Recently, we saw a comment on one of our social media pages that read, “Just go bum stuff off my mom in Metchosin… She’s got everyone covered!”
Now, while we wouldn’t want to encourage you to ditch your own emergency preparations or rely on someone else to have your back if a disaster should strike, this does bring up an important reminder.
It’s important to be aware of our surroundings, our community, and the resources available to us! If you have a friend or relation who lives nearby and has a full-on, fully-equipped, self-sustainable bunker and you’re invited to take shelter, it might be a wise choice to factor this into your emergency plan.
On a smaller scale, your very own next-door neighbours may have resources that you won’t know about unless you ask!
- Perhaps one of your neighbours has a garden plot that’s bursting with food and they’re willing to share knowledge or even produce?
- Or maybe another neighbour bought a 275 gallon Super Tanker for her big family, but now all of her kids have grown up and moved away?
- What if someone just down the street has a car with five seats and only 2 people in their household, and you rely on your bike to get around?
As much as self-sufficiency is ideal during an emergency, past natural disasters have shown that people generally want to pitch in and help each other out.
So before you’re in crisis-mode, consider joining your neighbourhood block-watch group and bringing up the issue of emergency preparedness! Or offer to water your neighbour’s garden while they’re away, and see if they’re interested in teaching you a few gardening skills!
The point is, when communities pull together, so much more is possible. Preparing for an emergency can be daunting financially and logistically too. If you know your neighbours better, you might be able to work out a plan where you help each other out and become even more prepared than you would be by yourself!
-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!