Executive summary
On the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview web page by NOAA it states:
“In 2017, there were 16 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These events included 1 drought event, 2 flooding events, 1 freeze event, 8 severe storm events, 3 tropical cyclone events, and 1 wildfire event. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 362 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. The 1980–2017 annual average is 5.8 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2013–2017) is 11.6 events (CPI-adjusted).
More notable than the high frequency of these events is the cumulative cost, which exceeds $300 billion in 2017 — a new U.S. annual record. The cumulative damage of these 16 U.S. events during 2017 is $306.2 billion, which shatters the previous U.S. annual record cost of $214.8 billion (CPI-adjusted), established in 2005 due to the impacts of Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma.”
Despite this reality, the Ad Council reports that 69% of Americans do not have a family emergency plan in place. Yikes!
During times of disaster, neighbors are often each other’s first responders. Research shows that neighbors who already know each other and have an easy way to communicate have a better chance of recovering quickly.
The question then becomes: how can emergency management agencies get a generally apathetic public to prepare, especially those who have not yet experienced a catastrophe?
The emergency management field has identified two main takeaways. First, the message and messenger are vital for success. Second, for significant progress to be made around preparedness, the conversation needs to happen at scale and at the neighborhood level.
In this playbook, I co-authored with four emergency management Nextdoor partners, you will learn how your agency can utilize Nextdoor for Public Agencies and its Polling feature to increase resilience at the neighborhood level across your municipality in an impactful and innovative way.
About Nextdoor and Nextdoor for Public Agencies
Neighbors in over 85% of U.S neighborhoods (160,000+) rely on Nextdoor, the private social network for neighborhoods, for everyday things like finding a babysitter or getting recommendations for a handyman.
During disasters, neighbors turn to Nextdoor for more critical things like alerting each other to an oncoming storm or asking for help putting up hurricane shutters. Before Hurricane Matthew hit, neighbors who were not able to put up hurricane shutters themselves asked for and received help from their fellow neighbors on Nextdoor. Following evacuation orders, displaced neighbors stayed connected on Nextdoor. Many asked those who had already returned to the neighborhood for an update about the status of their homes and for photos of damage so they could apply for disaster assistance and submit insurance claims.
As adoption of Nextdoor has flourished, emergency managers are increasingly turning to Nextdoor for Public Agencies, which is now utilized by over 2,800 public agencies nationally. Emergency managers can use Nextdoor to:
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Target messages into specific neighborhoods, service areas, or hazard zones
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Inform residents about watches, warnings, and local hazards
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Educate them about available programs like CERT
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Activate them to take shelter or evacuate
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Encourage community-building; neighbors are often each other’s first responders
By expanding the number of residents you can engage with on Nextdoor for Public Agencies, you can expect to increase preparedness and resilience across your jurisdiction.
About Nextdoor Polls for Public Agencies
Nextdoor Polls for Public Agencies was first developed by Nextdoor to support the White House Police Data Initiative. The feature allows all Nextdoor public agency partners to ask their residents questions and quantify the results quickly. Nextdoor Emergency Management partners have used Nextdoor Polls in several innovative ways as you will see in the next section.
Polls can be targeted to a single Nextdoor neighborhood, a group of neighborhoods, or an agency’s entire service area. Poll responses are completely anonymous. Nextdoor residents can cast a single vote until the public agency closes the poll, at which point the results are displayed. Agency staff can download poll data and filter results by neighborhood and by service area. Residents can also add replies to the poll, which are not anonymous and display the member’s first name, last initial, and neighborhood name.
To reinforce the message of a poll, we recommend that you add a discussion six days after you posted the polls with the correct answer and explain how taking corresponding protective actions can help them recover more quickly, save their lives, and protect property.
Should you wish to measure an increase in preparedness, you can ask the same poll question at a later time and normalize for growth in the membership.
Innovative ways OEM Partners have used polls
In the poll below, Steven Pyle, Deputy Coordinator from Norfolk Department of Emergency Preparedness and Response, asked his residents if they had flood insurance. In addition to the votes that it received, a healthy conversation also arose about the value of having flood insurance from neighbors in high and low flood hazard areas.
Katie Starr, the UASI Planner for Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management posted a poll asking her residents if they had a “go kit,” a collection of basic items to take with them during an evacuation. A similar healthy conversation resulted.
Mary Jo Flynn, Emergency Operations Coordinator from Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services posted a poll to see if people received a test they sent out via their emergency notification system. In addition to gaining 13,567 new registrants to their mass notification system, the poll was used as a secondary means to gauge the success of the notification and encourage more residents to register.
Mary Jo suggests that if you choose to do a similar poll to your residents, be sure to add a third option — “I’m registered, but I didn’t receive the message.”
Joe Corona, Outreach Coordinator for Montgomery County MD OEMHS was looking for community input to help his team decide which translation they should provide next for their emergency materials.
