vigilant,” the department said in a press release.
Authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order that had been issued for parts of South Austin, while a separate order remained in effect Sunday in the nearby Manor area as officers searched for the remaining suspect.
The Austin Fire Department said two of its stations were struck by gunfire in separate incidents late Saturday and Sunday morning, though no firefighters were injured and only minor damage was reported.
Officials urged residents to remain vigilant and asked anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers, a community-based, non-profit program that allows citizens to submit anonymous tips about criminal activity and unsolved cases.
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