LUMBERTON, N.C. — North Carolina is launching a new drone initiative to improve disaster response efforts, particularly in the aftermath of events like Hurricanes Helene and Florence.

The program, supported by a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will enable faster delivery of emergency supplies and quicker damage assessments in affected areas, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation secured a grant as one of 47 awardees across the country through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, an initiative supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Nick Short, the interim director of North Carolina’s Division of Aviation, highlighted the potential of this technology, which includes “drone-in-a-box” systems for remote operations. Autonomous drones can be placed in communities before a storm and then deployed remotely to start collecting images of damage and deliver emergency supplies. These drones can be dispatched rapidly and operate in conditions where traditional methods are hindered by obstacles or damage, speeding up response times dramatically.

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“With the ‘drone in a box,’ we can place a drone with medicine like insulin on the side of a road and then those supplies are there and ready to be deployed right away,” Short said. “We will be able to deploy the drone remotely, so we can begin collecting data and delivering supplies without having to wait on someone to respond by driving into the area. In doing so, we’re also removing the risk of putting people in further danger during a natural disaster.”

The “drone-in-a-box” pilot phase will begin in Lumberton, a city that has faced significant challenges from previous storms, NCDOT said. This approach not only seeks to address current disaster management needs but also to adapt to the increasing frequency and intensity of weather events.

“These storms tend to impact people in historically disadvantaged communities where roads and other infrastructure become inundated faster and for longer periods of time than many other communities,” Short said. “That was true in Lumberton during Hurricane Florence and is one of the main reasons we’re piloting this program there.”

Aviation officials hope to expand on their achievements during Hurricane Helene, where the division collaborated with the N.C. Department of Public Safety, the National Guard and the Civil Air Patrol, according to NCDOT. Together, they utilized drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to capture thousands of images of areas too isolated to access by land.

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ATLANTA – Nearly three months after Hurricane Helene barreled through the southeast, a North Carolina-based non-profit has opened an art exhibit in Atlanta to try and help struggling artists recover.

Asheville’s Historic River Arts District was reduced to ruins after Helene came through in September and destroyed 80 percent of the artist’s studio space.

“Art is very important to Asheville and kind of always has been…this was definitely a wonderful gift,” RADA Foundation Executive Director Kim Hundertmark told FOX 5.

That gift to Asheville artists came in the form of exposure at Atlanta’s Ponce City Market.

“Ponce City Market donated this space…we don’t really have a lot of gallery space or studio space in the River Arts (District) right now,” she explained.

Hundertmark is one of the dozens of artists whose studio spaces were damaged by the hurricane that claimed hundreds of lives and left widespread devastation.

“The River Arts District started as an inexpensive place for artists to find studio space,” she said. “We all had to move out…I was in the second floor…and had about a foot and a half of water in my studio.”

Hundertmark says even in the cold of this winter season, the response from Metro Atlanta residents has been warm.

“We’ve sold about $20,000 worth of art in the last four weeks,” she told FOX 5.

She says that support means everything to the 40 artists featured.

“It means they pay their rent for the next month or two…it means that they’re able to buy supplies that they lost in the flood,” Hundertmark said.

The River Arts District pop-up exhibit will be open until Sunday, Dec. 29. The exhibit is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Kentucky Wildcats will keep Vince Marrow in Lexington for at least one more season.

According to John Brice of Football Scoop, Marrow has decided to remain with Kentucky. He was recently offered a spot on Bill Belichick’s first staff as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

“Sources with direct knowledge tell FootballScoop that Marrow intends to remain on Mark Stoops’s Kentucky staff,” Brice wrote.

So, for what feels like the hundredth time, Kentucky’s recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach has turned down offers from another school to remain on Mark Stoops’ staff, where he’s been ever since Stoops was first hired as the program’s head coach in November of 2012.

It’s no secret that Marrow has been Kentucky’s most important assistant coach in terms of recruiting for the duration of the Stoops era. That’s led to him receiving frequent interest from other programs, including Michigan, Michigan State, Louisville, and even head-coaching interest from Youngstown State and Southern Miss.

That interest has helped Marrow receive numerous extensions and subsequent pay raises while in Lexington. He’s now one of the highest-paid assistants in college football at $1.3 million per season.

Now, Marrow will look to help this program rebound from its most disappointing season in the Stoops era.