HOUSTON — From Spring Branch through Montrose and into Midtown, people across Houston have reported seeing and hearing low-flying helicopters and aircraft the past few nights.
The helicopters are grouped together and appear to fly at lower altitudes than normal. They’ve been seen both Tuesday and Wednesday night, according to posts across social media.
In some photos from Midtown, what appears to be two smaller police helicopters are flying eastward in front of two larger military helicopters. The rumble has caused many to stop what they are doing and look up:
So, what’s the noise all about?
Houston police tweeted earlier this week that “residents may hear noise or see helicopters in the day and evening hours” as local law enforcement agencies conduct training with federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Defense is involved in the training.
HPD stated, “it is not in response to any current world events.”
You can read HPD’s full statement from Tuesday morning below:
The Department of Defense, in conjunction with the Houston Police Department and other local and federal law enforcement agencies, is conducting training in the City of Houston through September 24.
This exercise has been planned long in advance in cooperation with HPD and local authorities. It is not in response to any current world events and is expected to have minimal impact to our community. Residents may hear noise or see helicopters in the day and evening hours during the exercises. This type of collaborative training between local, state and federal partners is very common as we continue to work to provide the best service to the public.
To maintain the highest level of security, there are no public viewing opportunities planned during the exercises.