Cal OES

Challenge

In 2023, California saw historic rain and snowfall that put communities across the state at high risk for flooding and other natural disasters. In an effort to better prepare, inform, and protect residents, especially those in high-risk areas and underserved rural communities, the Office of Emergency Services launched a direct outreach program consisting of live phone calls to residents in 11 counties. The primary objective of this program was to sign up individuals to receive emergency alerts in the event of a natural disaster as well as provide them information regarding resources and services they can access to stay safe.

Approach

Our team took a tailored messaging approach.  Each community received messaging that highlighted the potential challenges and opportunities within each county including specific weather and emergency concerns that residents have recently faced. Goals for the agents included assisting each household with a county alert profile set up, informing respondents around emergency preparedness and state services, and reassuring residents that their county and state officials care about their readiness for the next emergency.  Below are just a few examples of successful communication strategies:

• Story Telling & Creating Common Ground: A key to our approach was active listening, practiced empathy, and sharing personal stories to build trust and common ground with the respondent.
• Urgency: Highlighting the risk respondents face by citing recent events, historical patterns, and exhibiting knowledge of the community.
• In Language Communication:  Our team conducted outreach in seven languages.  Our ability to communicate with respondents in their native language built trust and allowed for more substantive conversations.