Our Approach
Research-driven. Community-informed. Built before the crisis, not during it.
The need for this work became clear during the response to Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, where communities, first responders, and grassroots organizers were often operating with limited visibility into what was open, where resources were available, and how to coordinate support in real time.
In the absence of reliable local information, neighbors stepped in to help neighbors. While those efforts were powerful, the experience highlighted how much stronger and faster response and recovery could be with better local information systems in place before a disaster ever happens.
Nearby Nearby Network founder Rhonda Jean was part of that response, helping coordinate over 300,000 gallons of fuel through grassroots community networks in the aftermath of the storm. That work earned her the ReadyConnect Award from Washington, D.C., and left a clear picture of what rural communities need, and what they are still missing.
Those insights continue to inform our research and design process today.
Nearby Nearby Network is currently in a research and prototype phase, working alongside rural communities to better understand how local information, disaster readiness, and economic connections function together in real-world conditions.
Because the Nearby Nearby platform is launching in Pittsboro, North Carolina, it made sense to begin this work there, allowing us to evaluate how these systems work together as a whole while gathering feedback from residents, responders, local government, and grassroots organizers.
That work is ongoing. As we learn, we build. As we build, we return to the communities that shaped this work to make sure what we are creating actually serves them.
Rhonda Jean, Founding Board Member