Digital Humanitarian

What North Carolina’s hurricane experience revealed about the future of emergency communications

When Hurricane Helene hit early in the morning, six states lost power, fiber lines, and communication. Many communities in western North Carolina were unreachable. In this episode, Dana Yaari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] speaks with Patrick Riley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmriley/], an Emergency Management Specialist for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety [https://www.ncdps.gov/]. Patrick recounts how traditional radio networks failed and why the lack of communication was the most significant threat in the first 72 hours. Patrick tells the story of turning to Starlink terminals, private helicopters, and donation radios to reestablish connection with impacted communities, and how these efforts and partnerships filled urgent gaps. He also emphasizes what’s often overlooked in emergencies, listening to what frontline responders actually need and preparing before anything happens. You’ll learn: * Why first responders couldn’t reach their own command centers * How a tech donation from SpaceX altered the response effort * “Backup plans” often don’t work during disasters Things to listen for: (00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian with Patrick Riley (01:29) What responders saw the moment Helene hit (03:28) How entire towns lost communication overnight (04:57) Why backup systems failed during the storm (06:43) Starlink terminals dropped by helicopter into cut-off areas (08:56) Coordinating disaster response without reliable comms (10:10) The double-edged role of social media (11:46) How the state managed conflicting information (14:48) Why responders aren’t given what they need (20:56) The tech tools reshaping search and rescue (23:30) Patrick’s advice: ask frontline responders what they need Resources: * Connect with Patrick [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmriley/] * Learn more about the North Carolina Department of Public Safety [https://www.ncdps.gov/] * Connect with Dana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] * Learn more about mondayERT [https://www.mondayert.org/]

A look inside Google’s flood predictions that beat Nigeria’s peak floods by a week with GiveDirectly

In late 2024, rising waters threatened communities in Kogi State, Nigeria, where floods have long devastated lives and livelihoods. However, this time, people were ready. In this episode, Dana Yaari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] talks with Federico Barreras [https://www.linkedin.com/in/federico-barreras-8a865348/], Humanitarian Programme Manager at GiveDirectly [https://www.givedirectly.org/], the organization that delivered no-strings-attached cash to over 4,000 people ahead of the flood. Federico shares that they used Google’s Flood Hub to forecast the impact weeks in advance and what changed when communities were able to prepare before the crisis. Federico explains how they remotely registered via basic phones, and why AI-backed only further prepared them with an edge over traditional models. You’ll learn: * How pre-registration helped release funds in under 48 hours * Why accuracy in flood modeling matters for every dollar sent * The personalized way that communities used the cash Things to listen for: (00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian with Federico Barreras (01:34) Anticipatory action & preparing communities before disasters (02:42) How GiveDirectly used Google Flood Hub (04:33) Pre-registration in enabling rapid cash transfers (07:27) Why Flood Hub’s granularity matters compared to other tools (10:27) Barriers to adoption and why organizations still don’t use predictive tech (13:45) How 4,000 people used early cash to protect lives and assets (19:14) Shifting the mindset from reaction to anticipation (25:26) GiveDirectly’s pilot in Kenya against drought (29:34) The future of anticipatory cash aid and government-level integration Resources: * Connect with Federico [https://www.linkedin.com/in/federico-barreras-8a865348/] * Learn more about GiveDirectly [https://www.givedirectly.org/] * Connect with Dana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] * Learn more about mondayERT [https://www.mondayert.org/]

How tech helped track 10,000 evacuees during Brazil’s worst climate crisis

When historic floods overwhelmed Rio in 2024, civil society mobilized quickly, but tech coordination lagged, and someone needed to step in. In this episode, Dana Yaari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] speaks with Dr. Caroline Vanzellotti [http://linkedin.com/in/carolinevanzellotti] and Dr. Olimar Teixeira Borges [http://linkedin.com/in/olimarteixeiraborges] of Bonanza [https://bonanza.ong/], a Brazil-based NGO that helped lead the local response. They recount the early days in Porto Alegre, when the streets were submerged for weeks. Dr. Caroline explains how their team used WhatsApp, Airtable, and monday.com to organize supply flows and reconnect entire communities. While Dr. Olimar walks through the tools they tested, the ones that failed, and the ones that scaled across future disasters. You’ll learn: * How Bonanza tracked shelter inventory using dashboards * Why training local volunteers helped speed up adoption * What it takes to adapt a digital system after the storm ends Things to listen for: (00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian, Dr. Caroline Vanzellotti and Dr. Olimar Teixeira Borges (01:25) Millions displaced and no data coordination in place (03:21) Spontaneous shelters with no central tracking system (04:39) Matching aid to actual needs in real time (06:30) Why WhatsApp failed during early response (08:27) Building dashboards from scratch with volunteer tech (09:45) Shifting from shelters to community recovery (11:32) Collecting household-level data post-flood (14:13) Why disaster tech must be pre-positioned (18:06) Scaling tools for multilingual, low-bandwidth regions Resources: * Connect with Caroline [http://linkedin.com/in/carolinevanzellotti] * Connect with Olimar [http://linkedin.com/in/olimarteixeiraborges] * Learn more about Bonanza [https://bonanza.ong/] * Connect with Dana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] * Learn more about mondayERT [https://www.mondayert.org/]

