Neighbors-It’s Critical We Get To Know Them

My post today is an update explaining why you need to meet and get to know your neighbors. Of course, if you have lived in the same house or apartment for many years, you probably know almost everyone on the street or in your complex. As you may know, we have moved to northern Utah and have been here for three years.

Where I lived for the past 14 years, the homes in the neighborhood were mostly second homes or owned by investors with short-term renters, so the people weren’t there much of the time or moved in and out all the time.

Getting to know the ones who rent only for 60 days or even six months is a bit more challenging. About 30% of the people on my street owned their homes. About 50% of those in that neighborhood were under 60, and about 50% were over 60. It was common to hear at least one or two ambulances every other month in my subdivision.

Mark and I learned to be very self-sufficient. He did make several golf friends, and church and civic club involvement provided other opportunities for social interaction, but many of those people weren’t close neighbors. It’s been great to be back where many close and extended family members live, providing needed and cherished interactions and family events.

Neighbors-It’s Critical We Get To Know Them

Hurricanes Helene and Milton – Lessons Learned

I was prompted to update this post based on recent news events surrounding the severe storm and tornado activity in the Southeast U.S. People who don’t have the emergency preparedness mindset are often caught off guard when a natural disaster hits their big city or even rural areas. They expect federal and local disaster relief agencies and law enforcement personnel to jump in with resources like food, water, blankets, shelter, and police protection from looters.

There have been thousands of people left without these resources helping in their local community. Power has been out for days for millions, and most don’t know when to expect power to be back online. Residents of many communities have had to rely on neighbors to provide emergency food, fresh stored water, first aid, and other survival supplies and use of needed survival skills they share. With grocery stores and gas stations wiped out or closed due to supply chain challenges, normal everyday purchases simply can’t be made. Without neighbors who have been involved to some extent in prepping activities for themselves and prepping efforts for others, many families wouldn’t have survived.

Privacy Issues

We had an ambulance arrive down the street in our Southern Utah neighborhood to a home where we knew the people. Mark walked down to try to help, but he was turned away because of privacy issues.

I’m sure because of “privacy issues,” the fireman standing next to the firetruck would not answer Mark’s question about who was in the ambulance. The front door was open at the home, and Mark rang the doorbell to see if the owner’s adult daughter was still there.

The daughter is older and has some very critical medical issues of her own, so Mark asked her, “Was that your mom in the ambulance?” She nodded and said, “Just call her.” Well, our friend in the ambulance didn’t answer her phone. Mark started trying to call people in the neighborhood who knew her extended family members’ phone numbers.

I remember that it was the day before Easter, and many people were out of town. We only needed a phone number to contact her relatives to help her daughter and let them know the ambulance had left with our friend on board. It took Mark about an hour to get a relative’s phone number.

Mark called a few people, and they headed to the main hospital. Luckily, she was going to be okay, but she was experiencing some bad pain, and the emergency room took very good care of her. The people who went to the hospital could bring her home after treatment.

We Are All Subject to an Unexpected Scenario in Our Lives

You never know when a unique situation will arise, and it’s important for people to not only know their neighbors but also look out for each other and step in to help if needed. My sister called me this morning, and she told me a story from yesterday that illustrates what I’m talking about.

My sister and her husband moved back to Las Vegas from St. George to be closer to family. They found a great neighborhood that was close to shopping, parks, medical care, bike trails, and other amenities that were important to them. They discovered that others in the neighborhood felt the same way and were grateful to be in such a “neighborly” area.

The most recent home buyers decided to hold a BBQ and invite families from their street and some adjoining streets for a “let’s get acquainted” potluck gathering. They all seemed to have a good time, and before the night was over, many had exchanged contact phone numbers.

My Sister’s Experience

Yesterday, a neighbor living a few doors down from my sister came to her door in a frantic state. She could smell smoke in the neighborhood and wanted to get some help determining where the fire was. She had called 911 to try and get ahead of the game, and it wasn’t long before she and my sister could see some smoke and flames coming from the garage of a neighbor who lived in between their two homes—image credit to C. S.

