How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [76]
However, I can foresee many looter gangs showing rudimentary signals intelligence (SIGINT) skills and using portable public-service band (“police”) scanners, so it is wise to use low-power and directional antennas. Never mention surnames, locations, latitude/longitude, map coordinates, or street addresses “in the clear.” In my estimation, it is not likely that looter gangs would be sufficiently sophisticated to use DF gear. But never take anything for granted. If and when the Schumer hits the fan, you should construct your own brevity codes and change your call signs and frequencies often.
One further note: We now live in the age of Bluetooth. WTSHTF, if you have a wireless network for your home computers, you should plan to turn the transmitter off and use it as a strictly “hardwired” Ethernet device. A clever looter might leave a laptop turned on in his vehicle, sensing when the vehicle passes an active wireless network. Even if you keep blackout shutters up—making your house look like all of your neighbors’ homes that are without power—an active wireless network could mark your house as a lucrative target. Ditto for cell phones and cordless phones. Assuming that the phone circuits are still working during a period of lawlessness (not likely, but possible), be sure to switch to landline only for the duration.
I’ll close this chapter with one big proviso: Don’t make the mistake of becoming overly dependent on gadgets. Time and weather will take their toll. (As the Memsahib is fond of saying, “It’s entropy, Jim, entropy.”) Always have a Plan B and C for communications, and be ready and able to revert from high tech to no tech. Train for both best-case and worst-case situations when it comes to your electronics.
10
HOME SECURITY AND SELF-DEFENSE
Threat Escalation
As much as I would like to believe that order and decency will prevail in a crisis, I’m afraid the reality is that the thin veneer of humanity may crack under pressure. I hope that the worst never happens, but if it should, you need to be prepared to protect yourself, your family, and your supplies. As I see it, the biggest threat from your fellow man will be from home invasions and looting.
Modern military planners often talk in terms of “threat spirals” when a given threat escalates and inspires a defensive countermeasure. Ideally you should anticipate your opponent’s next escalation and take countermeasures, insulating yourself from the future threat. Here are some potential home-invasion threat escalations WTSHTF:
1. More frequent home invasions. The worse the economy gets, the more crime we can expect. Home invasions and kidnap-pings are likely “growth” areas.
2. Use of dynamic-entry tools by home invaders. We can expect them to use commercial or improvised door-entry battering rams and Hallagan Tools—like those used by police. This means that standard solid-core doors by themselves will be insufficient.
3. Possible use of vehicle-mounted battering rams
4. Larger, better equipped, and better organized home-invasion gangs. Larger gangs will be able to invade a home.
5. The potential use of cell-phone jammers
6. More elaborate ruses as pretexts to get homeowners to open their doors. For example, not only will the “point man” be dressed as a UPS driver, but there will be a very convincing-looking UPS truck parked at the curb.
7. More use of pepper spray and other irritants by home invaders
8. Use of large diversions such as explosives to draw law enforcement away from the scene of a planned crime
Don’t Be Caught Off Guard
Almost the entire American citizenry has been systemically off guard since the end of the U.S. Civil War. There are two fundamental weaknesses that make American homes vulnerable to home invasions: a condition-white mind-set, and appalling architectural weakness.
Condition-White Mind-set
First and foremost is an almost