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Community Corner

This FREE Online Resource Can Save Your Life or Your Pet's!

I can’t stress enough how important knowing your neighbors is, especially in a time of crisis.  We all experience personal crisis’s from time to time, and may have a close friend for support.  But when a major disaster strikes, and it will.  It’s not a matter of “if” but “when”, it will be extremely helpful to know our neighbors.  

A new online resource is Nextdoor.com.  This is a way to know who your neighbors are,  in case you need to communicate with people who live close to you.  We have a few people who've joined in several different Rohnert Park sections.

One alert I read about recently was a "hit and run" that happened in Cotati, near Wilfred and Gravenstein.  The driver of a truck hit a woman who was walking her dog, then came back and hit her again, before leaving the scene!   I've seen nothing about this on Rohnert Park Patch, but did see it in the PD police blotter.  Imagine if you'd received an alert from your neighbors on Nextdoor.com.  You would have been foreforned of this deadly driver, and could watch out for them.  As of this day, I believe this person is still at large.  I don't know the extent of the woman's injuries, but she could have been killed, and left dying in the street.  This driver is a serious menace in our neighborhoods.

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I’ve read recently that cell phone service may be interrupted during disasters, but texting will probably still work.  If you don’t know how to text, it might be good to learn before you need to.

Also, another reason to join Nextdoor.com is to be able to find your lost pet a lot quicker than posting flyers, knocking on doors or posting online.  As soon as your pet is missing, you could send out an alert to your neighbors, both online and by phone, before your beloved pet can go farther away, and be nearly impossible to locate.  Having your pet micro-chipped and licensed is basic, but doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be re-united with you.  Sometimes people find animals and keep them, or if they see them, don’t know if they’re lost or just loose.  If your cat or dog is taken to a shelter, and not chipped, they could easily end up euthanized or adopted.  Protect yourself and your pets, by joining Nextdoor.com   You don’t have to give much personal information or  your address, but a phone number or email address is vital for emergency contact.   Don't let fear of strangers stop you from being part of a vital community resource.

Find out what's happening in Rohnert Park-Cotatiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another good thing to know is that in a disaster, phone service may be cut off, but I recently read that texting will still be accessible.  If you don't know how to text, it might be good to learn now, before crisis strikes.







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