Survival Skill #6 Security (Part 6 of 10)

During normal times, people usually give some consideration to their security.  They lock their vehicle doors and their doors at home, they may have a security system which they set when they leave their home, they use reasonable caution when determining what neighborhoods to drive through, etc.  Some folks are even more security conscious--they have a black belt in karate, they carry a concealed weapon as a rule instead of as an exception, they have a safe room in their home, etc.

When TSHTF, our usual fall backs for security--namely calling 911 or having a hard wired security system in our home--may not be available.  In this case you will need to give more than a passing consideration to the security and safety of you and your family.  Here's some ideas in no particular order:

• Consider where you live.  If you live in the hood, you put yourself at more risk for crime.  On the flip side, in a major disaster, looters aren't looking to break into someone's third floor tenement walk-up, they will look towards nicer (and more lucrative) targets.
• Make your home a hard target.  You want to analyze your home from the outside in.  Does the outside look like a more difficult target than other homes in the neighborhood (your home is behind a fence, landscaping is clean and useful--ie: doesn't provide cover to the burglar looking for a quick break in, are roses or other thorny bushes planted under the windows, etc).
• And work your way in.  Are doors and windows and sliders more difficult than average to break into (solid core doors, dead bolt locks, quality instead of cheap locks, triple pane windows, etc).
• Do you have dogs (the bigger and louder the better) both inside and outside your home (burglars and looters will usually pass homes guarded by dogs and look for an easier target).
• Do you have a comprehensive security system (both visible and invisible to those who are looking for it).
• Should someone be determined enough to get through all of this security, do you have ways to protect yourself inside your home (an audible security system/panic alarm, multiple ways to call 911, firearms and the training to use them for close quarters combat, a safe room, a family plan in the event of a break-in/robbery, ways to exit your home unseen if needed, etc).
• Are you part of a neighborhood watch program or similar organization of the neighbors to keep the neighborhood patrolled and safe.
• Are you and the entire family security aware at all times (pay attention to what people in the neighborhood are doing, not invite strangers into your home if at all possible, never give out the alarm pass codes, don't post vacation plans on social media, come and go at random times so burglars can't time a break in to coincide with times "no one is ever home", never brag about the expensive items you keep in your home, etc).
• Does your security awareness follow you when you leave your home (you are aware of everything going on around you when you drive, vehicle doors are locked at all times, you avoid places in the city where trouble is likely to occur, you carry a concealed weapon and know how to use it if that is your choice, you don't put yourself in situations that could be dangerous such as not visiting ATMs at night, you travel in pairs when possible, etc).
• Are you prepared for a disaster of large magnitude which would both leave security up to you and incite the natives to dangerous behavior (looting, robbery, targeting the weak, etc)?