Because they had the phone number of the owners of the home on fire, they called them since no one answered the door. The owners happened to be at a ball game that had just started. They wouldn’t have been home for hours, but because of the phone call, they were able to respond immediately and come home.

When the first responders arrived, one of the first things they did was have anyone outside start going door to door to alert all the neighbors of the fire situation, to move any vehicles parked on the street, not only to give emergency crews room to work but also to protect those vehicles in case the fire spread.

As it turned out, the fire had started in the home’s garage and spread quickly to the attic. The firefighters had chopped a hole in the roof to quickly access the fire. Before they were through getting it under control, the fire had caused some pretty extensive damage, but less than if the neighbor hadn’t been vigilant and reached out for help.

Today, the home’s windows are boarded up, and the family has to stay with extended family. At least everyone is safe; the fire was contained in just one home, and all the neighbors are fully aware of the efforts of that neighbor. Most are talking about sharing contact info. What a blessing!

We all must remember that health issues and home fires aren’t the only reason we must be vigilant. There could be a broken water pipe with the water running out the front door or garage. There could be a home break-in or some vandalism in the area. An out-of-control car could end up on your front lawn or in your living room. We live in strange times with some very unique circumstances.

Meet Your Neighbors

Here’s the deal, you need to meet your neighbors and we need to be willing to share contact information. Now, some people are very private and would never give you any information. I remember one day I looked in my mailbox and there was an envelope with a different address, and the envelope obviously had some credit cards enclosed.

I walked down about four houses and knocked on the door. Well, I’ve never met these people, and they must not want to meet anyone on the street. They had a huge sign on the door that said something like, “We have our religion, We don’t need anything, We don’t want to buy anything, and We love Jesus.”

Well, I was hoping to give them credit cards personally, but I put them in their mailbox. I get it. They are the kind of neighbors you probably wouldn’t ask to come to your “Contact Information” party even if you tried an incentive like bagels and cream cheese.

I live in a different neighborhood now, and the homes are pretty much “owner-occupied” with regular families of all ages. I may try to knock on a few front doors and see if I can get neighbors to come to a get-together to share names and phone numbers in case of an emergency. Mark will have many contacts through his church involvement, so he’ll have a natural way to form new friendships and have a chance to gather information from them in case of an emergency.

I’m planning on passing out the form below for our new friends so that in case they need to contact our family members for any reason, emergency or otherwise, they have the necessary information to do so. I hope I can get a few people to come to my “Contact Information” party when I hold one, and this way, we can all help each other when needed. There is a group organized much like a Neighborhood Watch Program with street captains and volunteers available to help when an emergency comes up in our suburban home.

The picture below is a partial copy of the document I plan to hand out and request be filled out, and here is the PRINTABLE: FSM Emergency Contact Info

I also have a shortened version I call my Emergency Contact Information PRINTABLE: Emergency Contact Information

Emergency Contact Information

Name:

1. Email:
2. Home phone number:
3. Cell phone number:
4. People to contact with the information indicated above

Name:

1. Email:
2. Home phone number:
3. Cell phone number:
4. People to contact with the information indicated above

How To Meet Neighbors

1. Have a barbecue and invite neighbors over.
2. Walk your dog and stop and talk to others walking their dogs.
3. Have a firepit in your front yard and invite neighbors to roast marshmallows.
4. Start a potluck meal with your neighbors.
5. Invite neighbors over for a brunch.
6. Have a card game night with the people on your street.
7. Have a cookie exchange every December.
8. Have a block party on Halloween night.

Final Word

Just think how much easier it would be for everyone if we had emails, phone numbers, etc., to contact family members or friends of our neighbors after a disaster or an unforeseen emergency.

Of course, I hope we have electricity or the internet to do this. I understand we may not have all the communication options at one time or another. Block parties would be excellent for gathering people, getting acquainted, and gaining their trust as people with common goals to be neighbors. This is why you need to meet your neighbors. I need to meet all of my neighbors. May God bless you and your neighbors as you work to get together and share emergency contact information; the time will come when you’ll be happy you did! Linda

Copyright Image: AdobeStock_108885799.jpeg, Garden Party Depositphotos_2902882_S

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