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When disasters isolate communities from external support, their members must turn to each other for mutual assistance. This study explores (1) resource management, (2) information sharing, and (3) community leadership and civic participation as dimensions of peer-to-peer sharing for more efficient distribution of local resources under “islanded” conditions. Interviews with members and leaders of three neighborhood-scale communities in Washington state revealed concerns about household preparedness and stockpiling of resources, but also the potential to lever individuals’ community knowledge, social networks, and willingness to participate. Future interventions might include enhancing place-based social infrastructure for resource and information sharing; online local databases and applications that normally maintain privacy but “unlock” important household information for community use in emergencies; and programs that help individuals access and adopt leadership and participation roles. Satisfying these requirements for successful disaster prepared ness also aligns with the goals of everyday community-building and strengthening of collective capacity 

When large-scale disasters occur, people often are left on their own to seek critical resources: food, water, medications, and other important items. Historically, government agencies have developed disaster preparedness strategies focused primarily on either the level of the individual or household or on the ability of government agents to provide relief to affected areas. Such approaches do not consider the potential for community members to share needed resources with one another—a crucial factor in survival when earthquakes, floods, landslides, and other disruptions to transportation and communications cut off whole communities from external aid. In this study, we used a simple random sample survey to measure households’ actual and perceived preparedness and assess individuals’ willingness to share essential resources following a large disaster using survey data gathered from three communities in the Pacific Northwest of the US (N 1⁄4 638; overall response rate 20.1%) and Nagoya, Japan (N 1⁄4 1,043; response rate 13.6%), two regions that expect to experience a magnitude 9.0 megaquake. Analysis of the survey data using an ordered response probit model found that the strength of social ties and levels of social trust strongly influence willingness to share in both regions. Differences between the Japanese and American responses suggest different dependencies on and roles for government agencies in the two societies, as well as differences in the types of resources that community members are willing to share, and with whom. Trust emerges as the most important factor across both study regions and for all resources. Willingness to share may be enhanced through trust-building interventions and should be regarded as an effective focus for preparedness efforts, especially if it is shown to be beneficial for a variety of social purposes.