I live in suburban Florida, on the water, in a neighborhood that houses a few thousand individuals within a few square miles. Second story home, a third of the doors are glass paned but we have heavy oak front doors which survived two hurricanes and the other doors have steel interiors, according to my father, three garage doors, many windows. The house is surrounded by trees and bushes on three sides, with the intercoastal on one side and the driveway on the other side, the sides of the driveway have lots of shrubbery, but for the most part the driveway is the most bare area of my residence. What would be the best ways to shtf proof my house for bug in, any ideas, opinions etc... would be appreciated.
The scenario i am looking for is mostly like.....Katrina's aftermath, with lots of looting and refugees and I have to hide in my house for awhile
stock up on food, water etc, and have your shotgun loaded and have plenty of extra ammo is what i'd do. pump action would probably be best for that situation, because if you weree looting and hadn't gone to the bathroom for awhile what would happen if you heard a shotgun be pumped. i read that sound is the sense most associated with fear
But I feel prevention is the best means in a shtf situation. My house is one of the biggest in the area, what ways can I make it look less of a wealthy target, and more not a wealthy target, this is an upper middle class neighborhood mind you. (mostly the people who'd be robbing are refugees and the hoodlum white, prissy, spoiled rich kids that live here)<--They have stolen stuff from our mailbox before and a few tried a home invasion, but that home invasion was thwarted all because i flipped the inside lights off and the outside ones on and threatened them with a machete if they attempted to break in....I am very sure they have been in a few classes with me....nice of me not to call the police on them.
But you can never be too sure who you will encounter in shtf....
Know your neighbors, which ones can you count on if the situation gets serious, which ones might try to steal from you? Have a good generator that can provide exterior illumination, lights have proven to be the best deterrent to crime of any sort. I have had personal experience with looters in two riots and post-hurricane Andrew. A show of force will make most looters think twice. Most inner city individuals have a fear of dogs, I personally have to 90 pound dogs that are properly trained to defend me and my family.
I mentioned a show of force, this can be tricky, if you show a gun you better be ready to use it otherwise don't brandish it. If you are not comfortable with a weapon then your best bet is at least one dog.
As to making your house seem like less of a target, get rid of places were folks can hide and jump you. If you have the biggest house in the neighborhood, well you're the biggest target then and your best bet is to make your house as defendable as possible. I already mentioned good illumination and clearing any shrubs or bushes that obscure your view. If you can afford cameras that show the perimeter of your house and also down the street in front of your house have them installed and connected to your electrical back up.
These are just a few things, of course stock up with food, water and the means to defend yourself. Don't forget to role-play once you have all your precautions in place. Pretend you're the looter, how would you get into the house or jump its occupants? Now rectify that problem and continue until you feel safe or you run out of money.
If you are in a nice house in a nice neighborhood - not much 'prevention' to be done as far as making them go elsewhere BEFORE they try something. Stouter doors, bars on windows, a good dog or two, an alarm system - all standard measures. If you aren't home when they come calling the shotgun sits idle.
If you ARE home, a good gun is far better than any blade. You want some distance between yourself and the perps, if possible.
The problem with my neighbors is they are nice now but they have the mindset of "Screw you!!..Im better than you!" at least all the neighbors under 50 have that view...so I am a little hesitant to trust them shtf...by the way quite a few of them are old also....so at least if I run out of food i can loot the dead old people's houses....
I think, in the end, it would come down to who is smarter, who has the bigger gun.....and who wants to live longer
Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
Posts: 3,788
All good suggestions. There is a plant used in Texas and other hot Southern areas, the name escapes me at the moment, but it has long sharp barbs on its vines that can deter people trying to get into a window. Generators can be a two edged sword. They make noise which will attact the bad folks who will want to steal it and "good" folks will want to get some hot water, use some of your light in the evenings etc. Make sure the generator is inside the house and anchored securely (so nobody can just pick it up and run).
Since you live in the biggest house you will be the biggest target. Ideally everyone that lives in the house should know how to shoot and have a firearm or two. Do you have a defensive fire plan for the house? Just like combat troops defending a position everyone should know where to go in the house to defend it. Go outside and look at your property and home. Can it be approached without being seen? Or how close can you get, you may want to consider clearing a field of fire. Are there dark shadowy areas where someone could hide? These are the areas that will be to be watched closely in times of trouble. If the bad guys do make it in the house in a suprise attack do you try to defend or run for it? If you run where to? Have a location where everyone can meet to reorginize. Sleepng, just because it's night doesn't mean everyone sleeps, at least one and preferably two people should be up standing guard. Set up a rotating guard schedule. Even during the day at least one person should be on watch.
