How to stay informed and ask for and offer help during a disaster

How to use Nextdoor during a disaster

Below are tips on using Nextdoor to share and find local information and resources to ask for or offer to help. When looking for and sharing information on Nextdoor, search for commonly used terms such as evacuation orders, road closures, supplies, gasoline, and shelter.

• Go to the Public Agency newsfeed to find trusted information from public agencies and Alerts from alert partners about safety updates. If evacuation orders are given, you or some of your neighbors may also need a ride. Post to Nextdoor to ask for or offer help evacuating. If you are able and it is safe to do so,  knock on their doors to see if they need help. Remember if you need emergency services, call 911.
• You may return home before others, and you can offer to check on your neighbors’ homes and take pictures of the damage so they can start the claim process.
• Repost messages you find helpful to increase visibility.
• For the best experience, use the Nextdoor app or install it if it is not on your phone.
• Invite your neighbors to join Nextdoor to create more resilient neighborhoods in times of crisis.

Neighbor Stories

Previous

“Jamie’s parents live in a neighborhood that was heavily damaged by a tornado. Jamie was walking around the damaged neighborhood with her parents when she came across a beautiful antique quilt draped over a downed tree. Jamie posted to Nextdoor to see if anyone would claim the lost blanket, and the post received a huge response from neighbors. Neighbors helped connect Jamie with the owner of the blanket, Nancy, who is an avid collector of antique quilts. Jamie said she only posted to Nextdoor when searching for the quilt’s owner: "I felt like this would go right to the heart of the audience I was trying to reach and it definitely did." Following the tornado, Nancy was able to recover a majority of her beloved quilt collection. Nancy was in awe of how many people in her neighborhood responded to Jamie’s post: "It was pretty touching and probably pretty telling of my personality that so many people would know exactly where it [the quilt] belonged.”"

Jamie & Nancy | Virginia Beach, VA, U.S.

“Ana shared on Nextdoor that she was seeking donations for her family who lost everything due to wildfires in Lahaina, a community on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Her brother and sister’s families, along with her mother, were temporarily residing in a shelter in the aftermath of the wildfire. Ana said she is extremely grateful for the response she received from her neighbors on Nextdoor. "I’m just so overwhelmed that so many people are reacting to the post," Ana said. "It’s unbelievable." Ana also started a GoFundMe fundraiser seeking support for her family and shared it with her neighbors on Nextdoor.”

Ana | Palo Alto, CA, U.S.

“Brad opted to stay and help his neighborhood recover as Hurricane Ian slammed Florida’s coast. The lifelong Florida resident posted on Nextdoor that he was "medically trained, able-bodied, willing to venture out. If you need help don’t be scared to ask!" Several neighbors on Nextdoor reached out to Brad, asking if he could perform wellness checks on family and friends in the area and send photos of homes to residents who had evacuated. "I checked on one house and the lady said her little girl was worried about her sandbox, so I made a point to clean the branches off of it and snapped a picture to let the girl know it was just fine," he said. Though without power and water following the storm, Brad’s neighborhood was out in full force the morning after the storm with chainsaws, rakes, and trucks, ready to help those in need. "Everywhere there are neighbors helping neighbors," said Brad. "It doesn’t matter where you are from, or your age, gender, or political affiliation. We are all Floridians right now, and we are all helping each other."”

Brad | Fort Meyers, FL, U.S.

How to Prepare

• Stay weather-aware:

  • Check or join Nextdoor to get updates from alerting partners and alerts about your neighborhood from local public agencies.
  • Purchase or replace batteries for your NOAA weather radio.
  • Check your local municipality’s website to see if they offer an emergency notifications system and sign up for alerts.
  • Download the FEMA App (available in English and Spanish) to receive weather alerts, safety tips, and reminders, and be ready for the unexpected.

• Assemble or update supplies for your home, vehicle, pets, and children:

  • Store at least one gallon of water per person for at least seven days for drinking and sanitation.
  • Purchase non-perishable foods for each person to last at least seven days.
  • Refill medications and keep copies of prescriptions.
  • Make sure you have food, water, and medications for pets.
  • Have games and toys that children enjoy readily available in your supplies.
  • Proactively fill your bathtub with water in case the water supply is interrupted, so you can use it to boil water for drinking or flush the toilet.
  • To ensure you have ice and can keep your freezer cool, fill a water/juice/soda bottle ¾ full, as they will help keep things cold for longer.
  • Withdraw cash from ATMs as they will not work during power outages.
  • Fill your vehicle with gas and charge your devices.

