BAY AREA, CA — Bay Area residents may notice low-flying helicopters crisscrossing the San Francisco Bay this week as federal officials conduct aerial sweeps ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl and related events.
With the Super Bowl approaching, helicopters are flying low over the region to measure background radiation as part of routine security preparations.
While the flight pattern is unusual, the low-altitude flights are designed to detect potential risks to public health and safety during major events, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration said.
Authorities are alerting residents so they are not alarmed by the unusual flight patterns overhead.
The surveys, which began Monday, use a twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter equipped with radiation-sensing technology, flown in a grid pattern at about 150 feet and roughly 80 miles per hour to measure normal background radiation levels. Following a release of radioactive material, the measurements would provide a picture of radiological conditions that could affect public safety and the environment.
Flyovers will occur only during daylight hours and are estimated to take approximately two hours to complete per area, according to the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The program is an arm of agency’s counterterrorism and counterproliferation program and the national nuclear or radiological emergency response capability.
The flights are scheduled to end Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration and FBI will also be enforcing a “no-drone zone” at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday as well as at key San Francisco sites leading up to the Super Bowl.