Just this week, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that one in five Americans use digital tools to communicate with neighbors and monitor community developments. In a poll conducted at the end of last year, they found 22% of all adults (representing 28% of internet users) signed up to receive alerts about local issues via email or text messaging; 20% of all adults (27% of internet users) used digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.

This raises the question: how are you engaging your local community about disaster preparedness and prevention strategies? While "overall, physical personal encounters remain the primary way people stay informed," significant numbers are now turned to the internet for actionable information and to discuss strategies for safety. Face to face interactions with neighbors is tightly linked with factors such as age, socio-economic status, race, and being parents with children in the community. Interestingly, geographic location -urban, suburban, and rural adults are equally likely to have face to face discussions. Perhaps most important was the finding that internet users are no less likely than non-users to discuss community issues with their neighbors.

Developing strategies to engage and educate communities about disaster preparedness and response should incorporate multiple channels and opportunities. Building a plan that incorporates both social networks online and their geographical counterparts has the potential to increase the flow of information, benefitting those at risk.

Jeannette Sutton is a disaster sociologist and conducts research on communication technologies, and public alerts and warnings.