When floods threatened Kogi, Nigeria, GiveDirectly turned to AI - and changed disaster relief forever. Using Google’s FloodHub forecasts and local insights, the NGO identified six wards most vulnerable to flooding and pre-enrolled 38,000 residents via text message instead of door-to-door surveys, saving $80,000 and a year of time.

Once AI predicted rising waters, GiveDirectly sent $105 to 3,250 families 48-72 hours before floods hit, helping them evacuate, protect food, and safeguard belongings. Later, an additional $210 helped rebuild homes and recover livelihoods. Results were striking: income doubled, food insecurity dropped by 90%, and 93% of recipients felt better prepared for future floods.

Community input fine-tuned AI predictions - residents shared real-time water levels and past flood patterns, ensuring no household was missed. With proof that early cash + AI saves lives, GiveDirectly now plans to scale this anticipatory model to other climate disasters like droughts worldwide.