The other day someone posted a pic of an apartment collapse resulting from the Northridge earthquake
It made me think about the aftermath in our small community: We lived in a ten unit low rise complex. My neighbors were Jewish, black, Asian, and white.
There was no water, gas, or electricity.
A couple of owners had generators, so we connected two freezers to them and emptied our fridges in the freezers. We salvaged all the ice we could and put our dairy in portable coolers with it.
We shared our bottled water, canned, and packaged goods.
Our meals were communal with them prepared on charcoal and propane grills in the driveway behind our complex. We sat at tables and chairs brought from inside.
We talked late into the night sharing wine, liquor, and cigars.
If someone needed transportation one of us would either drive them or loan them a vehicle.
Pool water was used to flush the toilets.
Music played on portable cassette and tape machines until the batteries died.
It was a utopia created by a natural disaster.
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some left the country. I was one of the few living in the building for a few days. I'd come home from work and see the building manager sleeping in his car. 
great that you experienced the love and sharing of neighbors. 
