Off-grid mesh networks: Empowering communities for disaster resilience in the Philippines. Ilustration (6 frames)

Lore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsumLore ipsum lore ipsum lore ipsum

1. Vulnerable locations

Remote areas face stronger typhoons and floods.

Visual: A coastal village as a storm approaches. In the foreground, a mother comforts a child while the father secures supplies. The family has evacuated to higher ground. Stilt houses (bahay-kubo) and a banca boat face the sea, with one house partly under water. Palm trees bend in the wind and hills darken, highlighting the vulnerability of remote areas.

2. Communication breaks

Cell towers fail, leaving communities disconnected.

A farmer stands in a storm holding a phone with a red “no signal” icon. He is surrounded by dense green bushes, grass, and red tropical plants. Palm trees bend in the wind, and a broken cell tower on the hilltop is marked with a red “X”. A small icon shows a message failing to send in the rain.

3. Community network

Community-managed mesh networks provide a resilient alternative.

A group gathers around a table to set up a mesh network. One person flashes Meshtastic firmware to a LoRa node on a laptop, another installs the Meshtastic app on a phone, and the devices pair via Bluetooth, showing local setup and collaboration.

4. Local setup

Low-power nodes connect homes, boats and mountaintops using renewable energy.

Two smiling men install a low-power mesh node onto a pole. The device is connected to a small solar panel for renewable energy. In the background, similar nodes are visible on a boat in the water, a nipa hut on the beach, and a distant mountaintop, illustrating a fully connected network.

5. Disaster response

Messages work without internet, enabling rapid disaster response.

In a flooded village, a rescue team carries an injured person on a stretcher while two others carry a relief box. Inside a stilt house, two people monitor the situation, one pointing at a laptop and a map. A woman uses a handheld device to successfully send a message, marked with a green check. Signal icons connect nodes on hills and houses, showing the mesh network in action.

6. Community resilience

Empowering communities for disaster and environmental resilience.

A diverse group of smiling people stand together in a remote area. Behind them, the beach is calm and the hills are green. Three network nodes are active on the mountains, showing that the village is now connected. The scene illustrates the community empowering itself to stay safe and protect the environment.

Mary Ann Busano is a Computer Science student from the Philippines with interests in design, art, and sustainable futures. She is particularly interested in technological developments focused on decentralization, community collaboration, social justice and environmental sustainability. Through studies and participation in various programs and initiatives, Mary Ann explores how technology can support human and ecological well-being while addressing the needs and priorities of local communities.

This piece is one of the proposals selected from the Call for Narratives on community-centred connectivity initiatives and environmental justice. The call was launched in the framework of the COP30, held in Belém do Pará, in November 2025. In that context, the LocNet initiative developed a series of activities to highlight the intersection of community-centered connectivity and socio-environmental justice — recognizing that communities are often at the front line of both the territorial and environmental impacts of technology, as well as the consequences of climate change. Learn more about this initiative here.

The call gather a collection of narratives from different countries, regions and addressing a vaariety of focuses that relate CCCIs and the care and claim for environment. Find them here.