Staying at home (35)
•Replace glass windows with non-break-able plexiglass
•Add steel bars to the windows
•Replace all outside door locks with heavy-duty deadbolts
•Replace all outside doors with steel doors, preferably without windows
•Remove bushes and other shrubs where people might hide
•Black out the windows entirely to avoid light escaping at night
(similar to what residents of London did during the WWII bombing raids)
•Build secret hiding places for food, coins, or even people
•Create escape hatches or passageways
•Rig pepper-spray booby traps These aren’t as absurd as they might at first
sound. Many Saints living in rough cities already have steel bars covering their windows,
and removing extra bushes and shrubs is a well-known tactic for making your home a safer place.
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Home lighting
To light your home when there’s no electricity, try the following:
•Use LED flashlights and rechargeable solar-charged batteries.
You can buy all these items from the Real Goods catalog.
•Use propane-powered lanterns. You can find these in the camping section
of your local Walmart. Be sure to purchase extra mantles and store lots of propane.
•Purchase quality oil lamps from Lehman’s and stock up on oil.
You can also purchase cheap kerosene lamps from the Sportman’s
Guide or Walmart, then simply purchase and store extra kerosene.
•Buy extra candles.
•Purchase lots of olive oil. Not only can you cook with it
(and besides, it’s a lot healthier than corn or vegetable oil),
olive oil also burns as a clean candle fuel. You can float a wick in a jar half-full
of olive oil and light the wick. Viola, a home-made candle. Olive oil is a
fantastic item for your storage anyway because even if you purchase all
the grains in the world, you’ll still need cooking oil, and you obviously
can’t buy powdered cooking oil. Well-stored olive oil can last for thou-sands of years.
Securing the Perimeter
Trip wires are great perimeter defenses. You can buy them from
Cheaper Than Dirt (they run a few hundred dollars).
They will give you early warning if someone is approaching.
You can connect the tripwires to flares, shotgun shells, light-sticks or
other warning devices. This way, you can have an audible or visible alert, your choice.
Firearms are useful for obvious reasons. In the worst-case scenario,
when looting is rampant, you may have to actually shoot someone to protect yourself or your family.
Keep women and children away from doors and windows and guns
unless they are proficient in handling such.