Technology After Traumatic Events: How ITDRC is Reconnecting Communities After California Wildfires
Wildfires continue to pose a significant threat to California residents and wildlife. While some fires are relatively small and easy to extinguish, every now and again, The Golden State is shocked by a natural disaster so extreme, the emotional impact spans far beyond just California. Known as the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Camp Fire covered more than 150,000 acres of land and claimed nearly 100 lives in Northern California. Not only that, but the fire destroyed thousands of structures and caused $16.5 billion in damages. Occurring on the same day (in the Southern part of the state), the Woolsey Fire burned almost 100,000 acres of land in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, while killing three people. Thousands more were forced to evacuate.
Collaborating Under a Unified Mission
When the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) reached out to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC), the nonprofit was more than ready to lend a helping hand to those affected by the Camp Fire. Collaborating with the Red Cross and other organizations, 50+ ITDRC Tech Task Force volunteers were deployed to Northern California with the goal of improving communication across the affected areas. “ITDRC is a great partner to California and serves a critical role in response and recovery. Not only do they help local jurisdictions and nonprofits in the heat of the moment, but they also continue to work tirelessly for the survivors of the disaster,” said Abby Browning, chief of private sector/NGO coordination for CalOES.
Next came the Woolsey Fire. ITDRC volunteers played a critical role in mapping Los Angeles County’s fire damage through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Additionally, the nonprofit set up a makeshift recovery center at a boutique motel in Malibu, CA. Together with Access Networks, Dish Network, and Tesla, ITDRC installed satellite-enabled WiFi and a temporary solar-powered micro-grid at the site. This WiFi allowed rescue workers to stay in touch with each other during recovery efforts while helping victims communicate with the outside world. The motel turned community recovery center provided both residents and responders with a safe haven while awaiting the fire’s end.
Bridging the Communications Gap Between Response and Recovery
While responding to the Camp Fire, ITDRC’s first incident commander, Chris Taylor, stumbled upon East Avenue Church in Chico, California (which later served as a base of operations for ITDRC, relief NGOs, and other responders). Due to its large property, the church attracted mass amounts of evacuees. “The pastor let everyone set up shop. It ended up being a cool little community and a centralized place for everyone to gather while recovery efforts were underway,” said Nik Von Einselen, ITDRC Region 9 director.
ITDRC set up a call center at the church so they could order supplies, organize with the Red Cross, and build out the property. Shortly after, doctors and nurses from the Paradise Magalia Impact Center joined the church to provide free medical services. “It was cool to watch because they were doing it all ad hoc; they were both living and working out of the church,” explained Nik. These doctors and nurses became a crucial resource after a sudden outbreak of norovirus at the site, leading to ITDRC setting up a quarantine unit at the church.
Beyond that, the nonprofit was responsible for implementing all wireless communication for the church and the grounds themselves. “We were in the middle of the action,” said Nik. “It was a great place for us to leverage as a forward-operating base.” Every day, ITDRC volunteers worked double shifts to maintain WiFi at 25 sites that were up to 150 miles apart from each other. “It was a big coverage area,” said Nik.
In addition to the shelters, other key sites included temporary schools that were set up at local churches based outside of the fire perimeter. To replace the equipment lost in the fire, technology vendors donated hundreds of notebooks and tablets, while ITDRC volunteers installed temporary infrastructure and prepared machines for use.
Partnering to Provide Long-Lasting Support
The doctors and nurses working at East Avenue Church later realized that as survivors left the area to live in long-term recovery centers, there was a gap in local medical care that needed to be fulfilled. So, they decided to team up and form an NGO called Medspire Health. “We support them in a variety of ways to help make their operations more efficient and streamlined,” explained Nik. From digitizing medical forms to automating their workflow to building out a website for donation collection, ITDRC volunteers helped transform the NGO into a real-life health clinic that continues to serve fire survivors to this day.
“Within a day, we had hundreds of community donations coming in,” said Elisabeth Gundersen, president of Medspire. “I can’t express what a morale boost this was for our team. Our website has had a huge impact in terms of attracting donors and raising awareness about our services,” she explained. Now, ITDRC is working on creating a generic IT solution playbook that they can provide to future NGOs to reduce training time and improve the implementation process.
Camp Fire Recovery: What Happens Next
As of October 2019, ITDRC is providing WiFi hotspots for FEMA temporary housing sites as part of the organization’s continuing response to the Northern California fires. “That’s where a lot of survivors are going to submit applications for more permanent housing structures,” said Nik. Because these housing units are made of metal, it’s difficult to set up wireless Internet for every home. Leveraging a grant from Dell Computer, ITDRC created custom hotspot trailers that will provide WiFi in each community for up to two years.
Parked in a centralized location, these trailers provide residents with a reliable location for Internet access. “If you want Internet or TV, you have to pay for services yourself via satellite,” explained Nik. “While a handful of residents are paying for these services, the majority can’t afford it,” he continued. “This is why we set up shop. Although people have to leave their homes to access it, at least they have a place to meet and socialize with others.” Eleven months have passed since the Camp Fire, and thousands of Californians are still living out of tents. “It’s really surreal,” said Nik.
Preparing for Disasters in 2019 and Beyond
Nowadays, ITDRC is working closely with CalOES and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to assess 100 state and county fairground sites for telecommunication, electric, and Internet services. When disaster strikes, people disperse and gather at various locations. Fairgrounds are able to accommodate individuals, recreational vehicles, and large animals during natural disasters. “It’s a multi-year project,” said Nik. “We’re reliant on so many different partners to get information and build-out site assessments. It’s a fun, interesting, and challenging project for our team to work on,” he added.
As for right now, the one-year anniversary of the Camp Fire is coming up. “There is a Ridge Rising Event in November that should attract thousands of people,” said Nik. “ITDRC is going to be there to support Medspire.” Additionally, the nonprofit continues to support Northern California by providing free technology services to local shelters and families living out of tents, trailers, and long-term sanctioned housing areas. In terms of ITDRC’s future, Nik says: “We’re still trying to figure out how to best deal with big fires and mobilize. We spend lots of time planning with local agencies to effectively organize ourselves and react faster so we can provide better solutions for the communities affected by disasters such as the Camp Fire.”
ITDRC Tech Task Force Partners include: Amazon Web Services, Belden, Boingo Wireless, Cisco/Meraki, Dell, Dish, Google, HP, Microsoft, Red Hat, Ruckus Networks, SES Networks, and Sprint ERT.
