State Emergency Management Websites - 10 Common Pitfalls and Easy Fixes to Improve Public Trust

When large disasters strike, the public turns to state emergency management websites for guidance, resources, and real-time information. With FEMA undergoing reconstruction under the new administration, more people will be relying on their state’s emergency management website for critical safety information. This shift makes it more important than ever for states to ensure their online presence is clear, accessible, and up-to-date.
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However, what happens when these websites are difficult to navigate, outdated, or lacking the very resources people need in a crisis?

Our Emergency Management Strategists recently conducted an in-depth review of all 50 state emergency management websites to assess their effectiveness in connecting with the public. This research was part of our efforts to expand Local Safety Information Resources in the HazAdapt platform.

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Want to see which resource we found most reliable and relevant for your state? Open the HazAdapt safety app, navigate to a hazard guide, and turn on “Show Local Information.”

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Conducting this deep dive was surprisingly more challenging than we expected.

We encountered a wide spectrum—from exemplary state emergency management websites to ones that, frankly, made us cringe. While we won’t call out the worst offenders (except to highlight strong examples to follow), we did uncover 10 common pitfalls that many—if not all—state emergency management websites share.

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Here’s what we found and how states can improve. 👇

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Top 10 State Emergency Management Website Pitfalls and How to Fix Them

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1. Dead Links: A Digital Dead End

🔍 What We Found: We encountered multiple broken links leading to outdated pages, non-existent resources, or external sites that had moved.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Conduct routine audits of all external and internal links.
• Implement automated link-checking software.
• Ensure all key resources are hosted directly on the state’s website to avoid reliance on third-party URLs that may change.

2. Hard-to-Find Alert Sign-Ups

‍🔍 What We Found: Many states bury their emergency alert sign-up links deep within multiple pages, making it difficult for residents to opt in before an emergency occurs.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Feature an easy-to-find "Sign Up for Alerts" button on the homepage.
• Use clear, action-oriented language (e.g., "Get Emergency Alerts Now!").
• Allow sign-ups through multiple formats (email, text, app notifications).
• Clearly define what types of emergencies these alerts will cover. Recent issues with mass alert fatigue have led to widespread alert turn-offs, making the public more hesitant to opt in. To rebuild trust, reassure users that alerts will be relevant, necessary, and not excessive.
  
  

3. Walls of Text: Information Overload Without Guidance

‍🔍 What We Found: Many emergency websites feature overwhelming amounts of text with little visual hierarchy, making critical information hard to digest.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Use bullet points, headers, and clear sections to break up large blocks of text.
• Include icons and visuals for quick scanning. Graphics are less overwhelming than high-resolution images.
• Provide plain-language summaries for complex policies and procedures. We recommend a 3rd- 8th grade reading level, bullet points, and lists of specific actions. The Hemingway app is a great free tool to see what grade-level your information is written in. https://hemingwayapp.com/

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4. Over-Reliance on FEMA Links

‍🔍 What We Found: Some state websites serve more as a FEMA referral service than a state-specific resource, linking nearly everything to federal pages without providing localized guidance.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Provide state-specific preparedness information before directing people to FEMA.
• Include localized maps, contacts, and hazard-specific information unique to the state.
• Ensure that links to FEMA resources are supplementary, not primary sources.
• Link more to your local emergency management entities! Help the public get connected to their local emergency management and community resilience agencies.

5. Outdated "Current" Maps & Information

‍🔍 What We Found: Some websites displayed maps, updates, or incident reports labeled "current" but were actually days, months, or even years old. 🫣

✅ How to Fix It:

• Clearly timestamp all maps and emergency information.
• Automate updates from reliable data sources.
• If real-time data isn’t available, be transparent about update schedules.
• Remove old tools and maps from the website to avoid confusion.

6. Poor Organization: The Maze Effect

‍🔍 What We Found: Many state websites suffer from confusing navigation, forcing users to dig through multiple menus to find critical information.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Design with user experience (UX) in mind – test site navigation with real users. Or at least put on your "member of the public hat".
• Use a clear and consistent menu structure (e.g., "Preparedness," "Current Alerts," "Recovery").
• Add a search function that actually works.
• Remember, people visiting your website during an emergency may be under extreme stress. Make essential emergency resources as obvious as possible and clearly marked—nobody should have to dig through multiple pages to find life-saving information.

