National Preparedness Month: Neighborhood Preparedness

Have you ever borrowed a tool from a neighbor? Or shared garden produce with them? 

That connection is called social capital, and research has found those same connections are one of the most important factors in strengthening community resilience and disaster recovery.

Preparing for emergencies with your neighbors benefits everyone. Learn more about the research behind social capital (video).

Where to Start

Say hi and exchange phone numbers if you haven't. In case of emergency, ask if your neighbors have members of the household that may need extra help, pets that need rescuing, or kids that might be home alone that you can check on.  

Map Your Neighborhood

If you already know your neighbors, host a get-together and do a deeper dive. The Map Your Neighborhood tools from Washington State Emergency Management is a great way to get started.

The Map Your Neighborhood program guides you and your neighbors through simple steps to help enhance your preparedness during an emergency. Through effective planning with your neighbors, you will be better prepared to take actions that can minimize damage and protect lives during disasters. 

This tool is designed to improve readiness at the neighborhood level and teaches you how to rely on each other from the time of disaster until responders arrive to assist. This type of shared reliance within neighborhoods is especially important during significant disasters where there is a high demand for resources; emergency response to your neighborhood may be delayed for hours.

Ask your neighborhood organization, tenants' association, or landlord to promote these efforts. Click to find your neighborhood organization and get started.

Prepare with your neighbors and be stronger together! 

Why Neighborly Connections Matter

It turns out knowing your neighbors is correlated with higher survival, evacuation, and mental health recovery rates after a disaster. Researcher Daniel Aldrich shares examples of resilience through social connection from actual recovery efforts across the globe: