A very important item not listed in many emergency or disaster preparedness plans is knowing your neighbors. If it’s “crunch time” you will need to know who you can count on and who you need to avoid in a crisis. We’re not talking about the person next door. We’re talking about everyone in your neighborhood and the ones down the road. You will need to KNOW your neighbors. Neighbors can be a valuable resource for your survival.
You might have a police officer who lives fairly close that could help out with protection and security issues. There may be a doctor or nurse who lives close by that could help with injuries or illnesses if emergency medical services become overloaded or unavailable. There could be a dentist who could assist with minor health problems. Perhaps you’ve got a plumber or electrician living in your area that could help with emergency repairs that would restore your water and power after a disaster. You might even run across a contractor with plenty of tools and a generator who would be a really good neighbor to have around. It might even be a mechanic who could get a vehicle running to provide emergency transportation. Any or all of these persons, and numerous others that haven’t been mentioned, could come in handy during an emergency.
During times when there isn’t a crisis or disaster to deal with, which is probably going to be most of the time, knowing your neighbors wil greatly increase the security of your home. Good neighbors watch out for their fellow neighbors and will see things that don’t “belong” much quicker than a person realizes. You and your neighbors will spot an intruder who does not belong in your neighborhood or area much quicker and can respond faster to any threat they might pose. In an emergency or disaster situation, you and your neighbors will be able to pull together much quicker, a lot more comfortably, and in a much safer set of circumstances if you get to know each other before a disaster strikes. Good neighbors also make good friends!
Granted that there will be some of your neighbors you will probably want to avoid and it will be much better if you know about them ahead of time. Finding out that someone is unreliable and not trustworthy during a disater or a crisis is not the best time. Learn who you may be able to count on in a crisis.
Are all the people around you going to be bad people? Of course not! But what happened with Katrina in New Orleans proved that bad people will take advantage of good people during a crisis if they can.
Staying above the water line!
Riverwalker
Posts
Merry Christmas to Everyone
10 years ago
8 comments:
Heh heh, I got 3 neighbors, maybe 4 that are o.k. The rest? Never see 'em outside their caves..... One fireman, one nurse, one ex-army special forces (heh heh heh), a pipe fitter (all armed), and lil' ol' me!
To: Mayberry
That's not fair! You've already checked out the neighbor hood and here I thought I had a great tip for you. LOL Thanks.
RW
BTW, Working on some new members for TPN.
Great thoughts. This is one of the best ideas for being safe, secure and able to care for oneself. Much better having a circle than trying to go it alone.
There's no doubt RW things to come will draw people closer together.
In my RV scenario, sometimes I catch myself wanting to find places where I could go "bug out", thinking it would be best to go it alone.
Then, reality sets in. This is too big to face single-handed. At the end of the day, being joined with like-minded people who can all contribute to the community, as you described, will be the best way to make it through.
But...finding those kind of people is pretty tough.
To: Abraham
The "lone wolf" types will have it a lot harder than they imagine.
Thanks.
RW
To: RV Survivalist
There are good people out there. They're just hard to find sometimes. Hard times will bring out hte best of people when it really counts. Thanks.
RW
This is really good advice. However one should be mindful of the busy body/nosy neighbor who makes it their business to know everything that is going on, who is doing what, etc, etc.
To: nomad
I already know which of my neighbors are the nosy type and manage to keep them in the dark most of the time. Thanks.
RW
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