The Verge was given behind-the-scenes access to Project Loon (previously), Google’s extremely ambitious moonshot attempt to bring high-speed Internet access to underserved regions using high-altitude balloons. The project, which was given its unorthodox title due to its seemingly unprecedented nature, could also serve to provide access to communities hit by natural disaster.
There’s no weather in the stratosphere, which means if there’s a hurricane or a typhoon that knocks out power or internet connectivity to people on the ground, the balloons provide a very exciting way to let people immediately have connectivity 10 seconds after the natural disaster occurs.
images via The Verge
