Welcoming Washington Emergency Management Division, Our First Statewide Partner on the West Coast - Nextdoor Blog

Today, we are excited to announce that we are partnering with the Washington Emergency Management Division, our first statewide partner on the West Coast.

Washington EMD will be using Nextdoor for Public Agencies to share important news and updates, provide preparedness information, and communicate with residents before, during, and after times of emergency.

Nextdoor is a powerful took for Washington EMD to use during emergencies to target information to specific neighborhoods, such as the recent fires affecting much of the state. Washington EMD has already begun using Nextdoor to share messages encouraging residents to reduce their time outdoors to avoid smoke inhalation and where residents can get timely updates on the fires. They’ve also used Nextdoor to share preparedness tips as part of National Preparedness Month.

“Having the ability to easily communicate with residents is vital to increasing preparedness and resiliency within our Washington communities,” said Washington Emergency Management Division Director, Robert Ezelle. “With Nextdoor, we can send hyperlocal hazard warnings and updates directly into neighborhoods, which allows us to quickly reach residents in times of need and gives us another tool to work with local emergency management agencies that need help amplifying key messages.”

More than 4,000 Washington neighborhoods already rely on Nextdoor, and now Washington EMD will be able to better connect with these communities. However, it’s important to note that, like all public agencies on the platform, neighborhood content will remain private among neighbors and will not be accessible by the Washington EMD. Nextdoor is also not a replacement for 911 in times of emergency.

We are proud to partner with Washington EMD today, and we look forward to our continued partnership. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Read Wash EMD’s official announcement, here.

Find your neighborhood on Nextdoor here. If you’re a public agency interested in partnering with Nextdoor, please contact us here.

Do you have a story about how you’ve used Nextdoor in your neighborhood? Let us know.