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Networking
Neighborhoods
Get
Organized | Maintaining |
Safety In Numbers
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How
well do you know your neighbors? Along
with the changing times, our relationships
with our immediate neighbors are not like
the “good ole days”. Forty
years ago, the majority of women were not
working outside of the home, and thus there
was a closeness with our neighbors that
extended beyond the “Hey, how are
you doing?”
We had so much time for
each other back then. We felt more like
a family. Where have those days gone? Unless
we need to borrow something, are having
car trouble, need someone to watch the
kids in a bind, or your power goes out
and you want to know if theirs has too,
we really don’t communicate much
anymore with our neighbors do we? Maybe
now you are surrounded by rental houses
or apartments where no one stays long enough
to get to know them, or your neighbors
may have such conflicting work schedules
that you are like ships that past in the
night.
Whatever
the case may be, did you know that you
could include your neighbors as part of
your emergency plan? Think about it for
a moment. You can double your power by
teaming up; “networking” if
you will. Organized neighborhoods can bring
about a stronger sense of security. Rather
than just planning for yourself, how about
making a secondary plan; pulling together
as a neighborhood. What if something were
to happen to the adults in your household,
but your children were left alone? Would
your neighbors know to look for who is
missing, or injured? Who would account
for them? Maybe you or your neighbors have
special needs that others are not aware
of (ex: people with disabilities, special
medications or medical conditions, the
elderly, people living alone, small children,
etc.). The reality of any emergency/disaster
is that professional help may be days or
weeks away depending on the severity of
the incident, and you may not be able to
wait for help to come.
This
is where you and your neighbors come
into play. A neighborhood network
can empower you to become more effective
in helping each other within minutes
and hours after a disaster.
Like
a “neighborhood watch” program,
you can become one strong team. For
businesses, your neighbors are of
course those community partners that
you have a standing relationship
with, or maybe those who have not
been in contact with yet. Rather
than just planning for yourself,
how about pulling together as a neighborhood/community.
Just think of all the scenarios where
you might need the help of another
human being. |
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After
you have your first meeting, you might want
to designate a Captain for direction/information
purposes only. When working with other families
on a topic such as disasters, you have to
try to be sensitive to each family’s
feelings and beliefs. Let families make their
own decisions without causing them to feel
guilty or apart for the group. The Captain’s
roll would probably be more like a Liaison.
- Each
family within the group should
have a copy of each other’s
emergency contact list, including those
out-of-town contacts. This list should
include emergency response numbers and
those of relatives and friends that can
be notified in case of a disaster. It
is also best if each family keeps their
list next to each telephone.
- Teach
children how and when to dial
911. You might want to write
a script for them to follow that
contains their name and address so
they can
convey the necessary information
clearly to the call taker.
- Determine
the best escape routes from your
neighborhood.
- Document
work and school schedules to support accountability for each
neighbor/family member involved should
someone appear missing.
- Find
out where each family’s
utility shutoffs are and how to turn
them off. Create a neighborhood/household
map for each family involved.
- Create
an inventory of each family's equipment and skills that
can be contributed as discussed in
your first meeting.
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The
more neighbors
you can convince
to prepare,
the greater your group resources! |
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Other
useful items to remember:
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However
you decide to get started, organized and
maintain your neighborhood network group,
just remember, it's ok
to start out with
a small group.
As long as you have the basics, you are on your way
to becoming an empowered
and more effective neighborhood.Like the saying goes, "There is
safety in numbers." How safe are you? |
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In
your neighborhood, you may not have very
much success getting families to buy into
your plan of networking, and that is ok.
You can start out small with 2-3 other families
besides yours and go from there.
- Contact
the families you think will
be interested and arrange an informal
meeting.
- Discuss
the types of disasters that
are most likely to happen in your
area and how, as a neighborhood,
you can help one another in case
of a disaster; natural or otherwise.
- Identify
the skills (ex: medical, technology,
language) and equipment (ex: chain
saws, generators, ropes, car jack,
water pumping mechanism) each neighbor
has that can be helpful in an effective
response.
- Discuss
if you want to go in and purchase supplies as
a group, or as families.
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Discuss
the special needs such as
those listed above, including a list
of doctors and prescription information.
How would you help these neighbors
in an evacuation or other emergency?
- Don’t
forget to discuss planning for your pets too!
- Talk
about the possibility of taking
first aid and CPR training as
a family or group.
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- Schedule
an annual meeting preferably in September after
school begins when you have the new school
schedule, or you might want to meet twice a
year - when the time changes.
- Go
over all your lists and inventory
for any additions or corrections.
- Network
- In between meetings, each family
could try to get one more family in the neighborhood
involved in your network group.
- Educate
them,
let them know what your group is doing
and
answer any questions they may have.
I think a great idea would be to have a
neighborhood
pot luck/block party in the spring/summer
time and have a more casual, enjoyable
setting for the topic of conversation.
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