During a major crisis, first responders may be overwhelmed. When that happens, social order can quickly evaporate…
And civil unrest, violence and panic spring up in its place. As society degenerates into chaos, law enforcement may be unable to get to you, much less protect you.
It’s possible you and your neighbors will need to take matters into your own hands and defend yourselves. In other words, we often think of home defense, but how often do you think about your neighborhood?
With that in mind, here are a few things to consider:
Map your neighborhood: Your neighborhood could be laid out many different ways. For instance, a big city neighborhood is set up different than a rural community.
Either way, you should print out a map of your neighborhood and decide where and how to defend it. Plan ahead with which streets you would block off and which ones you want to leave open.
Do you want to only defend the street you live on? Or can you defend multiple streets and access points?
Keep in mind: the size of your “team” will dictate how much area you can realistically try to secure.
Method of entry: Consider who is likely to try to force their way into your neighborhood during a disaster.
Most likely, you will be defending against low level criminals in cars, or on foot. How might they gain access to your neighborhood?
If there are natural barriers such as a river, consider whether criminals would be able to cross.
Chokepoints and Barriers: Chances are you may only be able to secure a couple of streets. Learn which streets provide the most natural cover for folks defending the neighborhood.
Where possible, set up roadblocks to force vehicles or bad guys into dead end chokepoints. You could use cars, refrigerators, or even rocks in place to prevent entry.
And when picking locations for roadblocks, consider the barriers already in place. You have the home field advantage. You know your neighborhood and where everything is.
But, it’s important to think about how you might defend your neighborhood before a crisis hits…
Because when the time comes to act, the time to prepare is gone.
