Are You Prepared for Lockdown? How to Stay Safe When All Hell Breaks Loose in America

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Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course

Tensions are incredibly high in the United States right now. I realized that over the past three years, I’ve written that they’re “at an all-time high” far too many times. So, I’ll just say, they’re high enough that all hell could break loose at any moment given the right (wrong) application of fuel to the flame. The number one thing you can do for this situation to keep your family safe is to be prepared for lockdown.

Pretending that it isn’t happening or hoping to hug it out is not a rational response to the chaos that is coming.  I know that some cling to their misguided views on the way the world works with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting cubs, but for the rest of us, there’s this thing called reality. When we accept it, we can prepare for it.

People near the border are quite reasonably concerned that if thousands of immigrants push through our border illegally, they and their families could be at risk. People in other parts of the country are concerned about the aftermath of whatever happens when these people arrive at the border. Regardless of what occurs, somebody is going to be unhappy. Add in the fiercely-fought midterm elections and the threat of civil unrest is high.

Are you prepared for lockdown?

Which leads me to a very important subject. As the situation in the United States devolves, how prepared are you really? If you had to go into lockdown mode and keep your family safely at home, how long would you last with the supplies you have on hand? If the answer is “a few days” or “a couple of weeks” you need to work on that. Immediately.

By planning ahead, we can avoid the fear, panic, and confusion that leads people to rush to the store and clear the shelves like a horde of hungry locusts.  We can stay away from the angry masses, the rioters who will use any excuse to steal, and the hungry people who are determined to feed their kids no matter who stands in their way.

Whether the next few weeks lead to pandemonium due to violent protests provoking some type of martial law, a prepared mindset, a defense plan, and a well-stocked home can help to keep you and your family out of harm’s way.

Keep in mind that the decision may not be entirely in your hands. In a martial law situation, it’s not unusual for the authorities to force people to stay in their homes. Remember in Boston when law enforcement was searching for the young man who, with his brother, was accused of setting off the bomb at the marathon?  Residents were not allowed to leave their homes due to a “shelter in place directive.”  The directive was presented as voluntary, but if you didn’t wish to have SWAT teams pointing guns in your face during this period of de facto martial law, staying home was the only option. Some people ran out of supplies the same day. Don’t be one of those people.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the potential need to lock down. It’s a viable response to a variety of crises. For example, had the Ebola cases on US shores turned into a pandemic, a lockdown period would have been the very best way to keep your family safe.

With situations of civil unrest, it isn’t as clear-cut.  It depends on where you live. In a small town, far away from riots and protests, your lockdown area could be much greater than your own home. It could encompass your immediate community, too, and life might go on as it always has for you, aside from the need to stay just a little closer to home than before.

However, if you live in a city or suburb, it may become essential to make a decision quickly. Do you lock your doors and stay home? Or do you get out of Dodge?  It is a question only you can answer. One thing that is very important is this: if you need to go, do NOT miss your window of opportunity to do so safely. If the entire city feels the same way, you’ll most likely be stuck in traffic and trapped in your car. Protesters have shut down the highways more than once in recent years, and you’ll be far safer behind the brick and mortar of your home than you will be in your car.

By the way, there’s always someone who chimes in with a snide remark about how cowardly it is to lockdown with your family in order to stay safe. If you want to go get involved in a battle to make a political point, that’s certainly your prerogative. However, my priority is the safety of my family, and as such, I hope to avoid engaging altogether.

First, get home.

If you happen to be away from home when violence erupts, your first task is safely navigating your way home. In a perfect world, we’d all be home, watching the chaos erupt on TV from the safety of our living rooms.  However, reality says that some of us will be at work, at school, or in the car when unrest occurs.  You need to develop a “get-home” plan for all of the members of your family, based on the most likely places that they will be.

