Your Emergency Survival Community

Page Updated on July 28, 2007

When preparing for any emergency, you must always assume that you will not receive any outside assistance to help you. This is because at some point there won't be anyone who can help you, and you will need to rely on your own skills and resources to survive. It could be a medical emergency, such as having a family member who needs CPR when there isn't a phone nearby for you to call 911. It could be nuclear power plant disaster or natural disaster that leaves you without electricity and water for weeks, forcing you to find a way to to simply get water and heat. However, many times you will also see the community come together to help each other, and you must plan for this as well.

An emergency survival community is a group of people who help each other out in emergency situations. Your emergency survival community may be just your family members who live nearby, your neighbors, or even your entire town (if you live in a small town). Having a community is beneficial to everyone. Almost every member of a community can offer something that other members can't do on their own. It could be a skill no one else has learned, expensive equipment others can't afford, or even just as a labor resource to make the work lighter. Humans evolved because of our social skills, and those same skills can help us all survive.

The easiest way to get started is by communicating. Get everyone's phone number, and keep in touch. Know exactly where everyone lives. Memorize names instead of referring to one of your potential community members as "that guys down the street". Have barbeques and attend special events with each other. Get involved in hobbies with each other. Develop friendships. So many times we hear about strangers who need a helping hand and think "oh how sad; I wish there were something I could do, but ...". It is much more difficult for people to make excuses when the person in need is a friend or loved one.

Make emergency plans together. Discuss various disasters and emergencies and talk about how you can help each other and yourselves. Everyone should have their own emergency survival kit and receive formal training in at least first aid and CPR for infants, children, and adults.