How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [79]
Of course, only in a worst-case, out-and-out TEOTWAWKI would you want to erect military-concertina-wire arrays, but just in case, it would be prudent to have the materials on hand to do so.
Unless you have a big budget to buy commercially made razor wire (also called barbed tape), then think surplus. Used concertina wire can sometimes be found at U.S. Army Defense Reutilization Management Office (DRMO) surplus-disposal auctions—often for as low as scrap-metal prices. Keep an eye on the calendar of auctions to attend one in your region (snipurl .com/hojy7). Army camp/fort auctions are your best bet for finding concertina wire. Used, slightly rusty wire has two advantages: First, it does not have the reflective sheen of new wire, so it’s not as obvious to casual observers at long distances. Second, the sight of rusty barbs might get the bad guys thinking about tetanus. Yes, I know that the tetanus risk from punctures by new wire is nearly as great as that from dirty or rusty wire, but at least here in North America the bad guys all grew up hearing about the perils of “rusty nails.”
Temporary and Permanent Obstacles for Retreat Security
In heavily wooded country, dropping some trees to form an abatis is a viable expedient. But keep in mind that obstacles often work both ways: They will keep the bad guys out, but also keep you in. That is why my favorite roadblock is a Caterpillar (“Cat”) or similar tracked tractor, parked perpendicular at a narrow spot on a road, with its blade dropped and ignition system disabled. That will stop just about any vehicle short of another Cat. The biggest advantage of this method is that a Cat can be moved quickly to allow the passage of “friendlies.”
If you don’t own a Cat, then parking cars or trucks perpendicular at a narrow spot works fairly well. Remember: In most foreseeable circumstances, emplacing multiple obstacles of marginal utility is as good as emplacing just one massive obstacle. One fairly inexpensive technique is to emplace multiple five-eighths-inch-diameter steel cables at twenty- to fifty-foot intervals strung eighteen inches above the ground, secured with heavy-duty padlocks. To gain entry, even someone equipped with large bolt cutters would have to repeatedly reduce each obstacle. And during that time, they could be warned off or directly engaged with rifle fire.
Advice on Sources for Sandbags and Sandbag Filler
One often-overlooked security measure is laying in a supply of sandbags. Modern American residential architecture is not designed with ballistic protection in mind. Sandbags can be quickly—albeit laboriously—filled with soil from your backyard and stacked to make fighting positions. This might sound a bit over-the-top, but here I’m talking about an absolute worst-case scenario, in which there will be no law enforcement available to call, and/or no working phone service to call them. You will be on your own. In inimical times, sandbags will be cheap insurance, providing you with a good chance to avoid getting ventilated by the local riffraff.
In the U.S. there are several good sources for sandbags, but prices do indeed vary widely (from as much as $3.75 each in small quantities to as little as thirty-eight cents each if you buy in lots of one thousand), so shop around. For example, see preparedness.com and 1st Army Supply (snipurl.com/hnfk9).
If you want to buy in quantity (perhaps a group purchase that you can split several ways), it is best to order direct from a manufacturer, such as Dayton Bag and Burlap (snipurl.com/hnfpb), Mutual Industries (snipurl.com/hnfrv), or United Bags (snipurl .com/hnfwj).
Be sure to buy the later-variety, synthetic (such as polypropylene) sandbags. The early burlap