Tru - I know the feeling living in FL, and facing a hurricane season alone. What always makes me feel better, and hopefully you too, is having a plan in place. I don't ''hang'' with my across the street neighbor, but she has my emergency phone numbers, knows who to call, and looks out for me, as I do her. I also keep a rolling suitcase with emergency supplies in it, and pack it fully when we get warnings. It is very scary, but others feel the same way. We all help each other with food, water - even had a BBQ where everyone brought something - by flashlight - and we were all raggedy. Hope you stay save.

It is so hard to overcome our fears, especially when they are reasonable. I grew up in So Calif and went through many earthquakes & never stopped being afraid. When a really big one came in 1971 with tons of aftershocks, I left the state and wandered for 7 years. Now I live in Oregon & this is earthquake country too. But I have come to realize that I cannot run away from my fears and wasted so many years being afraid when the reality is that very few people here in the US are killed or hurt by them. The same is true of tornadoes. But maybe someone on a lower floor might want to move to a higher one and you could trade.

The sad thing is that if I lived on the first floor I would be afraid of intruders. The second floor is the best, but it wasn't available.

Living here in NY, my worst fears are the winters, but lived here all my life. Just made it thru the third winter with out my husband and made it ok. I know, I have my kids here and my boyfriend but, I have to drive in the bad weather if my kids needed rides to work and back. I walk to work so that is easy on me. I do not know of any area where we wouldn't have to worry about something.Guess like you said, we need our neighbors, look out for one another.Like some have sais, need a plan in case things happen.

That's one thing I miss about New Orleans. I knew ALL my neighbors and even their dogs names. We exchanged phone numbers, had block parties, private parties and we all looked out for one another. How about throwing a party for all the people in your building? A meet and greet kind of thing.

Like standingalone said, you always have to have a plan in place. I kept all my important papers in ziploc baggies in the file cabinet....the really important ones, in a lock box that I'd grab and take with us if we evacuated. Always had hurricane supplies packed in big plastic storage boxes in the closet. Easy to grab and put in the trunk of the car. Now, a tornado.....you don't have as much warning, but meeting your downstairs neighbors will be a start in the right direction.

I don't think there is any perfect place to live, but the best thing we can do is be prepared for what we might expect to happen and have a plan and a friend or relative to contact when there is any kind of disaster in your area. It will soon be hurricane season here in south Texas and I will get my stuff together, soon!