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By Amir Daftari
News Reporter
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The United States experienced 23 weather and climate disasters causing at least $1 billion in damage each in 2025, with estimated losses of $118.4 billion, according to Climate Central. Moreover, its database records 447 such events since 1980, with total costs exceeding $3.3 trillion, adjusted for inflation to 2026.
Large-scale disasters can involve multiple agencies and organizations, each with its own systems and procedures for sharing information. Technology companies are developing tools to help bring that information together, an approach that addresses an ongoing problem in emergency management, according to Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins, second vice president of the U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers.
"Fragmented information sharing among emergency response organizations is a significant, longstanding challenge in the United States. Organizations often operate in silos, whether across disciplines, agencies, or industries, limiting access to critical information and preventing stakeholders from developing a complete picture of an incident," Flynn-Nevins told Newsweek.
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She argues that the priority is turning fragmented data into practical tools for emergency managers. "The challenge is no longer simply collecting information but integrating it into accessible, actionable decision-support tools that help emergency managers make informed decisions."
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An Established Market
Emergency management software is already an established sector. Companies such as Everbridge and Juvare provide tools for communications, incident management and operational coordination.
The challenge for newer providers is proving they can deliver something agencies do not already have. Public-sector procurement can be lengthy, while integration, cybersecurity and training requirements add to implementation costs.
A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) procurement document, dated December 2025 and approved in February, estimated that rebuilding parts of its crisis management system would cost between $16 million and $25 million and take 24-36 months.
Rather than rebuild the system, FEMA opted to move it to a cloud-based service provided by Juvare.
The decision reflects a broader reality in the sector. Agencies are often more interested in connecting existing systems than replacing them altogether, creating opportunities for companies that can improve interoperability without disrupting existing operations.
Selling the Solution
One company pursuing that opportunity is Ready2Go, founded by former firefighter-paramedic Sarah Smith and Patrick Williams. They are developing a platform intended to help agencies, private organizations and residents share information through what it describes as a common operating picture.
The platform would allow residents to register medical and mobility requirements before a disaster, while AI tools would be used to help match requests for assistance with available resources.
Speaking to Newsweek, Smith said the goal is to help organizations operate from a shared view of an incident. "We are not an alerting company. We are the bridge that connects the entire response ecosystem so that government, private companies, and citizens can operate from the same actionable picture."
Williams added that agencies still struggle to operate from a shared understanding of events during a disaster.
"The key is communications between agencies, or having the same communications available at the same time to all the agencies involved. No one has the same communications at the same time. That is why you get an organized mess."
Beyond the Hype
Ready2Go is one of many companies pursuing opportunities in the emergency-response technology market. A recent RAND study identified 1,179 AI products with potential applications in emergency management, highlighting the growing number of providers targeting the sector.
The study also identified funding, staffing, technical capacity and procurement as significant barriers to adoption.
But new tools alone are unlikely to solve the industry's coordination challenges. Flynn-Nevins cautioned that performance in the field matters more than performance in a test.
"Vendor demonstrations often rely on controlled scenarios and clean data that may not reflect the complexities of an actual emergency."
For providers, the challenge extends beyond developing new capabilities. Agencies need evidence that a system can work in real operating conditions, integrate with existing infrastructure and improve decision-making without creating new risks or administrative burdens.
"Ultimately, technology is only as effective as the relationships that support its use," Flynn-Nevins added.
For emergency-response technology providers, the opportunity is clear. The harder task is proving that new tools can integrate with existing systems, deliver measurable benefits and earn the trust of organizations that cannot afford technology failures when disasters occur.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Mike Hirst.
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