Alaska IT Volunteer Builds Network That Saved Storm Recovery

When Stacey Buzby watched a cyberattack cripple Alaska's Mat-Su Borough in 2018, costing $2.5 million in damages, she realized defending her state could happen from behind a keyboard.

The school district IT specialist worked long hours helping recover hundreds of infected servers. The experience changed how she saw her role in protecting Alaska.

"I realized these guys are in our house," Buzby said about the cyber attackers. That moment pushed her to join the Alaska State Defense Force, a volunteer state militia that responds to disasters across America's largest state.

When Ex-Typhoon Halong slammed Western Alaska in October 2025, Buzby got her chance to serve. She volunteered to deploy to Bethel, where relief workers from different agencies struggled to coordinate their response.

The problem was simple but critical. Teams were literally yelling across rooms to share updates because they couldn't access each other's information.

Buzby set up a shared Microsoft Teams network that connected everyone instantly. Different agencies could now view the same spreadsheets, share files without delays, and eliminate the communication chaos slowing down help to devastated communities.

"You don't even think about the time because you're doing good work," Buzby said about her 12 to 14-hour days. The network she built became the backbone of Task Force Bethel, the command hub coordinating relief for surrounding storm-damaged towns.

The Ripple Effect

Col. John James, who commanded the task force, said ASDF volunteers brought something government responders couldn't replicate. Many live in the communities they serve and know tribal chiefs and local leaders personally.

"We had direct, sometimes familial ties with those folks," James said. That local knowledge combined with professional skills meant response teams could move faster and more effectively than outside agencies arriving cold.

The ASDF, successor to Alaska's World War II Territorial Guard, now seeks civic-minded Alaskans with any skill set. The force interviews volunteers to match their talents with community needs, from cybersecurity to disaster communications.

Buzby said joining gave her a way to channel her skills into something bigger. "What an opportunity to be effective and provide a skill set that may not be considered."

Alaska's volunteer defenders are proving that serving your community doesn't always require a weapon—sometimes it just takes the right network connection at the right time.