Mayor McCarty addressing the audience at the 2025 Community Disaster Resilience Prize ceremony on March 5. Photo courtesy of Verizon

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) – Verizon announced the winners of the 2025 Community Disaster Resilience Prize on March 5 at Cal Expo. Public officials, including Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and State Senator Henry Stern, along with tech innovators gathered to showcase groundbreaking technology designed to shift the focus from disaster response to proactive preparation.

Hundreds of people attended the event that featured live demonstrations of tele-operated firefighting robots, mobile solar microgrids and AI-powered lightning detection systems and vulnerability maps. These technologies are being deployed to help communities in California build long-term resilience against wildfires, extreme heat and power outages. Learn more about the winning companies at: www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-investing-new-generation-life-saving-disaster-resilience-technolo....

Tech innovators gathered at Cal Expo on March 5 to showcase groundbreaking technology designed to shift the focus from disaster response to proactive preparation. Photo courtesy of Verizon

Additionally, more than 100 Verizon employees and community partners volunteered to create hundreds of disaster resilience kits, which will be distributed to the United Way of California Capital Region and the United Way of California Bay Area.

Mayor McCarty thanked the crowd for attending and highlighted emerging technologies. He also emphasized how communities can work together with technology and communications partners to find solutions to these issues together.

Hundreds of people attended the event that featured live demonstrations of tele-operated firefighting robots, mobile solar microgrids and AI-powered lightning detection systems and vulnerability maps. Photo courtesy of Verizon

Senator Stern appreciated the timely nature of this important event, which sits at the intersection of disaster management and policy, especially as California enters severe weather awareness season. 

Winners of the prize include BurnBot out of San Francisco, tele-operated robotics designed to reduce wildfire fuel loads in high-risk landscapes. Another winner, FNN out of Gainesville, FL, is an AI-powered ignition detection system that provides real-time insights into emerging fire risk. The Footprint Project out of New Orleans, LA are mobile solar microgrids that provide clean, resilient backup power during outages. Finally, the Atlantic Council & ClimaSens out of Washington, DC/Melbourne offer climate vulnerability mapping that enables cities to proactively manage extreme heat risk.