• Document and insure home and vehicles:

  • Take photos of your possessions or store digital copies of important documents in the cloud (furniture, electronics, heating and cooling systems, valuables, etc.)
  • Check your insurance declarations and talk with your agent about your needs each year.
  • Consider getting flood insurance for your home, as homeowners' insurance typically does not cover flooding.
  • Consider sewer backup insurance, which covers damages arising from sewage in your bathtub, toilet, basement, or anywhere else in your home.

• Know your evacuation zone and routes and make a plan:

  • If you live in low-lying areas susceptible to flooding and storms, you must know in which evacuation zone you live should an evacuation order be issued.
  • Identify several ways to evacuate your neighborhood and town/city.
  • Post to Nextdoor and/or knock on doors to ask for help or identify nearby neighbors who may need help evacuating in an emergency and make an agreement with them to help or be helped. Be sure to exchange mobile phone numbers.

• Prepare with your neighbors:

  • Before disasters
    • Post to Nextdoor to ask for and offer help to prepare for disasters. For example, you can ask for help with sandbags, putting up hurricane shutters, shoveling snow, clearing brush to prevent wildfire spread, and evacuating. Coordinate with neighbors to clear drains of debris on your street.
  • After disasters
    • Post to Nextdoor to ask for and offer help taking pictures of damaged property so neighbors who have yet to return can submit insurance claims. You can also use Nextdoor to coordinate.

• Create your family/household communication plan:

  • Ensure everyone in your family/household has each other’s phone numbers saved in their phones and written down on paper.
  • Identify out-of-town contacts and store their numbers on everyone’s phones and on paper.
  • Determine where everyone will meet, should you get separated, and ensure that everyone stores the address and any contact information in their phones and on paper.
  • Texting is best during emergencies, as phone lines may be unavailable.

Tips for returning home and cleaning up after a disaster

First off, please only return home when officials say it is safe to do so.

Do not enter your damaged home if:

✔️ Authorities have not declared it safe to return or enter

✔️ You smell gas or hear a hissing sound (call 911)

✔️ Floodwaters remain around the building

Also, watch out for these fire hazards:

✔️ Appliances or vehicles exposed to water.

✔️ Exposed power lines, electrical outlets & wiring.

When returning home after a power outage, follow these food safety tips:

✔️ Don’t taste the food

✔️ Use a thermometer to check food temperature

✔️ Throw away food that is 40+ degrees Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours

If there is damage to your home or belongings, document it before you clean it up:

✔️ Take photos before you begin to clean up.

✔️ Make a list of damaged or lost items & gather receipts.

✔️ Do not touch or cut power lines as they may be live

When cleaning, please follow these safety tips from the CDC to stay safe.

Get the right safety gear:

• Hard hats
• Goggles
• N95 masks (or a respirator with a higher protection level)
• Heavy work gloves
• Waterproof boots with steel toe and insole (not just steel shank)
• Earplugs or protective headphones (if you’re working with noisy equipment)
• At least two fire extinguishers (each with a UL rating of at least 10A)

If sewage is involved, make sure to wear the following during your cleanup:

• Rubber boots
• Rubber gloves
• Goggles

Use teams to move heavy or bulky objects:

• Have teams of at least two people work together to move heavy or bulky objects.
• Avoid lifting any material that weighs more than 50 pounds (per person).

Pace yourself. Cleaning up your home can be a big job. Be sure to take care of yourself:

• Rest when needed.
• Decide which cleanup tasks are most important, and focus on those first. That way, you’ll be less overwhelmed.
• Try to work with other people so you aren’t alone.
• Get support from family members, friends, counselors, or therapists.

Take precautions when using a chainsaw:

• When using a chainsaw, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Wear appropriate protective gear and keep bystanders at a safe distance.
• Avoid contact with power lines, and take extra care in cutting trees or branches bent or caught under something else.
• Use extreme caution to avoid electrical shock when using an electric chainsaw.

Stay safe in hot weather:

• In hot weather, try to stay cool by staying in air-conditioned buildings, taking breaks in shaded areas or cool rooms, drinking water and nonalcoholic fluids often, and wearing light and loose-fitting clothing.
• Do outdoor activities during cooler hours.