  • Devise an efficient route for picking up the kids from school, camp, or daycare.  Be sure that anyone who might be picking up the children already has permission to do so.
  • Keep a get-home bag in the trunk of your car in case you have to set out on foot.
  • Stash some supplies in the bottom of your child’s backpack – water, a snack, any tools that might be useful, and a map.  Be sure your children understand the importance of OPSEC.
  • Avoid major thoroughfares.  If you need to go through the city, avoid the areas that are most likely to be the subject of unrest. Listen to the local news and traffic reports to help avoid the worst areas.  Take the safest route, not the shortest route.
  • Find multiple routes home – map out alternative backroad ways to get home as well as directions if you must go home on foot.
  • Find hiding places along the way.  If you work or go to school a substantial distance from your home, figure out some places to lay low now, before a crisis situation.  Sometimes staying out of sight is the best way to stay safe.
  • Avoid groups of people.  It seems that the mob mentality strikes when large groups of people get together.  Often folks who would never ordinarily riot in the streets get swept up by the mass of people who are doing so.
  • Keep in mind that in many civil disorder situations the authorities are to be avoided every bit as diligently as the angry mobs of looters. Who can forget the scenes of innocent people being pepper sprayed by uniformed thugs in body armor just because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
  • Know when to abandon the plan to get home. Sometimes, you just can’t get there. Going through a war zone is not worth it. Find a different place to shelter. Pay attention to your instincts.

Prepping for lockdown

Once everyone is safely home, you need to commit to your decision to lockdown. This could last a day, a week, or longer. There’s really no way to predict it. It’s most likely that you will have electrical power throughout this crisis, but you should be prepared just in case the grid goes down due to damage during riots or attempts by the authorities to gain control of the situation.

You should be set up with the following (at the minimum – hopefully you have these supplies and more):

  • Water
  • Necessary prescription medications
  • well-stocked pantry – you need at least a one-month supply of food for the entire family, including pets
  • An off grid cooking method like an outdoor burner, a barbecue, a fire pit, or a woodstove)
  • Or food that requires no cooking
  • A tactical quality first aid kit
  • Lighting in the event of a power outage
  • Sanitation supplies (in the event that the municipal water system is unusable, this would include cleaning supplies and toilet supplies)
  • A way to stay warm in harsh winter weather
  • Over-the-counter medications and/or herbal remedies to treat illnesses at home
  • A diverse survival guide, a very thorough preparedness book, and a first aid manual (hard copies in case the internet and power grid are down)
  • Alternative communications devices (such as a hand-crank radio) so that you can get updates about the outside world
  • Off-grid entertainment:  arts and craft supplies, puzzles, games, books, crossword or word search puzzles, needlework, journals (here are some more ideas to keep the kids entertained.)

If you are completely unprepared for this type of thing, order some buckets of emergency food. Keep them in the back of your closet – they last for up to 25 years. This is absolutely the fastest way to create an emergency supply.

Try to stay under the radar.

Your best defense is avoiding the fight altogether. You want to stay under the radar and not draw attention to yourself.  The extent to which you strive to do this should be based on the severity of the unrest in your area. Some of the following recommendations are not necessary for an everyday grid-down scenario, but could save your life in a more extreme civil unrest scenario.

  • Keep all the doors and windows locked.  Secure sliding doors with a metal bar.  Consider installing decorative gridwork over a door with a large window so that it becomes difficult for someone to smash the glass and reach in to unlock the door.
  • Put dark plastic over the windows. (Heavy duty garbage bags work well.)  If it’s safe to do so, go outside and check to see if any light escapes from the windows. If your home is the only one on the block that is well-lit, it is a beacon to others.
  • Keep pets indoors. Sometimes criminals use an animal in distress to get a homeowner to open the door for them. Sometimes people are just mean and hurt animals for “fun”.  Either way, it’s safer for your furry friends to be inside with you.
  • Don’t answer the door.  Many home invasions start with an innocent-seeming knock at the door to gain access to your house.
  • Keep cooking smells to a minimum.  The goal here is not to draw attention. The meat on your grill will draw people like moths to a flame.
  • Keep the family together.  It’s really best to hang out in one room. Make it a movie night, go into a darkened room at the back of the house, and stay together. This way, if someone does try to breach your door, you know where everyone is who is supposed to be there. As well, you don’t risk one of the kids unknowingly causing a vulnerability with a brightly lit room or an open window.
  • Remember that first responders may be tied up.  If the disorder is widespread, don’t depend on a call to 911 to save you. You must be prepared to save yourself.  Also keep in mind, as mentioned earlier in the article – the cops are not always your friends in these situations.

