Waterloo's Aeryon Labs lends drone for Philippines storm relief

A Waterloo company is putting its technology to use forhumanitarian aid by lending an aerial drone torelief workers who are heading to storm-stricken areas of the Philippines.

Aeryon Labs is loaning a drone to the Ontario-based group Global Medic, whose members are heading to help in the Philippines after Typhoon Hagupit hit last week and left at least 27 people dead.

• Tropical storm Hagupit: Philippine rescuers struggle to reach villages

"We've loaned it to them free of charge, we try and participate in as many sort of local charities and whatnot and community efforts as we can and this is sort of part of our ability to contribute on a worldwide basis," said Aeryon Labs CEODave Kroetsch

Kroetsch said usingdrone technology forrelief efforts is still relatively new, but that his company's drone will giverelief workers a bird's eye view to see where aid is needed most.

"By collecting a series of images and building that map from there, they'd be able to tell how water patterns have moved, how [and]where they have a build up of debris orperhaps where someone is trapped," he said.

Coastal villages are among the hardest hit by the typhoon's powerful winds and 10- to 13-foot storm surges.