That is a good column, AKSAR, thank you.

I could happily own an entire Costco worth of supplies, and see merit in doing so, but would prefer not to live as if on an otherwise deserted island.

As the column's author notes, individual preparedness is not at odds with community - it's just not the end-all be-all. Her preps, she observed, helped neighbors and she did not have to compete with others for limited supplies.

This may seem a non sequitur, but I'm going to risk it and relate a personal story from last Sunday. It provided me, some neighbors and strangers a glimpse into how much more effective we can be as a team than individually. My dog and I had driven just 30 feet from our home when she barked at a dog on the sidewalk. The light had turned red so I stopped and glanced toward the unleashed dog which was sniffing a tree in front of our house and toward the corner where I anticipated his owner(s) would soon be appearing. They didn't, and then the dog ambled across the street, against the light. I flipped on my emergency flashers, took my dog's leash, locked my car and went after the pup. He wasn't running but he wasn't stopping, either, so I got the attention of some pedestrians, slowed down approaching traffic and we herded him to a standstill and I got the leash on him. English bulldog, intact male - strong fella!

I needed to re-park my car and get my dog back in the house (lunch outing cancelled) so I called a friend on the next block, who came running to hold the lost dog while I did so. We then walked the dog around the block to start knocking on doors and asked passerby if they recognized him (no one did). In route back home we ran into some other neighbors, strangers and other dog people we recognized from our dog walks. I took photos and e-mailed them to my neighborhood list, some of whom in turn posted the photos on neighborhood blogs and list-serves. A neighbor offered to keep the lost dog for the night if we didn't find the owner. Another neighbor took a pic with her i-Phone and within minutes had printed flyers and we began posting them on light poles (the norm for posting notices in our 'hood).

It was while we were out posting those flyers (keeping the lost dog with us) that the dog's owner came running up with a dog person who we had asked to be on the lookout for anyone looking for a lost dog. The dog's owners, who live two blocks away, had just noticed that he had escaped from their backyard.

Just two hours elapsed between me noticing he was loose and his being reunited with his family - thanks to the efforts of over a dozen neighbors and strangers who dropped what they had been doing and pitched in. And also others in the surrounding blocks who were engaged in getting the word out via e-mail and blogs.

The experience reinforced my belief that if a crisis occurs, there will be a lot more of my neighbors helping one another than there will be looters and muggers. I hope I'd have the supplies and ability to pitch in.