Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For most people, a rainy day is just an inconvenience, but for New Orleans residents rain can mean something far more urgent — flooded streets, submerged cars and the unsettling question of whether today’s storm will be the one that upends their lives.
The need for an innovative climate tech solution is what made New Orleans the first city Verizon targeted for its new Verizon Disaster Resilience: Flood Sensor Initiative. In collaboration with technology startup Hyfi, the city of New Orleans, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA), the flood sensor initiative utilizes Hyfi flood sensors that collect real-time data, transmitted over Verizon’s 5G network, and provides disaster preparedness workshops and resources for the community.
“Flooding is the most deadly and destructive of natural disasters,” says Hyfi CEO and Co-founder Brandon Wong. “It affects all communities across the United States, and there is little to no real-time information to provide an early warning for communities and their citizens.”
Supporting the most vulnerable in the community is what lies at the heart
of all Verizon Disaster Resilience programs. Flooding disproportionately
affects low-income communities, where aging infrastructure, financial
insecurity and limited access to emergency resources can make recovery
difficult. That’s why Verizon and UWSELA are equipping residents with the
tools and training they need to better prepare for disasters, and to know
how to recover more quickly from them.
And the benefits go beyond disaster response. Austin Feldbaum, director of hazard mitigation for the city of New Orleans, explains, “We hope that with these longer-term data sets in hand, we’ll be able to use that to develop predictive models that will improve our ability to understand what the problems are with our existing infrastructure, and then design solutions.”
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023. Verizon’s world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores.
For most people, a rainy day is just an inconvenience, but for New Orleans residents rain can mean something far more urgent — flooded streets, submerged cars and the unsettling question of whether today’s storm will be the one that upends their lives.
The need for an innovative climate tech solution is what made New Orleans the first city Verizon targeted for its new Verizon Disaster Resilience: Flood Sensor Initiative. In collaboration with technology startup Hyfi, the city of New Orleans, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA), the flood sensor initiative utilizes Hyfi flood sensors that collect real-time data, transmitted over Verizon’s 5G network, and provides disaster preparedness workshops and resources for the community.
“Flooding is the most deadly and destructive of natural disasters,” says Hyfi CEO and Co-founder Brandon Wong. “It affects all communities across the United States, and there is little to no real-time information to provide an early warning for communities and their citizens.”
Supporting the most vulnerable in the community is what lies at the heart
of all Verizon Disaster Resilience programs. Flooding disproportionately
affects low-income communities, where aging infrastructure, financial
insecurity and limited access to emergency resources can make recovery
difficult. That’s why Verizon and UWSELA are equipping residents with the
tools and training they need to better prepare for disasters, and to know
how to recover more quickly from them.
And the benefits go beyond disaster response. Austin Feldbaum, director of hazard mitigation for the city of New Orleans, explains, “We hope that with these longer-term data sets in hand, we’ll be able to use that to develop predictive models that will improve our ability to understand what the problems are with our existing infrastructure, and then design solutions.”
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023. Verizon’s world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores.