For more discussion or to get questions answered about securing your home, pop on over and join the discussions at our forum.

Be prepared to defend your family.

If, despite your best efforts, your property draws the attention of people with ill intent, you must be ready to defend your family. Sometimes despite our best intentions, the fight comes to us.  (Have you seen the movie The Purge?)

Many preppers stockpile weapons and ammunition for just such an event.  I know that I certainly do. Firearms are an equalizer. A small woman can defend herself from multiple large intruders with a firearm if she’s had some training and knows how to use it properly. But put a kitchen knife in her hand against those same intruders, and her odds decrease exponentially. I know this is true about the firearm, because I have been in this situation personally, and the gun in my hand was enough of a deterrent to make 3 men leave.

When the door of your home is breached, you can be pretty sure the people coming in are not there to make friendly conversation or borrow a cup of sugar.  Make a plan to greet them with a deterring amount of force.

  • Don’t rely on 911. If the disorder is widespread, don’t depend on a call to 911 to save you. You must be prepared to save yourself.  First responders may be tied up, and in some cases, the cops are not always your friends.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some officers joined in the crime sprees, and others stomped all over the 2nd Amendment and confiscated people’s legal firearms at a time when they needed them the most.
  • Be armed and keep your firearm on your person.  When the door of your home is breached, you can be pretty sure the people coming in are not there to make friendly conversation over a nice cup of tea.  Make a plan to greet them with a deterring amount of force. Be sure to keep your firearm on your person during this type of situation, because there won’t be time to go get it from your gunsafe. Don’t even go to the kitchen to get a snack without it. Home invasions go down in seconds, and you have to be constantly ready.
  • Know how to use your firearm. Whatever your choice of weapon, practice, practice, practice. A weapon you don’t know how to use is more dangerous than having no weapon at all. Here’s some advice from someone who knows a lot more about weapons than I do.
  • Make sure your children are familiar with the rules of gun safety. Of course, it should go without saying that you will have pre-emptively taught your children the rules of gun safety so that no horrifying accidents occur. In fact, it’s my fervent hope that any child old enough to do so has been taught to safely and effectively use a firearm themselves. Knowledge is safety.
  • Be ready for the potential of fire.  Fire is a cowardly attack that doesn’t require any interaction on the part of the arsonist. It flushes out the family inside, leaving you vulnerable to physical assaults. Have fire extinguishers mounted throughout your home. You can buy them in 6 packs from Amazon. Be sure to test them frequently and maintain them properly. (Allstate has a page about fire extinguisher maintenance.) Have fire escape ladders that can be attached to a windowsill in all upper story rooms.  Drill with them so that your kids know how to use them if necessary.
  • Have a safe room established for children or other vulnerable family members. If the worst happens and your home is breached, you need to have a room into which family members can escape.  This room needs to have a heavy exterior door instead of a regular hollow core interior door. There should be communications devices in the room so that the person can call for help, as well as a reliable weapon to be used in the unlikely event that the safe room is breached. The family members should be instructed not to come out of that room FOR ANY REASON until you give them the all clear or help has arrived. You can learn more about building a safe room HERE.  Focus the tips for creating a safe room in an apartment to put it together more quickly.

Even if your plan is to bug in, you must be ready to change that plan in the blink of an eye. Plan an escape route.  If the odds are against you, if your house catches on fire, if thugs are kicking in your front door… devise a way to get your family to safety.  Your property is not worth your life. Be wise enough to accept that the situation has changed and move rapidly to Plan B.

