Prepared Neighborhoods

“Scott James has a hands-on, deeply philosophical, understanding of the world we live in and of the need to address the issues that will impact his children and mine — all the children of our planet. This book guides us along a pathway to truly understand the nature of our collective futures. It is a brilliant tapestry that interweaves the emergency preparedness and sustainability movements.”

“Scott James’ book, Prepared Neighborhoods, will save lives. It is must-read, page-turner despite its daunting subject matter, and Scott’s ability to transform a scary future into a manageable and more enjoyable present is visionary. As part of our extensive earthquake preparedness coverage at KING5 in Seattle, Scott’s expertise has proved invaluable.  He has the rare skill of being able to speak comfortably with both experts and layman, decoding science and psychology into the manageable sound bites.”

“Prepared Neighborhoods is a powerful resource for both small communities and individual households. Scott James clearly lays out the “What If’s” many of us harbor in the backs of our minds and proposes sustainable and resilient ways to address them. Best of all, this book is written for real neighborhoods, using the language they speak in and clear examples.”

“Scott James has filled a missing link in the transition to a new economy. The neighborhood unit – bigger than a household and smaller than a city – is the essential human scale for building community resilience and preparedness. Get your neighbors together to read Prepared Neighborhoods and act!”

“Books like Scott’s are resilience stabilizers, helping us navigate the circuitous path of change. Communities come together for solutions. Going it alone is a myth; the more we embrace our collective wisdom and skills, the stronger and more resilient our communities become. Oh, and make sure that those communities are building fun into the mix – no one wants a future unless it is going to be fun!”

“There is real security in neighborhood resilience, and power in claiming “preparedness” as a group effort, not a professionalized handoff. Scott James has written a detailed and helpful guide called “Prepared Neighborhoods: Creating Resilience One Street at a Time”, with specific tactical ways to map your neighborhoods and what prepping actually looks like.

In it he says things like: “Face to face relationships help to re-localize our communities” and “the neighborhood is where sustainability meets preparedness”... and for me one of the most compelling rewrites of the American mythos of going it alone: “True self-sufficiency [is] not only unattainable, but undesirable....In our journeys, we’ve discovered individual self-reliance not to be the ultimate goal... community resilience is much more valuable.”

Thank you, Scott, for modeling how to live a healthy, expanding, grounded life in community, growing food, learning and leading.”

“This is a beautifully written, essential book for our times. So inspiring…this idea of connecting neighbor to neighbor to help and more fully enjoy each other. Prepared Neighborhoods gives us practical advice and real world examples about how to create a resilient neighborhood, leading to deeper connections and true peace of mind!”

“This book’s impressive coverage of preparedness is both wide-ranging and deep. The organization and writing style of this information-rich book make it particularly easy to read. It is clear and understandable. Small steps to ease into each category of preparedness are highlighted. The content can be generalized to most regions of this planet and in settings from rural countryside to densely populated cities. Important nuggets of information abound in Prepared Neighborhoods!”

“With the help of a resilient community—interwoven with networks of self-reliant and prepared friends and neighbors—we stand a much better chance for not just surviving, but actually thriving after a long term catastrophe. How to build such a network and community? Scott James has thought long and hard on this subject. He and his neighbors and friends are not just thinking about it, they are doing it, and they are sharing their practical knowhow through his excellent new book.

Do yourself, your family, your friends, and your neighbors a favor—buy this book and take the time to start building resilience and preparedness into your neighborhood. Do it now, while there is still time for a relaxed leisurely approach, and let Scott’s very readable book guide you through the process. Highly recommended!”

“The word “preparedness” can leave a funny feeling in our stomachs. It can feel like the definition of a burden, a task you’d rather not do that does not fit into your life, or a practice that is best left to crazy uncles and paranoid neighbors, not something for the rest of us. Prepared Neighborhoods, and the presence of Scott himself, left me with new thoughts on the subject.

Preparedness is often presented as a very lonely endeavor for which you are solely responsible - a list of tasks and purchases to gird yourself against the looming violence of nature. By contrast, Prepared Neighborhoods presents the very social, conversational and communal picture of what preparedness can be when it’s not just about yourself -when it’s about all of us. From canning parties to community resilience fairs that are more a celebration of shared purpose than a hair-raising warning of future dangers, Prepared Neighborhoods shows that preparedness can actually be a joyous task that creates friendships and communities.

Scott also does a very effective job showing that preparedness for catastrophic events and sustainable living are two sides of the same coin. As we reduce our individual reliance on diminishing resources, increase our capacity to produce our own food and harness available energy sources, and deepen our connections to the skills and goodwill of our neighbors, we are not only living in a more environmentally sustainable way, but in a more resilient way as well. To build reliance on your community is to reduce your footprint and your reliance on a fragile infrastructure liable to fail at the hands of man or nature.

I think we often treat preparedness like dieting - it’s a temporary thing that you focus on for a moment then forget about, only to return to your former self completely unchanged for the effort. Prepared Neighborhoods paints a picture where preparedness is a sustainable and permanent adaptation to an uncertain future. Scott shows that preparedness is about community and connection, not fear and isolation. Perhaps most importantly to readers, Prepared Neighborhoods is a very practical book with tons of tried and true tactics for addressing all aspects of community preparedness. I highly recommend Prepared Neighborhoods!”

“There has never been a better time to be prepared for an uncertain future than right now. Although we may never know what may actually come our way, the upswell of more frequent and devastating weather events suggest that something surely will. Scott James has put his best thinking to the task and has created an easy-to-read, how-to preparedness manual. Implementing his suggestions from food, water, and safety supplies to building neighborhood cohesion and communication plans can make a huge difference in how you, your family, and your neighborhood fare during a time of crisis. Don’t wait and start today!”