Knowing how to survive in a SHTF situation requires proper preparation, and not just that, you need to also learn survival skills to help you increase your chances of survival. Among the many survival skills you need to acquire, home defense skills should be at the top your list.
People get attacked every day, but in a SHTF situation, the risk of being attacked is much higher because everyone is on survival mode. Learning how to defend yourself and your family is therefore of great importance if you are going to survive.
Now, there are two types of defense techniques. Passive defense and active defense.
Passive Defense
Passive defense involves taking passive measures to increase the security in your home. Put together, these measures provide several layers of security for you home.
Assess your home security
Take a good look around your property and identify any vulnerable areas that easily penetrable. Basically, try to think like an intruder or burglar. You can go a step further and get the local police or a security company to come do a security assessment of your home.
Open spaces makes it hard to hide
This technique involves clearing anything that an intruder may use as a hiding spot. If you have any thick hedges, prune them in a way that even though somebody hides behind, it would be easy to see them. If you have a thick bush or tree near a window or some place on your property where a person can hide easily, you may want to consider removing it.
If your property is huge, fencing the whole area may be expensive. You may decide to fence just the area that is close to your house, and keep the rest of your property clear of any huge bushes and other vegetation that intruders or ordinary burglars can use as hiding spot.
Lighting helps to detect intruders
If you live in an apartment building, lighting should not be a problem. However, if you live in a house, you may need to consider adding exterior lighting as a measure of increasing security in your home. Burglars and intruders take advantage of cover of darkness to commit their crimes.
Installing motion-sensor outdoor lighting is a great way to scare an intruder and you also save on electricity since the lights only go on once they detect movement.
You may also consider putting flood lights, especially if you have a huge property. This will discourage any intruder from entering your property. It also give the advantage of being able to spot and intruder before they can spot you.
Alarm systems – the first line of defense
Security cameras and alarm systems are essential part of passive defense
Installing a home alarm can be very useful. It can deter an intruder once the alarm is tripped. It also alerts the local police as well as your neighbors. The police may take some time to get there, but your neighbors can come check in on you before the police arrives.
It may also be a good idea to put motion sensor-alarms on your windows. In case an intruder attempts to open a window to gain entry into your home, the alarm will go off. This is a great way of discouraging break-ins.
Active Defense
This is the next level of defense when passive measures fail. Active defense is a defensive strategy that a person takes when faced with a real threat. This strategy or action could mean the difference between life and death, and in a SHTF situation, this is very real.
Points of escape
Certain situations may require that you leave your home immediately, especially when there is more than one intruder in your home and you have children. Create escape routes that your family can use to get to safety. Also, create codes that each member of the family understands, which you can use to communicate in SHTF situation.
Weapons
Guns are your best friends what it comes to active home defense. Be sure to train also your family members to use them properly
Not many people are comfortable having guns in their homes, but your home security should be your utmost priority. If you have a gun or you plan on buying one, you can store it in a place that only you knows. Preferably, a place that no one can easily discover.
A gun is not the only weapon you can choose to have in your house, but it is definitely one of the most efficient tools of defense. Take a look at DIY survival weapons you can make at home.
Safe Room
A safe room also known as panic room is one of the best places to take refuge in case of a home invasion, terror attack tornado or any other attack. When your family is safe and secure in one room or place, it becomes easier to manage the defense. You can then alert the police and wait for them to arrive.
Counterattack
In a real situation you need to be ready to use all possible skills you have.
A counterattack is necessary when the intruder’s intention is violence. But, it is definitely not a good idea to responds to an attack if you do not have the necessary combat skills or weapons to help you fight off your attacker. But, then again, you know your home better, so you can position yourself in a place where it would be easy to attack the intruder unawares. Just make sure to hit hard enough such that the attacker will not be able to attack you back.
The bottom line is, providing your family with good security should be a priority. It is also important for every member of the family to learn some defensive techniques, to avoid on relying on just one person for protection. It is also good to learn how to use different weapons to defend yourself.
Learn how to shoot a gun or knife against an attacker. There are other objects that you can learn how to use them as weapons. Any defensive tactic no matter how simple it is, it can save you and your family.
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