DEAR ABBY: Two days after Thanksgiving, my next-door neighbor's house burned to the ground. They had gone 10 miles away to spend the night with their children and grandchildren. We didn't know our neighbors well enough to know anyone to contact in case of emergency, although they know we are here for them and vice versa.
Abby, please urge people to think about possible emergencies and to plan ahead of time for them. It was more than two hours before these people could be located, and by then they had lost everything.
I only wish I had asked them for an emergency number ahead of time. You can be sure we will be giving a contact number to a few of our closest neighbors if we go away. -- SORRY WE WERE TOO LATE, McALESTER, OKLA.
DEAR SORRY: Not only should travelers make sure they can be reached in case of an emergency -- such as damage to property or a sudden illness or death in the family -- they should carry with them the name and phone number of someone to be contacted in case something happens to them while they're away.