Best practices (always) for emergency preparedness in three words are … know your neighbors.
Here are two stories to illustrate this:
1) A few weeks ago, about 3,000 homes around me lost their power for more than an hour. This is not unusual for our block, so we were prepared. We calmly got out our flashlights and placed them in strategic places on the three floors of our home. My husband got out our Coleman lantern, noticed that we had no more mantles so he went over to Freddy’s and replenished our supply. Done.
I texted a few neighbors (texting is the best way during a power outage) and asked them about their power. I could see across SE Yamhill that my neighbors still had power and knew we could tap into their power (we did this once before when the power was out for about 25 hours) to keep our refrigerator running and power up our cell phones and computers. I could do all these things because I have phone numbers for most of my neighbors and we know each other well.
2) I chatted recently with a friend who lives in Ladd’s Addition. She told me about a new neighbor, whose name she didn’t know, who had recently moved across the street. These new neighbors had gone away for a few days and contracted with a pet service to take care of their dog. The only way she and some of her neighbors knew about any of this was when some other neighbors heard a dog howling inside the new neighbor’s house and wondered what was going on. So, someone knew someone, etc until eventually the issue was resolved. But it took awhile. So, imagine if these new neighbors knew their neighbors and were able to share contact info in the event that something like this might happen. It would have saved a lot of time and energy.
3) What is your KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR’S story?
Want to share a story or need some help getting prepared? Email me at [email protected]. I am always happy to meet my Sunnyside neighbors.