Nextdoor Polls for Public Agencies Best Practices
Keep in mind that Nextdoor Polls for Public Agencies are multiple choice polls. Multiple choice lists must be exhaustive to measure responses accurately. Each response option must be distinct and clear. In some cases, you may need to leave an “Other” poll response to allow respondents to reply with their unique information in the comments section. Also, it is important to note that Nextdoor Polls allow residents to choose only one answer.
To allow members the ability to provide comments outside the poll choices, with Nextdoor Polls you can accept the default setting to allow discussions. By doing so, you encourage open-ended responses. Open-ended responses make it possible to receive input that you may not have considered, and provide valuable insights.
Clearly define the purpose
Below are some helpful questions to ask yourself in order to clarify the purpose of your poll:
- Do you want to gather input to assess preparedness, educate the public, or inform an operational decision or policy?
- In which geographies do you want to collect responses?
Manage the internal and public expectations
It may be helpful to communicate:
- How input will be used?
- If true, when will the results of the input be shared back with the community?
Ask simple questions, one at time
Nextdoor Polls are designed to be simple. Only one question can be asked at once and you may offer up to 10 multiple choice options. If you want to ask multiple questions, let your members know that you will be creating multiple polls over a given period of time.
Offer distinct and clear responses
Each multiple choice option must be distinct and clear. In some cases, you may need to leave an “Other (add comments in the ‘reply’ section below)” poll response to allow respondents to reply with their unique information. Consider leaving a “Does Not Apply” or “Decline to State” to determine if respondents are skipping a question. This gives you the ability to go back and rephrase your question at a later time.
Allow for discussions (open-ended responses)
You can derive significant information using qualitative questions, or open-ended questions. On Nextdoor, this is accomplished by allowing residents to reply to a poll, thus spurring further discussion. As a Nextdoor Public Agency partner, you may close replies at any time.
Use clear language (avoid agency speak)
Remember that many of your residents will not understand acronyms and technical terms that are familiar to you and your colleagues. Use www.plainlanguage.gov to find alternative ways to communicate to a broader audience
Edit your poll before posting on Nextdoor
You cannot edit a poll once it has been posted. Be sure to check for correct information and spelling before posting your poll.
Question sampling
Gathering quality statistics from Nextdoor polls also means sampling your audience properly for adequate representation. Use a sampling calculator like this Survey Monkey Sample Size Calculator. You may need to do two calculations: (1) the actual population within a neighborhood and (2) the Nextdoor population within that neighborhood. If your Nextdoor population exceeds your actual population sample size and you get a high response rating, you may have statistically significant responses. Significance is typically reported at 95% Confidence and 5% Confidence Interval.
Target your poll
Some of your questions may be relevant to the entire community, or portions of the community. The default maps within Nextdoor allow you to select the entire service area or as many neighborhoods as necessary. Additionally, your department has the ability to upload your own custom service areas, which you can then target with your poll.
Use Likert Scales
You can use Nextdoor Polls to create a rating style question. Odd numbered responses allow a middle choice, or “fence sitting,” which is often selected on more controversial questions. On the next page, you will find example scales.
For step-by-step directions on how to create a poll, visit this help center article.
Appendix — Additional poll examples
General preparedness poll questions:
- Do you have a go kit?
- Do you have an emergency plan?
- Do you have copies of your driver’s license, birth certificate, social security card, and other forms of ID?
- Do you have copies of your insurance documents?
- Do you have copies of your credit cards?
- Do you believe that your property is in a flood zone?
- Do you have flood insurance for your property?
- If you had to evacuate right now, do you have enough food for nine meals per person, water, cash, and medication ready to go?
- Do you have three days’ worth of food and medicine for your pet?
- Do you know which neighbors on your street might need a hand during an emergency?
- Do you have one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation and at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food in your vehicle?
- Do you practice fire/evacuation drills of your home and workplace every six months?
- Do you have friends or family outside of your city or county you could stay with if you had to leave your home suddenly?
- (For Parents) Do you know how your child’s school will contact you in case of an emergency?
- Have you identified the best storm shelter in your home or building, and practiced getting to that shelter with your family?
For the above questions:
- In the body field, say : “Please select one of the choices below. We’ll post a response to your answers next week.”
- For the poll choices, offer: “Yes”, “No,” and “Maybe.”
Note that you can modify questions like these to say something like, “Do you agree that it is important to have a go kit?”
Flood preparedness polls
Subject: Does your family make the grade? Rate your family’s preparedness.
Body: An “A” rating is an individual or family who: has a go kit with clothing, documents, personal items (medications, glasses), food, and water ready to go; has identified a safe place to go to if they had to evacuate; has a plan to stay in touch with family members either through phone numbers or social media (or both); has an emergency savings account to afford deductibles or emergency purchases; practices their plan with their family; and gets involved in the community, ready to help their neighbors.
