Natural Disaster Deployments: HAPS as the Fourth Layer of US Resilience

Part 5 of a 20-Part Bridge Series on HAPS Usage and Deployment in the United States.

1. Disasters as a Stress Test for Communications Infrastructure

Natural disasters are a brutal systems test. They hit precisely where networks are most vulnerable:

• Power failures

• Flooded or inaccessible sites

• Wind and fire damage to towers and backhaul

• Congested cells in evacuation routes and shelters

At the same time, demand spikes:

• First responders require reliable voice and data.

• Citizens attempt to contact family, emergency services and insurance providers.

• Governments and utilities must coordinate large, complex operations.

The result is often a communications bottleneck that slows response, increases risk and prolongs recovery.

2. The Three Existing Layers – and Their Limits

Today’s disaster communications stack is typically built from:

1. Terrestrial public and commercial networks – powerful when intact, but fragile under extreme conditions.

2. Portable and temporary systems – “cells on wheels,” portable repeaters, satellite backhaul.

3. Satellite services – valuable but limited by latency, capacity and terminal availability.

These layers are necessary, but they can leave wide gaps in:

• Continuous wide-area coordination

• Coverage between urban centres and rural communities

• Redundancy when key links fail

3. HAPS as a Fourth Layer of Resilience

High-altitude platforms add something fundamentally new:

• A wide-area, persistent coverage layer above the disaster footprint, not dependent on towers, roads or local power.

• Latency and service characteristics closer to terrestrial networks than to traditional satellite links.

• Flexibility to be pre-positioned, repositioned and scaled as the disaster evolves.

HAPS does not replace existing disaster assets—it knits them together from above.

4. Disaster Scenarios Where HAPS Adds the Most Value

4.1 Hurricanes and coastal storms

Before landfall:

• HAPS can be positioned over likely impact zones.

• Backhaul and coordination links can be established between state agencies, utilities and federal command.

After landfall:

• HAPS can provide a consistent umbrella for emergency response operations.

• It can support temporary cellular overlays, Wi-Fi hotspots, shelters and recovery centres.

• It can bridge isolated communities whose terrestrial networks are damaged.

4.2 Wildfires and smoke events

In wildfire zones:

• HAPS provides line-of-sight over rugged terrain.

• It can relay telemetry and video from drones and aircraft.

• It supports communications for firefighters, evacuation planners and law enforcement.

During smoke events spanning multiple states, HAPS can support air-quality monitoring networks and public information systems.

4.3 River and inland flooding

Floods isolate communities, damage power and disrupt fibre routes. HAPS can:

• Provide backhaul to temporary cell sites and community hubs.

• Create a temporary mesh of critical connectivity points across a region.

• Support real-time coordination for rescue, logistics and relief.

4.4 Earthquakes

In earthquake scenarios, ground infrastructure can suffer widespread damage. A HAPS platform deployed quickly can stabilise communications for:

• Search and rescue teams

• Hospitals and medical triage centres

• Government agencies and utilities

• International assistance teams

“Disaster resilience is no longer just about how fast you can rebuild a tower; it’s about whether you can put a functioning network above the crisis within hours.”

5. Deployment Concepts: Standing Capacity vs Surge Capacity

HAPS can be integrated into disaster planning in two main ways:

5.1 Standing capacity

A small number of platforms are kept available, with:

• Pre-defined deployment regions

• Pre-tested integration with public safety networks

• Regular exercises and rehearsals

This model is more expensive but offers faster response.

5.2 Surge capacity

Commercial HAPS fleets serving frontier, industrial or underserved markets can have disaster support agreements that:

• Prioritise disaster deployments when required

• Allow capacity to be repurposed temporarily

• Compensate operators through public–private frameworks

This model leverages existing commercial platforms to enhance resilience.

6. Integration with Existing Disaster Communications

To be effective, HAPS must plug into the disaster ecosystem:

• Public safety networks – as an additional access or backhaul layer.

• Commercial operators – to restore or extend consumer and enterprise service.

• Utility and transport networks – to support grid, water and transport restoration.

• Government and NGO systems – for logistics, welfare and information.

The key is careful planning and agreements in advance, not improvisation in the middle of a crisis.

7. Limitations and Risk Management

As with the other articles, a realistic view is essential:

• HAPS may face operational constraints in extreme weather close to the storm eye.

• Spectrum and airspace coordination must be pre-approved.

• Platform capacity is finite; prioritisation frameworks are needed.

• Ground segment resilience (gateways, control centres) still matters.

The point is not that HAPS is invulnerable; it is that HAPS can be designed to fail differently and more gracefully than terrestrial structures.

8. Board-Level “So What?” for Governments, Operators and Critical Infrastructure Owners

For decision-makers, the questions are:

• What would a communications failure cost us in our worst-case disaster scenarios?

• How quickly could we re-establish wide-area coverage today?

• Where could HAPS shorten that window from days or weeks to hours?

• What governance and funding mechanisms are required to make this real?

In an era of climate change, more frequent extreme events and growing dependence on digital systems, disaster resilience is a board-level risk, not an operational detail.

9. Conclusion – Designing Resilience with Altitude in Mind

Natural disasters will remain a defining feature of the US risk landscape. Communications will always be one of the first systems tested and one of the most critical for recovery.

By introducing a high-altitude, rapidly deployable coverage layer, HAPS offers a structurally different way to think about resilience. The technology is not a panacea, but when integrated with terrestrial, satellite and portable systems, it can help shift disaster communications from heroic improvisation to planned, layered resilience.

If your organisation is exploring how high-altitude platforms, non-terrestrial networks or frontier communications could support your strategy, Bridge Connect US can help.

Our advisors work with executives, boards and public-sector leaders across telecoms, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies to clarify the opportunities, the risks and the practical next steps.

To discuss your priorities in confidence - or to understand where HAPS and other NTN solutions may fit within your US connectivity roadmap - contact Bridge Connect US for an initial conversation.

We help you move from uncertainty to strategic clarity.