Community Engagement
Lessons Learned (CELL) Project

Coordinated by the RDPO Disaster Messaging Work Group

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Background

In the past few years, we have navigated multi-layered natural and human-caused disasters (global pandemic, wildfire and smoke, extreme heat, etc.). Government-led disaster response and recovery capabilities are limited and far too often don’t include the perspective and participation of the very communities most impacted by these disasters. 

About the project

The Community Engagement Lessons Learned (CELL) project explores the successes and failures of disaster-related communication between public agencies and disaster-vulnerable communities in the Portland Metro Region, including Clackamas, Clark, Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties.

The CELL project works with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that represent communities disproportionately impacted by disasters and experiencing barriers to services. This includes but is not limited to people with disabilities, access, and functional needs; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); immigrants and refugees; communities that speak and read languages other than English; and the houseless community.

STAGE 1: THE Disasters of 2020 & 2021

During the first stage of the CELL Project, we reviewed equity and community engagement studies in local, regional, and national communities. Next, we partnered with representatives of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to explore the disaster-related communication between public agencies and underserved communities during the disasters of 2020 and 2021. CBOs were compensated for their time.

The CBOs participated in online discussions and an online survey. The survey was then revised and offered to a larger group of CBOs. The new survey is now available for any CBO in the region to complete. While we do not have funding for further compensation, we are extremely grateful to any who complete it. And we hope to include you in future projects!

STAGE 2: Accessible alert & warning

 

In response to CBO feedback during Stage 1, we created a new project to explore community engagement with emergency alert and warning systems. The Accessible Alert and Warning Workshops engaged CBO partners to discuss alerting systems, explore community preferences and needs, and discuss specific messages. Workshops were led by trauma-informed facilitators. Participants were paid $75/hour for the following:

  1. Orientation meeting (1 hour) to discuss project goals, what are alerts and warnings, who sends them and why, methods for sending and receiving them, types of hazards they could be sent for.

  2. Workshop (4 hours) to look at example scenarios and co-create alert and warning messages that are culturally relevant, trauma informed, and accessible for all members of the community.

  3. Optional survey to explore opinions about specific words and phrases.

The final report explains what we learned from these valuable conversations and provides recommendations for future research.

Contacts