When federal declarations lag, the pressure falls on local responders, many of whom lack the necessary tools and resources to independently coordinate large-scale relief efforts. If public systems are going to keep pace with modern disasters, they'll need to become faster, smarter and more interconnected. Artificial intelligence, used responsibly, may be one of the most critical enablers of that shift.
THREE PHASES, ONE SYSTEM
AI can unify these phases through shared data and adaptive workflows. In the planning phase, predictive models can evaluate regional risk, simulate emergency scenarios and aid agencies in positioning resources. During the active response period, AI can help deploy volunteers, monitor on-site needs through data feeds, and provide insights to decision-makers through satellite or drone images, all in real time. In the recovery stage, it can help pinpoint areas lacking support, track long-term needs and enhance funding disbursement with greater accuracy.
It isn’t about replacing people but rather supporting them with systems that can respond at the speed of the crisis.
More recently, I attended a national conference where leaders from across government, nonprofit and faith-based relief organizations gathered to confront these issues firsthand. A recurring theme was one I had experienced personally: When federal aid is delayed, the burden shifts to local actors, and they need more modern resources to meet their heightened responsibilities.
Nearly every organization depends on volunteers for mission-critical response; however, very few automate engagement activities or collaborate using a centralized digital infrastructure to coordinate efforts. With the Salvation Army, Tzu Chi and Team Rubicon as notable exceptions, there is usually no unified system for tracking needs, sharing real-time fulfillment information or a standard dashboard to oversee efforts — just institutional memory and passion. Text chains can work, but coordinating shouldn't have to be so primitive.
MUTUAL AID IS STRONG; TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE IT STRONGER
In the realm of disaster relief work, there's an adage, "In blue skies and gray," which denotes the two operating modes of emergency systems: normal conditions (blue skies) and crisis conditions (gray skies). The most resilient systems are designed to function in both scenarios.
Mutual aid is not new. However, the scale of need today demands modern support. Spontaneous volunteer efforts, grassroots organizers and faith-based networks are often the first on the scene and almost always the most effective at meeting people’s needs where they are. Neighbors are often the best positioned to help their neighbors, provided they have been prepared appropriately to do so. However, without access to live coordination systems, they risk overlooking vulnerable people, working in silos, duplicating efforts and failing to document circumstances accurately, thereby missing critical gaps or burning out.
That's where technology must step in, not only to expedite care delivery but also to transform intentions into scalable relief infrastructure. When the next hurricane hits or wildfires spread, volunteer agencies shouldn't have to rely on text chains and spreadsheets for coordination. State and local governments shouldn't have to reinvent coordination protocols on the fly every time an emergency occurs.
AI systems can match volunteers to real-time needs, analyze supply flow and coordinate multilingual communication. These aren’t luxuries, but rather critical infrastructure. When local responders can self-organize intelligently, relief becomes faster, more efficient and more equitable. It is far less expensive to invest in these systems now, as an insurance policy, than to overpay for inadequate coverage the next time we sludge through silt and sift through ashes.
WHEN FEDERAL SUPPORT CONTRACTS, LOCAL READINESS MUST EXPAND
One difficult truth in today’s world is the cascading unpredictability of federal support in the United States and abroad. Budget changes, staff shortages and administrative delays are making it harder for agencies such as FEMA to deliver timely aid. A new layer of urgency has emerged following the federal government’s recently announced plans to phase out FEMA by the end of the year, a timing that coincides with the peak of hurricane season, overlaps with delivery life cycles that are currently in progress and heightens the immediate risk for vulnerable communities. While the long-term implications are still unfolding, one thing is certain: Disasters won’t pause to accommodate policy transitions.
For decades, FEMA has served as the backbone of the country’s disaster response framework. Beyond funding and direct service delivery, FEMA provides the organizational structure, coordination guardrails and shared expectations that allow federal, state, local and nonprofit actors to work in concert. Without that spine, there’s a real risk of fragmentation where agencies, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector responders no longer have a clear sense of how to plug into the system or who holds responsibility for critical recovery tasks.
This isn’t just a theoretical risk. Even today, access to FEMA resources is already constrained, with online platforms that disaster survivors rely on for claims and assistance intermittently unavailable, leaving urgent needs unresolved. Meanwhile, many of the responsibilities traditionally assigned to FEMA, such as infrastructure repairs, facility restorations and support for public lands, have no natural replacement at the state or local level.
From my alternative perspective as a survivor, I can also attest that people from all walks of life will feel the consequences of changes surrounding FEMA. FEMA, faith groups and disaster relief organizers step in when all other options have been exhausted. Across California, private insurers have already withdrawn from high-risk markets, leaving many communities with limited coverage options. California’s fallback provider, the California FAIR Plan, now carries hundreds of billions of dollars in exposure, far beyond what it was initially designed to handle. As a result, a growing number of displaced survivors may find themselves turning to legal action or government claims processes in search of relief. Funding from FEMA won’t fix these underlying realities, but it will provide trust, access and operational efficiency across the limited options available to help affected individuals move forward.
If this transition proceeds as planned, the demands on local systems will grow exponentially. It will no longer be a question of how to supplement federal response, but how to lead in its absence. Local governments must be empowered to organize autonomously while also being equipped to integrate with state and federal infrastructure when it becomes available.
AI, when deployed with transparency and oversight, can act as a force multiplier, enabling resource-strapped teams to accomplish more with fewer resources. Technology won’t replace institutional safety nets, but it can help communities build their own. When institutional capacity contracts, local intelligence and readiness must scale to fill the void.
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR A NATIONAL CHANGE
As AI adoption progresses, so does the debate around oversight, guardrails and regulation. Some have questioned whether AI governance should be handled at the state level. But when it comes to disaster relief, where systems must work across jurisdictions, populations and partners, fragmented regulatory frameworks only hinder the response.
Consistent federal standards on data privacy, interoperability and ethical deployment are essential, as they reduce compliance friction for agencies and create shared trust across organizations, protecting vulnerable populations who may lack the resources to be aware of, let alone advocate for, their digital rights. When done right, AI not only enhances disaster response but also increases accountability and transparency. Globally, organizations like the U.N. are beginning to explore how intelligent systems can facilitate progress from discussion to demonstrable action. That same mindset is needed in every community.
The future of disaster response will not be determined solely by who shows up but by how effectively those who do work together. Technology can't replace human connection, but it can strengthen it to bridge the gaps between volunteers, agencies and affected communities.
Disasters will continue to happen. What must change is how systems prepare for, respond to and recover from them. From blue skies to gray, the public sector has an opportunity to build the connective infrastructure that makes rapid, coordinated response possible — not someday, but now. It’s time we see resilience as a source of pride, rather than loss as a reminder of sorrow.
As founder and CEO of the volunteer management platform Golden, Sam Fankuchen has visibility into the program strategies and operations of 40,000 organizations in nonprofit, government, CSR, education, health care, and disaster relief as they engage participants in volunteering and donation activities. He has spoken on social entrepreneurship, cross-sector collaboration, disaster response and digital ethics at Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, USC and America's Service Commissions and testified before the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.
