Be Prepared like Mr. Rogers

Creative Commons via photmatt7.wordpress.com

Did you know that today, March 20th, is "Won't You Be My Neighbor Day" in honor of Mr. Rogers?

Here at CRESA, we love Fred Rogers because he focused much of his career on encouraging us all to be his neighbor. 

While regularly, we focus on the key issues of having an emergency kit, knowing your hazards and making a plan, knowing your neighbors is one of the basic needs for a safe community. 

Neighbors can help neighbors with all sorts of issues from crime prevention as they are aware of what the "normal" neighborhood activity is to sharing a cup of sugar when we just don't want to run to the nearby store. 

And in disaster situations, neighbors will be the first ones to check on each other, identify problems and begin the scene assessment for your community. 

Knowing your neighbors in advance of an emergency may help you know who will need help first, who might have children at home awaiting their working parents or who may have animals that might grow concerned if their walls started shaking. 

Here in Washington State, we encourage the "Map Your Neighborhood" program which provides a simple curriculum you can use in your neighborhood to improve your local relationships and get everyone a little more prepared at the same time. 

So, today, throw a sweater in your emergency kit, put some cookies on a plate and ask the infamous question of "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"