Stay home.

If trouble comes to your neighborhood and you decide to stick around, stay home.

It’s the number one way to keep yourself safer from during a civil unrest situation. If you find yourself in an area under siege, the odds will be further on your side for every interaction in which you avoid taking part. Every single time you leave the house, you increase your chances of an unpleasant encounter.  Nothing will be accomplished by going out during a chaotic situation.

Picture of Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Leave a Reply

  • Daisy, your first paragraph says it all. Thanks to your excellent advice over the years we are so much better prepared for what you predicted. Thank you.

    There is so much suffering in the world; Nice France just last night and who knows what is going to happen in the US today (Friday). Our hearts and prayers go out to all. Maybe others (especially parents of young children) will FINALLY wake up? I hope so.

    • this article needs some major intelligence added! the comment “in response to some officers abuse of power” ? Where in hell do they get that, oh, I know, according to the LYING MEDIA! NO officers that have been tried for this phony crap have been found guilty…just another trial by media…..This crap is ALL instigated by obozo, sharpton, jackson and fairy can, then they talked their puppets the morons on the dole into rioting…..cleaning out DC is the only thing that is going to help America!!!

  • So Snopes debunked you about the Day of Rage? Then why is the US Air Force warning it’s personnel & their families to avoid the area around the Gateway Arch in case of protests?

    People are sheep!

    • So Daisy’s a raysis meanie? Congrats Daisy! You hit a grand slam!! During an argument or debate, when you begin to be called names, congratulate yourself on your victory.

      • Leon, you are right. Like the saying goes, ‘If you are not taking flack you are not even over the battlefield.’

        One has to wonder what those who criticize Daisy are compensating for.

    • There is some much hate and violence in this world that’s why it’s imperative to “DUMP TRUMP,because he spews vitriol throughout the world not in an effort to unite;but divide

      • we have to “dump Trump”,

        pukes the hate filled bigot enabling all the vicious terrorists out there who think they “win” the argument by screaming louder and throwing rocks at people who dare to disagree.

        Its precisely because of blindly partisan zealots like you that we even have to worry about the “civil unrest” that Daisy is talking about. But fear not! We the people have America, and you get cesspools like Portland and San Fran.

    • Snopes is owned by a Liberal and also receives a large share of its funding from Liberal Organizations I do no use Snopes at all.

  • Another good article. Love the hug it out line. So many folks just have no clue. I am not sure how they can avoid the new and all that is happening these days. Always look forward to your advice.

  • YOUR SPOT ON GIRL!!! PEOPLE ALWAYS SLAM THOSE WHO FACE TRUTH AND REALITY AND TRY TO HELP OTHERS!!!! IT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD NOW!!! STINKS!!! THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOUR TRYING TO DO!!!

  • Daisy,

    You know what they say, if you are taking flak you are over the target. Not your fault the snowflakes can’t handle the truth. Your articles are outstanding lady, keep up the good work.

  • Daisy,

    Great article, with solid advice and direction. Thank you!

    I wish MORE people were aware and prepared.

  • I’m delighted to see how level-headed you are in the face of the screaming that took place in response to that recent column. You have stayed focused on your core message, just as any fan could wish.

    Re plastic bags on windows: we do have a generator at home, but if power fails, I’ll probably use it intermittently to keep the fridges going, not to light up the house. And I think I’d go crazy if the house were visually sealed and I couldn’t look out without opening a door (which, as you point out, is best to avoid). So, I’ll probably skip the bags.

    Good point about cooking smells. I think it would make sense to use up food that needed to be cooked, then switch to stuff that can be eaten right out of a can (bean dip, chicken spread, etc.), because if there is a food crisis, it will start mildly, then get progressively worse as people exhaust their supplies. Refrigerated food should be consumed as soon as possible too, so that the drain on generator fuel can be minimized.

    Thanks again, Daisy!

