In the span of a week in August 2026, powerful storms and deadly flooding knocked out power to a half-million people across the Midwest; Tropical Storm Lala cut power to thousands more in Hawaii amid dangerous wind and flooding; wildfires forced evacuations in the western U.S.; and a powerful earthquake struck Colombia.

All were reminders of how quickly ordinary routines can give way to crisis, and how crucial mobile phones are today as people deal with disasters.

Smartphones have become part of just about everyone’s emergency infrastructure. We use them to receive warnings, follow evacuation routes and road closures, locate shelters, contact family and track rapidly changing conditions. When people are hurt, they’re essential for calling 911.

But when disasters hit – during an earthquake, hurricane or wildfire evacuation, for example – cellphones can be easily lost or forgotten, their batteries can run down with no way to recharge them, and cell service can become unreliable.

Those risks expose another dimension of the “digital divide”: The issue is no longer simply whether someone has technology or knows how to use it, but what happens when........

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