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5 Important Safety Tips for Hurricane Matthew

Written by ndmulti

When a natural disaster or inclement weather hits, your neighbors often serve as the first line of help.

Named the strongest hurricane in decades, Hurricane Matthew is bearing down on Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Meteorologists are predicting that dangerous, life-threatening storm surges and flooding rain are likely.

Neighbors across the southeastern coastal regions of the United States are using Nextdoor to connect, communicate, and prepare for Hurricane Matthew. Below are a few tips on how to use Nextdoor to stay safe and help your neighbors as the storm bears down. Remember: a connected neighborhood is a safer neighborhood.

  1. Discuss evacuation orders and routes with neighbors. Many neighbors are using Nextdoor to discuss the accessibility of their neighborhood’s roads, bridges, and streets. If your neighborhood is within an evacuation area, post on Nextdoor to let everyone know and determine the safest route out of the neighborhood. Start a thread to account for everyone who has evacuated and who hasn’t.
  2. Ask neighbors if they need help. Neighbors have reported that they’ve used Nextdoor to ask for help putting up storm shutters, hauling extra sandbags, and determining which local stores still have water and ice in stock. Make sure to check in on any elderly or disabled neighbors who may not be able to properly secure their home themselves.
  3. Offer extra supplies or resources you may have. Your neighbors might need supplies you have on hand, whether it’s bottled water, shelf-stable food, storm shutters, or an extra generator. Let your neighbors know how you can help in case they need it.
  4. Stay connected with your local public safety agencies. More than 85 public agency partners across Florida alone are using Nextdoor to connect with local residents and give them vital information on how to stay safe during Hurricane Matthew. Police departments, fire departments, and offices of emergency management can all use Nextdoor to disseminate vital information during emergencies or natural disasters.
  5. Use Urgent Alerts when necessary. An Urgent Alert is a special type of post that reaches members immediately via mobile phone text message and email. It’s intended for the rare cases where information is very important and time-sensitive, such as flooding or evacuations.

To connect with your neighbors, visit www.nextdoor.com or sign onto our free apps for iPhone and Android.

From all of us at Nextdoor, we hope you stay safe and dry. Our thoughts are with you.


Image courtesy of NBC News.

3 Comments

  • Great article! I love the Nextdoor site. It has brought my neighborhood & many surrounding communities together.
    Constant prayers are going out for all people & animals in the path of Matthew. I know that my TV for the next few days will stay on the Weather Channel.
    And I know that there will be thousands of people who aren’t affected by the hurricane, who will help with the aftermath. God be with those in it’s path!

  • Glad to have this resource during hurricane Matthew. I’m a senior female with 2
    Maltese dogs, 11 yrs old. I plan on staying here through storm.

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