Communities that work together during an emergency are less confused and have a higher rate of survival. If someone around you is elderly, has a physical disability or is unable to leave their home, ask them if they need assistance.

Don't wait until the emergency happens to ask people if they need assistance. Form a neighborhood committee that can work together in emergency situations. Find out ahead of time who may need help when the time comes.

It's called Map Your Neighborhood (MYN). Map your neighborhood was designed to improve readiness at the neighborhood level. MYN provides a step-by-step process that groups of neighbors can work through together to prepare for disasters.

This program will help you to:

• Learn the first 9 Steps to take immediately following a disaster to secure your home and to protect your neighborhood.
  It is hard to think clearly following disaster. These steps will help you quickly and safely do things that really help.
• Identify the skills and equipment each neighbor has that are useful in an effective disaster response.
  Knowing which neighbors have supplies and skills helps your disaster response be timely, and allows everyone to contribute to the response in a meaningful way.
• Create a Neighborhood Map showing the locations of:
  1. Each natural gas meter and propane tank.
     About 67% of house fires following disasters are caused by leaking gas. Knowing where these meters are and shutting them off helps eliminate this threat.
  2. Each neighbor who is elderly, who has disability, and where children are who may be home alone at certain hours of the day.
     Checking on neighbors vulnerable to injury and trauma helps protect them from going into shock, and helps ensure that everyone is okay.