You will also want to sit down with the house/family members and discuss various scenario's of what if? For example little Mary is out playing after a relatively mild hurricane (not much damage in you area). Several bad guys grab Mary and yell at the house if everyone doesn't come out now, so they can go in, then they will molest Mary and then kill her. What do you do? Tough question, do you tell them to go to heck and save the house and other family memebers (hopefully) at the price of little Mary or do you let them in saving little Mary (maybe) but loosing all of your valuables, weapons and possibly the lives of everyone? I know this maybe a bit of an exteme example but ideally the family needs to know what the response will be to a variety of attacks and situations. PLANNING is important.
My problem is my mother has this idea that the only bad thing that will ever happen will be a bad hurricane or the lights will go out. Period. End of story.
So trying to get them to even talk about looters, buying a firearm, etc... is quite tough because frankly, they dont think its going to happen at all. The worst is my mother and sister thinks that the police will come to help us if something goes wrong...*Shudder*...luckily my father has been through enough **** (excuse the expletive please) in his life he is smart enough to start getting prepared, even a little bit. So, to sum it up, planning with my family is out of the question....aww, i will have to go it alone and find friends on the way because my family are goners...*Starts to cry, then goes to play world of warcraft for twenty hours*
By the way, I feel my mother has a fear of guns....I dont know why but when I mention them or she gets near one she gets a bit freaked out or really serious looking...
Did I come across as a little angry in this post????
Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
Posts: 3,788
Sounds like your mother wasn't paying attention to what happened in New Orleans. There were almost no Police and the few still working were always elsewhere when things happened, or so it seemed.
First let me state that during ANY natural or manmade diasaster the rats and other assorted vermin will surface to take advantage of the situation, to be prepared to weather a catasthrophe means more than merely stocking food, water and medical necessities. It means being prepared to deal with fires, injuries and vermin both two and four legged. Thought and planning are essential as well as the willingness to use force to ensure your survival in the event of attack. To believe that all will be just hunky dory and we'll light a few candles should the lights go out, sing camp fire songs and call the cops who of course will be able to immediately rush to your aid should any criminals attempt to enter your home is simply beyond foolhardy it is downright ignorant and irresponsible.
__________________ "You can have my Freedom when I'm done with it!"
If I were in your situation I would get a mean breed of dog(s) and keep plenty of food and water.
I would buy 1 or 2 firearms that could handle high capasity clips and enough ammo for a small war. It might be hard to get but see if you can buy a hand held police radio, (not a scanner) to listen to and to call out for help if you need too. Keep a pistol on your hip and this my sound stupid but if your being attacked get some flares to see at night time.
Lastly buy some reloading gun powder and make some small sticks of dynamite,a friend of mine doe's this so it can be done these will be your handgarnades...Expect to blow out all them widows if your not careful.
OR why don't you move to Arkansas we'd be glad to have you, you probly could sell your house for over a million dollars then move to one our towns and shucks you might like liv'en in the mountains and being a hilbilly or come on down to So.Arkansas if you like hot humid smeltering summers, well find you something to do. Think about it...Yall come >...A.H
LOL A.H. ya'll know well as I do that the vermin don't just live in the big cities they also infest our rural communities only difference is here in the country we usually KNOW who the bastids are!
__________________ "You can have my Freedom when I'm done with it!"
As stated earlier, plant "defensive" plants around vulnerable areas like unprotected windows. These would be cactuses, Yucca, Agave, etc. Most criminals are lazy, they don't want to work too hard for their loot-BUT, they can be smart. Picture a worse-case scenario and then plan for it. I have guns hidden in very unexpected places around my home. Another good tool is the use of pepper-spray "burglar-bombs". These are often advertised in the back of Shotgun News but I can't remember the name right now. Motion-activated cameras are a good idea and a silent alert can be rigged to them as well. Think about what you want to know in a situation like a hurricane: who's where, what they are doing, vulnerable entry points, etc. Set up cameras in protected areas and make sure they are connected to a backup power supply. In a situation like a hurricane, power outage, etc.-moniter your cameras! Set up an interior room in a safe area to house your equipment. This doesn't need to be real intrusive, just put it in your computer room, office, etc. where it is safe and easily accessible. If you know a situation is immenent (sp?), fill up your vehicles with gas and make sure you have plenty of consumables on hand for at least several days. Another option that may or may not cause problems is to fire off a round or two into the ground in your back yard occasionally when you know there are kids around. This may sound stupid, but, if done regularly, your place will quickly be known as the one to stay away from. If you do it in an area where you can't be seen, it is very hard to prove, but the reputation is worth its' weight in gold. The drawback is if you get caught, you get fined and hassled.
