Why is Emergency Management interested in building community? 

If you are familiar with the field of Emergency Management, you understand that our role is to help serve the community before, during, and after times of significant disruption. We assist in the form of mass care (i.e. sheltering, mass feeding operations, etc), providing public information, and helping first responders and incident command get the resources they need to effectively do their job. 

So why would Emergency Management be interested in building a sense of community? Usually one might think that this kind of an effort is better reserved for fields like community planning, or perhaps non-profits. However, it is important to understand that Emergency Management does not have the capacity to assist every individual person in a community, especially during disasters. 

The more that a community can assist in building capacity by building strong relationships with neighbors, the stronger and more sustainable that community is should a disaster or disruption impact them. Think about it - there is a greater chance that if you are experiencing a disruption that your neighbor can reach you more quickly than even an ambulance may be able to. Additionally, you know your community better than anyone else, and are keenly aware of the unique needs you and your neighbors may have. 

National studies looking at the largest disasters that have impacted our country nation-wide have shown time and time again that the communities that recovered the most quickly were those communities that had strong social capital; meaning neighbors banded together with neighbors to provide support and work together to solve even the most complex of problems. 

Truly, Emergency Management is a two-way street, and each and every citizen has a role to play in insuring the vitality of their community. This is why the Larimer Connects Program was established, to help communities better learn and understand their role, and to work together to identify solutions for resilience that are best for their community. 

We invite you to look through a few initiatives Larimer Connects provides to build a stronger sense of connection in your community using the navigation buttons above.