[This is an EXCERPT: read the entire article here. -Ed.]

By Sarah Hinckley

With rising fuel prices, Vermont is preparing for a winter that is likely to affect everyone in one way or another. What may seem like a small crisis in most situations is likely to be exacerbated in the economic conditions that face many, Gwendolyn Hallsmith, director of the city's planning and community development department explained.

"This is the type of emergency that doesn't fit the typical model," she said, highlighting the financial squeeze that leads to more crime, increase demand for food shelters, heating with alternative methods and maxing out credit cards. "All of these things can lead to the perfect storm... One of the things about emergencies is nobody ever thinks its going to happen to them."

"Here's what I would like to see;" she said, "every single person in the city to be contacted once by one of their neighbors."

Attendants [at a meeting organized by Montpelier's CAN! – Capital Area Neighborhoods, an emergency planning project to aid the city in responding to emergencies this upcoming winter season] were asked to divide by neighborhood, to identify a neighborhood leader and pick a time when their group would gather again.

Photo credit: Bryan Fenstermacher