[1]
It’s no question we live in a harsh world, but in the aftermath of a disaster, the American Dream can quickly become a living nightmare. Not only are we dealing with protecting our food sources, downed power lines, and home damage, but we also have to be aware of the criminal aspects that disasters bring on. Looters, raiders, and home invasions tend to be at the forefront of post-disaster issues due to those who are either taking advantage of overwhelmed emergency responders or are unable to meet their basic needs.
I need to emphasize that this type of safeguarding would typically be done in a sudden, widespread, disaster, where a majority of the population would be caught off-guard thus instantly causing them to be ill-equipped to provide for their immediate needs. In a matter of days, if supply trucks [2] cannot gain access to the city, the unprepared will stop at nothing to get what they need in order to survive – and that could be breaking into your home.
To prepare for this [3], we need to go beyond the vague preparedness suggestions from government-backed disaster organizations and prepare to safeguard and defend our homes from unwanted guests.
The Plan
The best approach to keeping these criminals away from your home is to make the house look difficult to vandalize. Further, create obstacles to make it next to impossible for the vandals to gain access. This will either frustrate them to the point of abandoning their break in plans or slow them down so that you can persuade them (with the sound of your firearm).
Further, I suggest that you have a way to protect yourself. Educate yourself on the best type of firearms [4] to have and know how to use them. “If you can’t protect it, you don’t own it” describes the mentality the unprepared have about you and your preps. I’m not saying it’s fair that people could steal from you, but it’s a reality, and a concern you should not take lightly. The fact is that crime seems to escalate in the aftermath of a disaster; despite the current disinformation circulating about how in no uncertain terms that the hunger, chaos, and unrest never happened [5].
Minimize the threat of a home break in or home invasion by adding layers of security [6] (before a disaster is imminent) in order to prevent your home from being a possible hit. Security layers are preventative measures put into place that will advertise to possible intruders to avoid your home altogether. Once these security layers are put into place, follow the suggestions below to zombie-proof your home.
This thread was found at www.SurvivalistBoards.com [7] and the suggestions could come in handy if you are planning for Golden Hoards or looters after a widespread disaster.
- Barricade or fortify all points of entry (doors, windows, basement entries, etc.)
- Remove all lawn furniture or objects that can be thrown at windows to gain entry.
- Replace all exterior doors with steel doors (no window glass, only a peep hole to allow viewing of outsiders).
- Use solid hardwood doors with steel frames. Additionally, if time permits, apply screw in hooks to the door frame/wall and string a criss cross pattern [8] of chain over the door (it won’t stop anyone, but the point is to make them stop to deal with the obstacle long enough to get a good, solid sight [9] picture on your target). Lacking the chain, pile obstacles at doorways to make them pause to clear them, again giving you a chance for a good, solid shot.
- Attach thick heavy dead bolt locks to the door. Two or more would be advantageous.
- Locking security bars/grates over all windows (They can be unlocked from the inside to allow escape and allow daylight to come in).
- Motion detectors to turn on outdoor flood lights can frighten away anything from a fox after your chickens to burglars. In a SHTF situation, they can illuminate your enemies outside without giving away your position (like shining a flashlight through the window would).
- Outdoor security cameras (Camouflaged to reduce chances of being detected by raiders) can allow you to see what’s going on outside your home, without exposing yourself to any hostile fire.
- Large windows and sliding glass doors should be covered in sheet steel for the best protection. Plywood is more affordable, but less bullet resistant (Nail a tangle of razor wire over the plywood to discourage raiders from trying to work on removing the plywood. A motion detector activating a light/noise maker (alarm), or even a tin can with a handful of pebbles attached to the razor wire, can make enough noise to alert you to someone messing with the razor wire/plywood and allow you to respond accordingly. If sheet steel or plywood isn’t available, sandbags can be used to “wall up” the weak points of windows and sliding doors. If sturdy “factory” sandbags aren’t available, any burlap or canvas bags full of dirt will do (in a pinch, heavy duty trash bags full of dirt can be used, just make sure the bags aren’t too big, or the weight of the dirt may cause them to rip while you are working with them).
- Maintain a low profile and exercise noise discipline. Reduce or eliminate the sounds of generators, chain saws, radios, vehicles, farm animals, etc., as much as possible. Black out your light sources so that they cannot be seen from the outside (Light is a tip off that someone is there). Be aware of smells, such as burning wood smoke from a wood stove can be detected for quite some distance.
- Common sense precautions, make sure you have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, just in case your dwelling is set on fire.
- Create a safe room for your home.