Champions of Change Blog

Community Aiding Community

Mike “Loco” Hoffman is being honored as a Champion of Change for the leadership he demonstrated in his involvement in response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy.

My name is Mike “Loco” Hoffman and I am proud to have been selected as a Champion of Change recipient, though there are many, many people I have worked with under unbelievable conditions for almost six months now - who are 'champions' too - whether officially selected or not.

I was born in Staten Island, New York and have lived there all my life. Before Hurricane Sandy I was working in landscaping and had a pleasant, no-drama, day to day, kind of life.

After Hurricane Sandy? A whole different story.

I went straight to the badly affected areas right after I quickly checked on my friends and family. It was like a scene out of a movie, something I never thought I'd see as reality, with my own eyes, and right in my hometown. Then I just pitched in. At first helping some people I knew, then I just kept moving, kept helping. Moving debris out of the way and searching homes. Getting people out that were trapped.

The conditions that first week were chaotic, water sat 3-5 ft deep in some areas for days. The smell of sewage, salt and oil permeated everything. No matter where one looked there was nothing familiar left. Homes were utterly destroyed and relocated. Everywhere people were hysterical with emotion, while others were blank and defeated, walking aimlessly about with hopeless stares.

Police and residents had boats that we used to get to those still trapped in water or damaged homes. The electricity was out and cell towers in the area were down. No working heat anywhere close enough to matter. We were literally freezing in the dark, working blind, trying to make due, with no aid or help in the first few days. We had no protective gear or tools, so most of us were in plain clothes and barehanded.

Once people no longer needed rescuing, I began helping to empty homes of people's cherished belongings, now covered in ocean water, fecal matter and oil. Local politicians Senator Lanza and Congressman Grimm were gathering supplies as fast as they could and I would bring those supplies into affected areas and distribute them, before getting back to the physical work again.

Then some of us began forming hubs, so supplies could be easily gathered in one place and the affected could walk to these, on foot, for their basic needs and provisions. By using Social Media I got my name and number out to people, who began to call me for help and later others called to aid in the relief effort.

The first month was an ongoing stream of moving debris, emptying homes of all materials, removing paneling, sheetrock and insulation, ripping out carpet, tiles, linoleum and flooring. What volunteers refer to as gutting and demo work. Feeding people and finding ways to provide warmth and means of electric power. And talking with and comforting, all those who had lost everything.

By the second month, we had some solid grassroots systems in place and with volunteers coming from all over, we made a substantial amount of progress - but it was still only a small chunk off the 1000's affected. There was so much devastation. Plus, we realized many folks did not know where to find help, so we began canvassing areas we were doing work in, reaching out to all those in need of help.

For every month up to January we organized donations, canvassed areas and delivered food and supplies to those who couldn't walk to get them. We brought generators to homes with special needs and large children counts, lent tools and safety gear to other volunteers to work on homes. We got info on and assessed skill levels of volunteers, according to the needs at the time and explained safety and how to correctly do the work needed. Other regular volunteers and myself, acted as team leaders for each group that went out. We also served hot food and gave out supplies at the hubs we started. I moved every 7-10 days from area to area, setting up hubs and leaving them self-sustaining, with trusted volunteers who had stepped up. We set up transportation to get people to places to take hot showers, kept on doing endless gutting, demo, cleaning, dispatching medivacs, so, so very much needed done. Everywhere one looked, there was an endless stream of desperate need.

By the middle of December, we had started doing mold remediation more. Then finally by mid-January, we were slowly starting some rebuilding. During all of this, there was a constant daily struggle to find donations for each phase. Then all too soon, we were struggling to find volunteers also, as after holidays, everything slowed to a crawl, as far as outside support went.

Now at last, six months later, things are beginning to calm down some. A demo pops up here and there, mold remediation is winding down, some who rebuilt too fast are now ripping out again due to mold (as they didn't listen and wanted normal back too soon) so we're helping those people. Some bankrupted themselves paying out of pocket. Others are getting rebuilt now with our help. We have a sort of “meet ‘em halfway” policy where applicable. We provide some material and labor for free and the homeowner buys the remaining materials they have the funds for. We work mostly on Staten Island, but have also aided Rockaways, Brooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey. We go where we're called.

Despite all the loss, heartbreak, sadness and hard physical work - it will always be the ‘other things’ I remember most, about what has become, such a special part of my life. Seeing my wife and children step up, just as I did and follow in my footsteps. To see the compassion in their eyes with every task they did and every word they spoke to those affected. The love I feel for my family has deepened, from watching in awe, as each of them turned tragedy into hope for those suffering around them.

I will always remember the countless miracles that happened along the way. Like the day before the Nor'easter was gonna hit when I found a woman on Facebook with a special needs son, petrified and wanting to board up her windows. I said I would be there in less than 30 minutes. I only had a hammer with me. I posted what I needed and where and when. I got to her house and less than 30 minutes later, a truck pulled up with lumber and nails, so we could board her home up. Events just like this - happened constantly - with people helping people.

