Three Principles for Disaster Preparedness and Response in State and Local Government

Disasters don’t start when the storm makes landfall or when smoke fills the sky. They start long before that—when systems are inflexible, information is scattered, and governments are forced to build solutions in the middle of a crisis. The strongest disaster response is rooted in disaster preparedness: the work of putting people, processes, and technology in place before they’re urgently needed. But even when that isn’t possible, rapid response efforts can make a critical difference in how well people recover from the unexpected.

At Code for America, we’ve seen again and again that responding to a disaster isn’t about having a perfect plan on paper. It’s about building the capacity to act quickly, clearly, and at scale. Based on our work with state and local governments across the country, we’ve compiled three principles that can help state and local governments prepare for and respond to disasters.

Be able to communicate quickly, on the platforms people already use

In a disaster, information loses value by the minute. People need to know what’s happening, what they should do next, and where to get help. If government can’t communicate quickly—or relies on channels people don’t regularly use—critical messages get missed.

Preparedness means investing ahead of time in communication infrastructure that meets people where they are. For most residents, that’s not a new app or a hard-to-find webpage. It’s text messages. After years of working with government to build effective text messaging systems, we know that it’s important that these messages are as specific as possible, written in plain language, and point people to resources they might want to take advantage of.

When we worked with Louisiana to build LA’Message, which enables the state to send targeted, timely text messages to residents about their benefits, we integrated four benefits programs into the system, and allowed clients from all these programs to opt in. Louisiana caseworkers saw an increase in responsiveness from these clients, who didn’t have to check potentially confusing websites or navigate call centers to find the information they needed. 

Louisiana can now push information out proactively—and states with similar capabilities have the advantage of being able to activate these programs during emergencies, when bandwidth is limited. The key lesson here isn’t just “use text messages.” It’s to build and maintain trusted communication channels before disaster strikes. When those channels are already in place, governments can focus on the message itself rather than scrambling to figure out how to reach people.

Centralize the information people need—don’t make them search for it

During a crisis, people are often navigating multiple challenges at once, including some that may be longstanding but exacerbated by a crisis. Housing instability and health concerns get magnified when services people rely on are disrupted. 

When information about programs people could reach out to for help—like a city-sponsored transportation service to warming centers, or an emergency cash assistance program—is spread across dozens of agency websites, PDFs, and social media posts, people are forced to piece it all together when time is critical. 

A government well-prepared for disaster can gather critical information into a single, easy-to-understand place. We’ve seen this approach work in very different contexts. In Memphis, Code for America partnered with the city and county to stand up a centralized portal for their jobs program, making it easier for residents to find employment opportunities and connected programs without bouncing between agencies. While not a disaster response on its own, the model is directly applicable to disaster preparedness because it features a welcoming front door for services, clear pathways to get help, and information organized around people’s needs.

Similarly, in Los Angeles County following the 2025 wildfires, we worked with the locality to create a wildfire survivor resource page that pulled together benefits, recovery assistance, and next steps in one location. The page provided a clear, centralized starting point during an incredibly stressful time.

The principle here is simple: in moments of crisis, clarity is critical. In order to have that clarity quickly, governments can prepare in advance by working across agencies to maintain up-to-date lists of offerings and building a one-stop-shop portal for emergency services. Leveraging smart design principles and utilizing plain language to communicate also effectively reduces cognitive overwhelm. That means that in moments of crisis, people can focus on recovery, not research.

Be ready to rapidly deploy new response programs

Some disasters can be planned for. Others demand entirely new programs, built fast and delivered at scale. Preparedness doesn’t mean predicting every scenario, but rather having the capacity to design, launch, and iterate quickly when something unprecedented happens.

The nationwide rollout of the Pandemic-EBT program during the COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful example of what can happen when governments are prepared to move quickly. During the crisis, states had to replace school meals with money for groceries while schools were closed. For each state, that meant they had to create, coordinate, plan, and deliver a brand-new benefit in a time of crisis. We partnered with the California Department of Social Services to launch an accessible, online Pandemic-EBT application that reached 1.3 million children in the first week.

That work relied on strong cross-agency collaboration, modern technical infrastructure, and a willingness to simplify processes in service of speed and equity. What made Pandemic-EBT possible wasn’t just emergency funding—it was the presence of teams and systems that could move fast without sacrificing accuracy or accessibility. 

Preparing and responding to the unexpected

The work of disaster preparedness and response are some of government’s most critical functions. When governments can communicate on trusted platforms, centralize information around people’s needs, and rapidly deploy new programs, they’re better equipped to serve residents when it matters most. Those functions are rooted in government’s ability to act quickly and iterate—core capacities that can be built upon during times of preparation and tested during times of response.