<p><b>There's increased recognition that communities’ access to technology is key to disaster resilience.</b></p>

<h4>In the news</h4> <p>Access to technology is one of several societal factors that affect the severity of natural disasters on a community, according to a recent US Federal Emergency Management Agency <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema\_2022-npr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a>. Which makes perfect sense; as <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/06/20/1074244/climate-vulnerability-digital-divide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this fascinating piece</a> notes, without sufficient access to technology such as broadband internet and WiFi, “communities risk missing crucial warnings and other disaster-related information like evacuation recommendations and aid offerings, not to mention access to media reports and other online resources.”</p> <p>Organizations like the Undivide Project are working on this very issue. Led by a Georgetown professor, the nonprofit focuses on the intersection of the climate crisis and the digital divide, drawing connections between a lack of technology access, environmental risk and historical inequity.</p> <p>Neighborhoods created by discriminatory practices such as redlining (a now illegal maneuver that limited where racial and ethnic minorities and low-income residents were welcome to live) have created not only generational poverty but also a series of cascading risks. These risks include both limited access to technology and increased vulnerability to the sorts of phenomena associated with climate change: extreme heat, flooding and more.</p> <p>The Undivide Project and others seek to remedy these issues by offering a portfolio of services to underserved communities.</p> <h4>The Cognizant take</h4> <p>The structural choices and under-investment highlighted by the Undivide Project point to a growing problem exemplified by the deadly wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, says M. Aya Kiy-Morrocco, Cognizant’s Head of ESG Governance. If the emergency alert system there had been activated in a timely manner—which emergency management officials have said was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/12/us/hawaii-emergency-warning-system-maui-wildfires/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&quot;nearly impossible&quot;</a>—she wonders, would residents have received the notifications?</p> <p>The UK has been testing a new public emergency alert system that officials say could be life-saving. However, “the new system uses technology and alerts that will be broadcast by cell towers,” Kiy-Morrocco points out. “What if you don’t have a cell tower in your area?”</p> <p>It goes without saying that access to life-saving technology should not be determined by Zip code. “As the private sector looks to implement projects that improve the lives of historically marginalized populations, we would be well-served in recognizing that bridging the digital divide will only strengthen our businesses and communities,” Kiy-Morrocco says.</p> <p>Improved access to digital resources in such communities will bring improved access to services, including education and skilling. Says Kiy-Morrocco, “This will bring untapped talent pools to the private sector, bringing with them unique perspectives, experiences and understanding—and, in doing so, unleashing prosperity.”</p>