How tech kept aid moving when roads closed during the Maui wildfires

During the 2023 Maui wildfires, technology became the lifeline for restoring communication and helping communities survive. In this episode, Dana Yaari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] talks with Dr. Jarone Lee [http://linkedin.com/in/jarone] and Mary Showstark from Health Tech Without Borders [https://www.htwb.org/] about their time supporting relief efforts in Lahaina, Maui. They discuss the critical hours passed during the fires, when communication lines were down and survivors were cut off from aid. Mary shares what she saw on the ground, from blocked roads to the first moments Starlink brought communities back online. And Jarone discusses how their team managed to deliver tech tools amidst chaos and why connectivity has become a critical part of humanitarian aid. You’ll hear what worked, what stalled, and the lessons they’re carrying into future disaster zones. You’ll learn: * How Starlink units reconnected isolated areas in days * Why local trust shaped where and how tech was set up * What disaster responders need most when digital tools arrive Things to listen for: (00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian, Jarone Lee & Mary Showstark (01:36) Returning to Lahaina and urgent access needs (03:34) Locals stepping in when help was scarce (07:47) Barriers to aid in a declared disaster zone (08:35) Starlink’s arrival and restoring communication lines (10:07) Missed alerts and the role of warning tech (12:41) Inside Health Tech Without Borders’ global work (16:45) Setting up safe, trusted spaces for telehealth (18:50) Peer-to-peer mental health for first responders (21:45) Scaling telemedicine in conflict zones and disasters (27:02) Training lifesaving skills through chatbots in crises Resources: * Connect with Jarone [http://linkedin.com/in/jarone] * Connect with Mary [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5RjMTDQAAAAJ]  * Learn more about Health Tech Without Borders [https://www.htwb.org/] * Connect with Dana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] * Learn more about mondayERT [https://www.mondayert.org/]

Paper-based operations slows aid (tech doesn't)

Three million people were affected, roads were underwater, and a digital command center was put to the test. In this episode, Dana Yaari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] speaks with Miguel Garcia [http://linkedin.com/in/migueladriangarcia], Operations Center Supervisor at the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation [https://www.pdrf.org/] (PDRF), about the 2023 Typhoon Falcon response. As floodwaters rose, Miguel’s team faced a surge of requests, scattered communications, and overlapping aid efforts while running operations with just a handful of responders. Miguel walks through the critical decisions made in real time, what broke under pressure, and how adopting simple digital tools changed the outcome. From streamlining resource requests to tracking duplication, he explains how going digital helped cut response time and organize chaos on the ground. You’ll learn: * How to coordinate more efficiently during a disaster * What it takes to build a scalable emergency ops system * Why data and structure can save lives in a flood crisis Things to listen for: (00:00) Welcome to Digital Humanitarian, Miguel Garcia (01:10) Typhoon Falcon, monsoon rains & flooding (03:27) Untracked requests slow disaster response (04:40) Running an EOC with five people (06:29) Inside PDRF’s command center (08:20) How requests are matched to aid (10:42) Tracking duplication in real time (11:45) Going digital with incident plans (13:59) Saving 40% of response time (14:56) Smarter decisions through dashboards & data (17:04) Why tech solutions still aren’t the norm (23:49) Act now before crisis strikes Resources: * Connect with Miguel [http://linkedin.com/in/migueladriangarcia] * Learn more about PDRF [https://www.pdrf.org/] * Connect with Dana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-yaari-9062339/] * Learn more about mondayERT [https://www.mondayert.org/]