In the last 15 months Mother Nature has given us good reason to be thinking about emergency preparedness. First came the “100-year” ice storm in December 2008. In the last month we’ve seen “100-year” flooding. Both events brought destruction, the threat of destruction, uncertainty, in some cases trauma, and headaches for all. But they also brought out neighbors to help each other, lend a hand, and offer comfort.

This week, neighbors living near the Bare Hill Pond dam brought coffee, tea, and snacks to the weary town workers and National Guardsmen who endeavored to shore up the dam against rising waters brought on by rainfall that seemed relentless. They were surely the bright spot in an otherwise dark, dreary, and anxiety-filled day.

These random acts of kindness, when observed by onlookers, are lauded as unusual, “feel-good” moments. Maybe our emergency preparedness plans should include more intentional connection with neighbors, so that these neighbor-helping-neighbor moments don’t seem so unusual, because they’re part of the plan.