The Thanksgiving when we hosted all kinds of food, regular, vegetarian and gluten-free and hundreds came and it was all like a big family - even though most had never even knew each other’s names before.

Those like the woman named Leslie, who I'd met a week prior, who came back for help and when I remembered her face and name, she just broke down in my arms, cause I remembered her as a person - and not a statistic.

The Christmas when I drove around dressed as Santa, in a decorated truck, with Christmas music blaring from the loudspeakers. All the smiles and tears and people saying they'd given up on Christmas - until I brought them a legitimate Christmas Miracle. A person can NEVER forget something that meaningful. It is and will always be - one of the single best days of our lives - for my family and me.

But the number one thing recovering from Hurricane Sandy has given me - is the memory of all the courageous people I've met. Not just the ones who needed help, but also the amazing people, groups, and organizations I've met and worked with during all this. Because THEY are what has kept me going and are the most prized memories of all!

Some have asked me if I am a different person today, than before Sandy, and has this 'changed' me. Well obviously, I am way more educated on dealing with disaster situations, but changed I am not. I believe people are wired certain ways and will always react when events arise. It's in them - it just takes some longer to realize it. I have always been the type to lend a hand anyway I can and go above my means. This just provided a LOT more opportunities to do so.

This has taught me something else though. To never count yourself out and burden yourself with thoughts that you can't do something. Almost anything is possible - if you apply yourself and keep on striving forward.

Which is why I (as well as some others named above) are going to continue on - even past the recovery from Sandy. To establish a national 'at the ready' grassroots not for profit network known as Yellow Boots - taking everything learned from this - so those suffering in the 'next' disaster - will not have to learn from scratch as we did in Staten Island.

A lot needs to be done before we have an effective disaster response available in the United States and there are some real challenges - like EMP event preparedness (electromagnetic pulse event) - that need to be met. My new 'disaster' family and I - have made it 'our business' to make sure this happens.

Mike “Loco” Hoffman is a lifelong resident of Staten Island and Founder of “Boots On the Ground Staten Island”.

Transforming Survivors into Providers - Through Innovation and Information

Steve Birnbaum is being honored as a Champion of Change for the leadership he demonstrated in his involvement in response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy.

The spirit of hard work and strong community in our great nation, especially after having worked in so many other developed and developing countries, never ceases to deeply inspire me.  Beyond words, I am humbled to be honored as a White House Champion of Change. 

The achievements in the response to Sandy were a team effort, and could not have occurred without the hard work of everyone on the FEMA Innovation Team.  This honor belongs to the whole team, which was comprised of: Tristan Allen (NPS), Luke Beckman (G&H International Services), Willow Brugh (GWOB), John Crowley (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative), Ted Okada (FEMA), Desiree Matel-Anderson (FEMA), Tamara Palmer (FEMA), Eric Rasmussen (Access Agility), Frank Sanborn (HHS), Gerald Scott (NPS), and Galit Sorokin (DeepField).

In disaster response, information has typically been a tool for formal response agencies - used to make decisions on how to help people.  We need to change this mindset.  As we commit to FEMA's guiding principle of a Whole of Community response, information must be considered as a fundamental requirement for everyone.  It permits survivors to control their own priorities, to reassure their loved ones, and to begin the process of helping themselves, and their communities.  Information networks are enabling a fundamental power shift in disaster response from institutional responders to community-based ones.

I have been privileged to serve globally in the satellite telecommunications industry, and to serve locally as a volunteer first responder, in both wilderness rescue and in urban fire departments.  After the Haiti earthquake, I came to realize that satellite terminals were already out in our communities.  In the United States, even most corner gas stations and big box stores have their own satellite dishes.  What if we could tap into that self-sufficiency?  What if the hundreds of thousands of satellite terminals around the world could be "re-purposed" into a "pre-deployed" capability for disaster response?  I launched the GVF Disaster Preparedness Registry to do just that.  GVF Registry members include some of the world's largest satellite operators and service providers.  With their participation, the message has been getting out, and more companies are stepping up.  What speaks to Whole of Community better than using a community's own resilient networks to help it communicate after a disaster?

When Hurricane Sandy first made landfall, I was helping to staff my local Rockville, Maryland firehouse, and serving my local community.  As it passed, and the devastation to Northeast communications networks became clear, I transitioned to the role of a disaster technologist and was asked to join the just-created FEMA Innovation Team.  The Innovation Team is a multi-sector, cross functional group composed of governments, non-profits, international organizations, volunteers, businesses, and citizens: a true whole community.  Often, industry representatives are labeled as "vendors", which imposes certain connotations and creates an unnecessary separation.  Instead, we worked as a unified, focused team, each bringing to the table its own unique experience, expertise, and capabilities.  Our mandate was simple: find the communities most impacted by the storm, determine their biggest needs and challenges, and then develop solutions to assist and to improve their recovery. 

