What I learned from Hurricane Sandy's response

As the waters rose across the Eastern seaboard, neighbors rose up to help one another. And as the waters receded, friends, neighbors and perfect strangers rose again, to provide the vital assistance needed to make it through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. 

Amidst the tragedies, there were also a great many triumphs, including stories of heroic volunteerism and generous donations of support. Every organization can learn from the incredible efforts of the people who rallied to help the region get back on its feet. 

The Frontline is the First Line of Assistance – Individuals in local and nearby communities didn’t wait for established aid groups to arrive on the scene. They started providing right after the storm hit. Some upstart, crowdfunded groups delivered impromptu aid that was organized and mobilized through social media and mobile technology. These resources, combined with firsthand knowledge of local communities, helped to ensure that aid was directed block by block to where it was most needed.

The Rockaway Beach Surf Club, which shifted from surfing waves to saving homes, organized support through the RockawayHelp.com website. iO Tillet Wright Renegade Sandy Relief used the hashtag #RSR on Twitter and their PayPal accounts to collect donations. They also used Instagram and Twitter to post pictures of the supplies that the group purchased so that donors could see, and track how their dollars were spent. 

In times of crisis, technology provides a vital lifeline for information, coordination and aid, all of which are critical to address challenges and fears. The photo below showing one of numerous mobile charging station setup by BioLite in NYC says it all. Nowadays staying connected is as important as vital supplies.

Act Today, Plan for Tomorrow – The sands of the hurricane still cover the streets and boardwalks of many coastal towns. It will be weeks, months or maybe years in some cases before it is fully swept away. While a crisis may galvanize efforts in the immediate term for many people, communities and businesses must be prepared to provide support over a long period of time afterwards. Needs and priorities will evolve over time, but it is important to define a long-term solution while the short term is still front and center. 

In addition to the many local people and organizations that volunteered their time and talents to help organize relief efforts, national organizations such as the American Red Cross moved quickly to provide support. Their knowledge, experience and reach ensure that communities receive support today, tomorrow and into the future. Whether to support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts or other causes, people wishing to support these organizations directly can do so through the official PayPal Donations website.  This centralized hub helps to facilitate long-term solutions.

Simplify Process, Accelerate Solutions – In an emergency situation, you may not have the time to implement standard operating procedures. When people are in need, reducing decision cycles from days to hours and hours to minutes can make a tremendous difference. Companies and communities must embrace accelerated decision-making to match the urgency of needs they are addressing. Good ideas need to be embraced and executed – in real time.

When PayPal’s BillMeLater employees saw the images of damage in the wake of Sandy, they had a simple but powerful idea. Understanding that many families faced unforeseen costs of repairing their homes or spending weeks in a hotel, they wanted to give people the opportunity to focus on pulling their lives back together instead of checking to see if their payments were due.  Understanding this, they went to the CFO with the idea of extending payment due dates for customers in the most hard-hit areas. There was a real cost for this to the business, but the choice was simple. Make the difference for our customers.

All of these solutions share one common theme. They each combine passionate people with technology to develop solutions and deliver assistance faster and more efficiently than ever before. As a large company with millions of customers impacted by such disasters, every hour counts, and a right decision can make a huge impact. At PayPal, we will learn from this, and get better and better at it, hoping we won’t have to test this again soon, but knowing our customers will be able to count on us when trying times affect them.