Poll Choices:
- A = Excellent
- B = Above Average
- C = Average
- D = Below Average
- F = Very Poor
Final discussion response before closing discussions:
- [A to F] Finding yourself unprepared? Although having a go kit ready is important, your go kit can be built over several weeks to take your family’s preparedness rating from F to A! Many go kit items are items that are already lying around your house. Have fun, make a scavenger hunt out of building your kit! Here you will find a link to 20 Weeks to Preparedness with suggestions for items to fill up your kit week-by-week.
- [Phased in beginning in late winter depending on the method/resource] Although the start of Hurricane season on June 1 seems far away, it is important to begin creating your go kit if you do not already have one. Each week, we encourage you and your family to add a few key items to your go kit. Here you will find a link to 20 Weeks to Preparedness with suggestions for items to fill up your kit week-by-week.
Hurricane preparedness polls
Subject: (Community specific) In the event of an emergency, which of the following sources for news could help you stay informed?
Body: Please select one of the choices below. We’ll post the answer next week!
Poll Choices:
- Nextdoor
- Emergency Agency Website
- 2–1–1 hotline
- 3–1–1 hotline
- Television and Radio Announcements
- Word of Mouth/Neighborhood Sign Board
- All of the above
- Other (specify in comments)
Final discussion response before closing discussions:
- This should be customized for each department depending on which channels you primarily use.
Subject: When was the last time you reviewed your emergency kit and/or checked your fire alarms?
Body: Please select one of the choices below. We’ll post a follow up next week!
Poll Choices:
- In the last 6 months
- In the last 12 months
- More than one year ago
- We don’t have an emergency kit or we have not checked our fire alarms
Final discussion response before closing discussions:
- It is important to review your kit items at regular intervals. Items expire, clothing sizes change. Reviewing helps you to remember what is in the kit, but most importantly helps you to keep up with your family’s changing needs. Your kit shouldn’t just be a series of re-fills every 6 months to a year, but it should reflect you and your family’s needs and be updated to your comfort level.
Subject: Test your knowledge! Is it ok to take shelter the same way for a hurricane (or earthquake depending on location) as a tornado?
Body: Answer will be posted on [date/time].
- True
- False
Final discussion response before closing discussions:
- Discussion: Due to the lead warning time for these different natural hazards, it is imperative to understand which sheltering methods are appropriate for each hazard. Hurricanes have a lead warning time of 1–3 days; when officials warn it is time to evacuate, evacuating is the most appropriate response. If you do not heed warnings and find yourself in a flooded building, make your way to the highest level of the building and call for help. Tornadoes can have a lead time of 5–15 minutes; when officials warn to take shelter, you should shelter in the lowest level of your building at the most interior location. This can be in an interior closet or bathroom, where you are not subject to unsecured items falling from above. Earthquakes have little to no lead warning time; if you find yourself experiencing an earthquake, it is best to get under a sturdy object, such as a desk or table, and crouch on the floor covering your head.
General preference polls
Subject: Which sources do you primarily use to receive updates from our agency?
Body: Please take one minute to tell us your primary source for getting news from our department. This will help us better understand where we should focus our communications. We may ask further questions in the future.
Poll Choices:
- Nextdoor
- TV
- Radio
- Web
- All of the above
- Other (add comments in the ‘reply’ section below)
Subject: If you had to prioritize one type of information you would like to receive from our agency, which one below would it be?
Body: Pick one option below. Based on your answers, we will do our best to make sure that we are communicating helpful information.
Poll choices:
- Preparedness tips
- Emergency notifications
- Preparedness workshops near you
- Community Emergency Response Team classes near you
- CPR and First Aid classes near you
- NARCAN (FDA-approved nasal form of naloxone for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid) training classes near you
- All of the above
- Other (add comments in the ‘reply’ section below)
Subject: How often do you want to hear from our agency on Nextdoor?
Body: Pick one option below. Based on your answers, we will adjust our posting frequency as we are able.
Poll choices:
- Every day
- At least once a week
- A few times a month
- About once a month
- Only when severe weather is pending on during a disaster
- Never
- Other (add comments in the ‘reply’ section below)
Subject: Which best describes your involvement with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)?
Body: Please pick one option that best describes your involvement. Based on your answers, we will be sure to reach back out with the appropriate information.
Poll choices:
- I would like more information about CERT
- I don’t know anything about CERT
- I would like to be a member of my local CERT team
- I used to be an active member of CERT
- I am an active member of my local CERT team
- Other (add comments in the ‘reply’ section below)
Special thanks to our amazing contributing authors!
This document would not have been possible without the generosity of time and expertise from the Nextdoor for Public Agencies partners listed below. Thank you!
- Mary Jo Flynn, Emergency Operations Coordinator, Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services
- Katie Starr, the UASI Planner for Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management
- Joe Corona, Outreach Coordinator for Montgomery County MD Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- Steven Pyle, Deputy Coordinator, Norfolk VA Department of Emergency Preparedness and Response
Apply for a free Nextdoor agency account today at business.nextdoor.com/en-us/public-agency
Sign up: https://nextdoor.com/city/apply/