Not all communities are the same.  This sounds simple, but it has a deeper meaning.  Each community reacts and responds in its own manner.  A community with a strong outside support network that is well organized internally can take charge of its own recovery as long as it can communicate.  This frees up resources to help those who may need them more.  Some communities don’t trust outsiders, including local responders or FEMA.  Empowering their community leaders can lead to a better understanding of the needs.

Coincidentally, Hurricane Sandy struck as some significant developments were emerging within the satellite industry.  An entire new generation of satellites was being launched, offering a leap forward in bandwidth cost and transmission speed, with even smaller and more economical terminals.  Fortunately, two of these new systems, known as High Throughput Satellites, cover the United States. This ushers in a new era of low-cost, high-speed satellite communications that can make a significant impact for both official and community-based disaster response organizations.

As mobile Internet connectivity gains acceptance within the emergency management and disaster response community, many mistakenly assume that the data communications tools must be big, expensive, and complicated.  Not necessarily. Sometimes, we fall victim to requesting a particular tool, rather than actually the capability needed.  For example, frequently we saw requests for mobile cell towers, known as a Cell on Wheel (COW), to a mobile operator simply because this is the tool often associated with making a phone call or connecting to the Internet.  When we instead articulate the actual need instead of just the tool with which we are familiar, it opens the door to innovate with new solutions.  For example, if the need is to place a phone call, we can do that with a VoIP phone or a Skype client on a laptop or wireless device.  We do not need to constrain ourselves to thinking that only a commercial wireless carrier can give us the ability to make a call.  There are many tools that a community itself can invest in as part of its resiliency planning.  We worked closely with FEMA, non-profits and local community groups.  Some of our information & communications achievements included:

Developing, in under 24 hours, a new solution to provide communications tools equivalent to FEMA’s Mobile Communications Operations Vehicles (MCOVs), yet could fit in the trunk of a car.  They allowed FEMA to scale up and support a much greater number of Disaster Recovery Centers, and to re-deploy its MCOVs to areas of even greater need.

Created and deployed a high-speed satellite-based Internet and phone system to community groups in the Rockaways and the Red Hook neighborhoods who were establishing their own community recovery centers to provide local aid distribution and coordinating volunteers.  With these solutions in place, they could begin to attend to their own needs - often more effectively than outside government agencies could.

With a basic network established, we worked with the Red Hook Initiative and Project Byzantium to deploy Wi-Fi throughout their neighborhood.  FEMA Corps volunteers then went door-to-door with Internet-connected tablets to visit survivors, instead of survivors having to come to FEMA’s locations.  This is now a model that is changing how FEMA supports communities.

This innovation did not end after Sandy.  I realized that the lack of information about wireless network coverage impeded both formal and informal community groups alike.  I am currently leading an effort to bring together business, government, and academia to address this.  We are creating a collaborative public/private effort involving an international corporate partner, the FCC, DHS S&T, and FEMA Think Tank as well as the Naval Postgraduate School's Camp Roberts RELIEF program.  Instead of relying on reports from carriers, a significant challenge in a disaster, we are working on solutions that would utilize crowd-sourced, distributed sensors on mobile phones to "paint a picture" of network coverage on what is known as a heat map. This information will be made available with an open data policy.  We look forward to seeing the public's creativity come alive as they also innovate and conceive applications for this data, that we have not even imagined.  Our Team is also working closely with FEMA to support its efforts to create a better experience for the survivor of a disaster, including more community integration, and the empowerment of a community's own recovery efforts.  We welcome input from the public, and encourage participation through the FEMA Think Tank.

In a disaster, we must remain focused on the survivors, and respond to their needs.  Solutions created must be tied to the needs of the community or to decisions that need to be made.  Think of the families around the country unable to reach loved ones in New York after the storm to make sure they were safe, or the community leaders in the Rockaways who attempted to get the message out to tell the world of their needs.  Consider the volunteer firefighters in Breezy Point who fought a 6-alarm fire raging through their community while standing in chest-deep water, then remained at their firehouse for days to make sure their community was still protected. In today's hyper-connected world, the ability to communicate and access information stands as a key foundation of a Whole of Community response.

Our Innovation Team's goal was to create and inspire new ideas that can be adopted by others.  We proved that innovation in the midst of a disaster remains not only possible, but can be extraordinarily successful - with the right support from leadership, partners, and the community.  We are but a small team; so for our ideas to make a difference, we need the help of everyone - to help our neighbors, help themselves.

Steve Birnbaum is the Chair of the Global VSAT Forum’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Programs and an inaugural member of the FEMA Innovation Team.