Building community: the neighbourhood as a protective factor

The core elements of support after disasters include connectedness and a sense of personal and collective efficacy. Collective efficacy means the conviction that together we can make a difference. People who experience this feel less at the mercy of events and are more likely to get stuck in.

Neighbours are on site when something happens. During major events, authorities and emergency services cannot be everywhere at once. Knowing your neighbours means knowing who needs help and who can help – and that shortens paths, especially when phone and internet fail.

These connections do not start in the crisis. They grow in everyday life, through many small encounters. That is why community works twice over: it makes life more pleasant in normal times and carries people through an emergency.

Create an occasion to get to know each other: a courtyard party, a notice in the stairwell, a short meeting outside the front door. The first aim is contact, not an instant emergency plan. Starting with “crisis preparedness” as the only topic puts many people off.

Once a few people have come together, you can collect information on a voluntary basis: who would need support in an emergency? Who has first aid skills, tools, a stove or speaks other languages? Simple arrangements grow from this – a meeting point, a contact chain, a fixed place for information notices, and who checks on whom.

Look after the net: update the list about once a year and occasionally do something together, such as a supply swap, a first aid course or a community garden.

Include everyone: older people, newcomers, people with disabilities and people who do not yet speak the local language well often depend especially on neighbours in a crisis – and are the easiest to overlook. Nobody should be excluded. At the same time, taking part is voluntary; not everyone wants to join in, and that is fine.

Do not hang everything on one person: if one committed person organises everything, the net collapses as soon as they drop out. Share out tasks and use existing structures. Clubs, faith communities, volunteer fire associations, building management or neighbourhood platforms can be good hosts.

Neighbourly help does not replace emergency services. Do not enter danger zones, follow the authorities’ instructions and call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) in emergencies. Clear up together after an event only where it is safe and permitted.

Keep contact lists only with the consent of the people concerned and store them securely. Health details only belong on a list if the person explicitly wants this. Never post sensitive data openly – a note in the hallway saying who lives alone or who has poor eyesight can put those people at risk. If needed, clarify legal questions about associations or data protection with professionals.

After a crisis a neighbourhood can do a lot for recovery: clearing up together, passing on reliable information and official support offers, commemorating together and also celebrating what went well. This strengthens the sense of having coped with the situation together.

Keep an eye on those who withdraw or seem overwhelmed, and offer support. People under heavy strain sometimes need more than neighbourly help – then pointing them to counselling services or local crisis and helplines helps. The IASC guidelines stress involving communities in the response and strengthening their self-help, and official guides such as the BBK guide also recommend neighbourly help as part of preparedness.