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‍7. No Real-Time Incident Maps

‍🔍 What We Found: Many state sites lack real-time hazard maps, forcing residents to rely on scattered third-party sources.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Integrate & embed maps from trusted NOAA, USGS, Inciweb, or state/local agencies to provide live hazard tracking.
• Make state-level maps mobile-friendly and easy for the public to interpret. 
• Offer layered map views for different hazards (wildfires, floods, power outages, etc.). We were impressed with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency’s Real Time Hazard Awareness Tools! Kudos OEMA!

8. Branding: Is This Really an Official Government Site?

‍🔍 What We Found: We love seeing public-friendly designs and branding that make emergency information more engaging! However, some state emergency programs and hazard-specific pages lacked any official logo, seal, or clear indicator that they were part of a government website. Without these, the public may question the legitimacy of the information or even mistake an official program for a private company.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Ensure every official page includes your state emergency management logo, seal, or branding. This builds trust and confirms the information is from a credible source.
• Keep public-friendly design elements but reinforce official status with a header, footer, or watermark linking back to the main emergency management website.
• Use a .gov domain whenever possible. If your program has a separate website, ensure it links back to your main emergency management page for verification.
• Consider a "Verified Official Source" label on digital and printed materials to help users quickly identify trustworthy information.

A well-designed website shouldn’t sacrifice credibility—balancing approachable branding with clear official indicators is key to making emergency information both engaging and authoritative.

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‍9. Is Your Website Actually Serving the Public?

‍🔍 What We Found: Some state emergency websites seem designed more for officials than the general public. At first glance, key emergency resources for everyday people are either buried or completely absent. Some sites list only funding and resources for emergency managers, leaving disaster survivors struggling to find financial assistance.

✅ How to Fix It:

• Create a dedicated public-facing homepage with clear emergency information.
• Use plain-language explanations instead of bureaucratic jargon.
• Provide quick links to preparedness checklists, evacuation routes, and emergency contacts that are relevant to the public.
• Separate grants and financial assistance for the public from funding opportunities for officials. When disaster survivors come looking for help, they shouldn’t have to dig through pages of emergency management funding to find support for themselves.

‍10. Strengthen Public Trust with a Human Touch

🔍 What We Found: Many state emergency management websites lacked a face, team descriptions, or any kind of human view.

✅ How to Fix It:
‍People connect with people. Showcasing your team on your website helps build trust and strengthens the connection between emergency authorities and the public. Consider:

• ‍Action shots of your team coordinating responses, engaging with the community, and leading preparedness efforts.‍
• A “Meet the Team” section with bios to put a face to the experts behind emergency decisions.‍
• Behind-the-scenes insights that highlight your office’s dedication to public safety.

By humanizing your agency, you foster trust and make emergency guidance more approachable. When people feel connected to their emergency officials, they’re more likely to engage and act before, during, and after disasters. Don't just point people to social media, not everyone uses social media and you are not able to control what their social media algorithm will and will not show.

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‍How HazAdapt Can Help Fill the Gaps

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‍At HazAdapt, we understand that state emergency agencies face limited resources and competing priorities. That’s why we created the Local Safety Information service—ensuring the public can easily access verified, up-to-date emergency information, even when state websites fall short.

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‍🔹 Accessible, clear, and mobile-friendly safety resources—no digging through Google or pages of government websites.

🔹 Localized Safety Information with Engagement Support – Allows emergency management and resilience agencies to add regional safety information and contacts to HazAdapt. Our platform also supports public engagement strategies, helping emergency managers reach more people and understand how their communities interact with emergency resources and adapt outreach efforts for better impact.

🔹 Seamless alert integration—agencies can link directly to comprehensive hazard resources in official alerts, empowering 10x more protective actions in real-time.
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‍🔹 Public-friendly design that builds trust. HazAdapt is intentionally designed for people of all ages and at every stage of the disaster cycle—before, during, and after an emergency. Adding HazAdapt to your toolbox isn't just about sharing information; it's about strengthening your relationship with the public. When you provide a clear, accessible, and people-centered resource on your website and in your outreach, you show that you care, increasing public trust and engagement in your emergency management efforts. State agencies don’t have to tackle these challenges alone.

By partnering with HazAdapt, emergency managers can extend their reach, enhance public engagement, and ensure that critical safety information is truly accessible when it matters most.

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‍🚀 Interested in learning more? Want more specific feedback on improving the access to your public-facing resources on your website? Let’s work together to make emergency preparedness as simple and effective as possible. Contact us today! Outreach@hazadapt.com

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