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Why We Need Our Neighbors
Geocentrism
by Ray Strackbein
As we prepare for emergencies, we must turn to our neighbors as our support system. My own experience tells me how difficult this will be, but it is essential.
Our wonderful transportation system allows us to work, shop, and play in other communities away from where we live. Parents often take their children to daycare not in their neighborhood, but near their
work. People travel to the best jobs miles away from home. Religious groups and institutions no longer concentrate on serving the neighborhood, but seek to attract as many worshipers as they can from as
far as they can. Neighborhood schools, neighborhood churches, and the feeling of neighborliness in our neighborhoods has faded.
We often don't even recognize our neighbors.
Who will we turn to for help in an emergency? Will we seek support from our coworkers or from our religious community? Not if there is a petroleum shortage. Not if electricity is scarce causing traffic
lights and gas pumps to stand idle. Our only source of help may be just ourselves and our unknown neighbors.
It takes time to build a community.
It is through continual interaction with people over a long term that shows us who we can rely on and who we can't. When someone asks during an emergency if they can borrow a tool they need, will you get
it back? Even though they borrowed a tool of yours, will they later lend you what you need?
We will be stuck with learning how to deal with the jerk on the block. We will need each other. And we may not have time to learn the personalities of our neighbors.
Abandoned buildings are attractive to vagrants.
We must keep our neighborhoods together. We must not allow houses in our neighborhood to become vacant. We cannot afford to have a majority of our neighbors move off to shelters. Even if some of the
houses in the neighborhood serve as warming huts and chuck wagons, we must still live and sleep in our own houses for our own protection.
It takes months to make a house, but moments to destroy it. When a house becomes vacant, it becomes at risk from holes, freezing water pipes, and squatters. Fire or water can easily destroy a house. Water
dissolves plaster or sheet-rock walls. Water promotes decay and rotting of wooden supports. In a cold house, water pipes can freeze and break, causing severe damage. A hole in a window or in the roof
will also let water in. A hole in the house can let animals in to set up housekeeping. When houses are vacant they may get holes in the windows, walls, or roofs; those holes may not be discovered for a
long time, making the house unlivable.
Early detection is essential to protect the house. An emergency may cause communication or emergency response failures. Neighbors may become your repair, rescue, or fire fighting squad.
Squatters, vagrants, and thieves damage neighborhoods.
Emergencies may cause many to become homeless or migrate in search of water, shelter, or food. Empty houses are attractive to squatters or thieves. People who help themselves to other's things do not like
to be noticed or confronted. They would rather explore a vacant house than an occupied house. They will take the easy way out. They will steal from an unlocked car or house before they steal from a
locked car or house. They will take food from someone's garden before they break into someone's unoccupied house. They prefer to break into an unoccupied house rather than an occupied house. They prefer
to visit an unwatched house than a watched house. When confronted, they will make excuses to make the confronter go away such as, "Hi, glad to meet you. I am Bill's nephew. He asked me to house sit
while he is away."
Informed neighbors watch out for and help each other.
It is imperative that we meet our neighbors and keep them informed about our emergency plans. It is imperative that our neighbors inform us ahead of time about anyone that they are expecting to visit.
They need to introduce visitors to the neighborhood. This is for everyone's peace of mind and security. Undoubtedly, some people will become so concerned about the security of their homes that they will
shoot first and ask questions later.
In addition, we need to know our neighbors and their skills. We need to know how we can help each other. We need to know whom we can call on if we need help. We need to establish procedures to ask for
that help so we do not surprise or alarm our neighbors when we do need help.
Getting to know our neighbors and creating a community instead of a group of houses is smart with or without emergencies. Emergency preparedness gives us a reason to return to one of the better legacies
of our heritage.
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