Re: Power?
"Whilst the bloons themselves might be solar powered, the kit on the ground probably isn't and last I heard there were still major problems with that part of the infrastructure."
It's easier to deploy charging stations than it is to rebuild tower infrastructure. You can recharge a cell phone from a solar panel or generator. Wireless companies are getting their stores back open for charging locations as well as allowing free phone calls through whatever capabilities they have. But you have to get there.
To re-establish cell service they need to repair/rebuild towers and get power and possibly backhaul to them. They can fly in COWs and COLTs, but you need open roads to suitable sites to deploy them. Loon has the opportunity that they can fly to wherever they need to be and provide service for whatever infrastructure/device is there.
If this works, the US Govt and cell companies should put policies in place so that Loons can be deployed within a day or two of a major disaster.