Mike's words made the people from his city happy.
If they happened to find Mike's grandmother, they could return to Mike for supplies and shelter once their own ran out, saving their lives.
Soon, people were asking Mike for his grandmother's address and a photograph. To prevent them from finding the wrong person or being fooled by an impostor, Mike also shared a secret code that only he and his grandmother knew. A correct response would be the only way to confirm her identity.
After all, in such extreme cold, even if Mike's grandmother was still alive, she might be so disfigured as to be unrecognizable, drastically reducing the usefulness of a photograph.
There was a printer on the ship, so Mike quickly printed out the photos and addresses and distributed them to everyone.
Seeing this, his buddies thought about the vast city and how hard it would be to find anyone. They followed his lead, asking the others who planned to leave the ship to search for their relatives as well.
