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People looking over debris from Hurricane Matthew - via ABC News[/caption]
Hurricane Matthew made a serious mess of things in Florida and up the East Coast. Homes were destroyed, rivers flooded their banks, and entire roads were washed away. In all,
millions of lives were disrupted thanks to Matthew. But despite the devastation, there was one good thing that came from Hurricane Matthew.
A sense of community.
Before Matthew struck, neighborhoods worked hard to prepare for what was to come.
According to one account, neighbors helped each other put up shutters. They helped carry in potted plants, lawn furniture, and other items in the yards. They offered each other ice, food, and other things that would go bad once the power went out. They reminisced about storms they had weathered previously.
You may be thinking, “Why wouldn’t they help and talk with each other?”
Because, in these neighborhoods, many people don’t even know their next-door-neighbors.
However, all it took was a massive hurricane coming their way to bring them together. But you know what? That’s great! And after the hurricane passed,
communities banded together to clean up each others' yards and homes.
There’s something to be said about a community during times of crisis and disaster. When times get tough, people will, more often than not, step up and help each other. It’s much easier to prepare and clean up with the help of others. As the saying goes, “Many hands makes light work.” How true that is!
But it’s more than just making the work go by faster (although that is also important). Each individual has unique skills and traits that they can use to help further the cause of preparedness. Get to know your neighbors before a disaster happens so you can know who they are, including what their different strengths are. Then, if there is ever a situation where a special skill would come in handy, you already know who to call.
How did you go about getting to know your neighbors? Let us know in the comments!
