COEUR d'ALENE - The 12 neighbors seated on my patio last week joked about the potential disasters that could throw us into survival mode. The late summer evening was warm and peaceful. No one wanted to imagine an earthquake or plane crash that could turn our neighborhood to rubble.

Still, they all accepted my invitation to a neighborhood disaster planning meeting. I ensured attendance with a promise of snacks, but, in the end, my neighbors ate very little. They were too busy scribbling down information about each other and offering their own information.

For National Preparedness Month, I volunteered 15 homes in my downtown neighborhood to test a disaster planning program, Map Your Neighborhood, that was created by Washington state's Emergency Management Division.

Thirty-four states use the award-winning program that's based on the idea that people respond in a disaster to family and home first and then to their neighbors. Map Your Neighborhood organizes that neighborhood response so precious time isn't wasted.

Neighborhoods that plan ahead are able to recover much faster than neighborhoods that don't, depending on the degree of disaster. Emergency responders can't be everywhere at once. They'll help people in the greatest need first. A neighborhood plan provides some insurance that someone is prepared to help.

The meeting in my neighborhood took 90 minutes. Everyone left with a map of the neighborhood and the names of people and pets in each house. We drew on the map the location of each neighbor's gas shut-off.

We shared the skills and equipment each of us has that could help in a disaster. My neighborhood is in good shape. Among my neighbors is a nurse, EMT/firefighter, teacher and carpenter with plumbing and electrician skills. We wrote down who has a chain saw, camp stove, ladder, sturdy rope, generator and more.

Everyone took home cards with OK and Help on them. The cards go in the front window after a disaster to notify neighbors and responders of the residents' condition. If no card is in the window, neighbors should assume help is needed.

We talked about how to use fire extinguishers and agreed to place ours on the front sidewalk during a disaster. Everyone can find them there if small fires start.

Then, we discussed where to meet to divide into teams to check homes and vulnerable neighbors and listen to emergency information. One neighbor is a pastor with keys to a neighborhood church. We agreed to meet at his church a block away and wrote the address on our maps.

Map Your Neighborhood didn't include ideas for pets during disasters, but my neighbors came up with their own solution. Most of us have friendly dogs and fenced yards. We decided to corral our pets in the yard in best shape after a disaster, at least until other options are available.

My neighbors left the meeting with a packet of emergency information to store in an accessible and obvious place in their homes. It won't help them if they can't find it. They also left knowing more neighbors than when they arrived, and feeling good about their neighborhood.

I hope we never need the information we collected, but I like knowing my neighbors are there for me if I need them and I like having the information I need to help them.

Map Your Neighborhood is a free program that's easy to use. Try it in your neighborhood. You can find it at www.emd.wa.gov.

Cynthia Taggart is the public information officer for the Panhandle Health District. She can be reached at ctaggart@phd1.idaho.gov.