Superstorm Sandy showed me that ordinary people can become heroes by taking care of one another

Superstorm Sandy decimated my hometown of East Rockaway 10 years ago. I was most inspired by the bravery of our first responders, the humanity of our friends and neighbors, and the ingenuity of people in government who cut through bureaucracy to develop and deliver solutions in real time. I learned that ordinary people can be heroes, and that government can and should be more proactive in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters. 

In Sandy's aftermath, I experienced for the first time what public service is like at the point of execution. I saw neighbors accepting personal risk to protect others. Men and women waded through sewage-contaminated waters, entered flooded homes, and delivered masks and personal protective equipment long before either were the norm. Volunteer firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and auxiliary police of all ages and incomes left flooded homes and cold families behind to provide public safety in an unsafe environment.

Community members gathered at the East Rockaway Fire Department's Main Street firehouse to give and receive food, water, blankets, batteries, baby food, bleach, information, a hot meal, and neighborly warmth, long before the arrival of federal ready-to-eat meals.

As the waters receded, photo albums, wedding gowns, antiques, and heirlooms piled up at curbs. The effort to replace cars, apply for funds, find temporary housing, get to school and work — and to withstand the pain of the bureaucracy — exhausted many. But there was always faith on the horizon, in the form of the relief drive at Bethany Church, fundraisers, a donated prom, new community-based organizations, group cleanups, and rallies to support the many who are, even now, still waiting for help from village, town, county, state, or federal governments. The same is undoubtedly true across Long Island.

As we see today in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian - as I've seen working for the New York City and Suffolk County police departments - it is in times of chaos and crisis that government is most necessary. Yet, a decade after Sandy, relief funds are unspent, repair and resiliency projects remain stalled, and homes are still at risk or abandoned. Residents continue to suffer through rotating decision-makers, changing eligibility criteria for government programs, and a devastating disconnect between reactive federal funding and the complex needs of local communities. 

We have seen progress — like the fortification of the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility and the ongoing Bay Park Conveyance Project. These take bipartisan effort and leadership, as did work to prevent foreclosure and expedite repair and rehabilitation of "zombie" homes. Surely, Sandy's lessons learned saved lives during subsequent extreme weather events.

The purpose of government is to save lives, protect property, and carefully invest our hard-earned tax dollars. Our local, state, and federal governments must build cross-functional teams with the skills and tools necessary to prevent and then mitigate the inevitable impacts of extreme weather events.

Effective mitigation means setting aside partisan debates, investing in resilient infrastructure, and managing information. Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies can provide timely, accurate information to first responders, who can quickly identify and locate at-risk people and infrastructure during natural disasters.

As much as I've learned about governing, disaster response, information management, and public safety, I will never forget Sandy's more personal lesson. It is often people outside of government — friends and neighbors, regardless of identity or party affiliation — who will do whatever they can to take care of each other.