    • Plastic bags can also be used to heat your home in the winter. Place about 2” from the glass with a 2” opening at the top and bottom of a south facing windows. As the air heats and rises it will exhaust out the top and pull in the cold air in the bottom. No noisy generator needed

  • Daisy: I know a lady on the state school board who has been cussed out on facebook and called nasty names for opposing common core, etc. People wanted me to join facebook. I said I had no interest in social media nor the time. Reading blogs and commenting takes lots my time. Daisy: check out the article on ms-13 gangs and cop killing agenda on : thecommonsenseshow.com The article makes sense.(Dave Hodges also has weekly radio show) The guy is on top of stuff like you, cutting edge. This country is without hope as I have seen moral and cultural decline over many decades and voting is useless as globalists control politicians to the max. Fortunately, the black rage demonstrations are not happening so far. Going out in any crowd for any reason is foolish no matter where it is, to incl concerts, rallies, sporting events, on and on.

  • Did the Day of Rage happen? I can’t find any news about it. All I found were news reports that cops and and the news outlets showed up but not any demonstrators.

  • Daisy, thank you for standing tall against the barage of sheeple and speaking the truth! We love your blog! Keep up the good work! Those of us who are “awakened” are behind you 100%.

  • Wasn’t sure who you were referring to when you talk about the two groups who have been ‘turned against each other’?

    Turned against each other implies:
    group “A” turned against group “B”
    and
    group “B” turned against group “A”.

    We can probably agree that blacks turned against non-blacks but where did non-blacks turn against blacks. We can agree that liberals have turned against non-lilberals but where did non-liberals become a threat to liberals or turn against them? This is not one of those ‘everybody’s wrong’ situations although the media has quite successfully brainwashed many into thinking that is the case.

    Thank you for the effort you have put into helping people become prepared.

    • Dear drew,

      You kind of come across as naive, or writing from a script, when you ask, “but where did non-blacks turn against blacks”.

      As to the question, “where did non-liberals become a threat to liberals [collectivist/socialist] or turn against them”

      The answer is: Whenever & Wherever people say, “No.” to the collectivist/socialist agenda and demands. I.e. when the mugger says, “give me your wallet!”. From the muggers perspective, you have turned against him by saying, “No.” to the demand.

  • I believe in The United States of America. Your fear mongering is foolish and serves no useful purpose unless it is to start civil uprising.

    And if that is your purpose, I can assure you that after fighting door-to-door in the Middle East, the United States Military is more than capable of keeping the peace and rule of law.

    Respectfully,

    R. Dennis

    • Dear Mr. Dennis (You didn’t list your rank so I can’t address you properly):

      I think that you have completely misunderstood the purpose of this article.

      This guide is for times when the police or military are busy due to widespread unrest. In no situation can law enforcement be everywhere at all times. It’s a guide for people who want to avoid being part of the chaos, which is why I recommended staying under the radar as much as possible. However, if the fight DOES come to one’s front door, don’t you believe homeowners should be prepared? By the time 911 is dispatched, it is often too late during a home invasion scenario.

      As well, in many recent situations, law enforcement has been ordered to stand down during riots and violent protests. This in no way reflects on the abilities of the people in uniform.

      I stand by the advice I offered here. I hope to never be in a situation in which my neighborhood is under siege, like the ones in Ferguson, Missouri or Baltimore, Maryland or Portland, Oregon. But if the worst were to happen, I would want to have a plan to protect my daughters.

      Thank you for your service.

      Daisy

      • Well said. When someone says “The military can handle it”, or “The police will maintain order”, they are ignoring the many that are in peril before they arrive, if they arrive at all, and, as you said, the bad actors far too often are allowed free reign to destroy, to “get it out of their system” as the police are given stand down orders. I don’t understand the mentality that thinks allowing rioting will be a deterrent to rioting in the future. The old saying, “Give them an inch, and they will take a mile”.

        Keep up the good fight. I very much reading your site.

        Bob

    • Dennis, that attitude is part of the problem. You think door kicking is thie way to peace? It’s the way to impose ones will. I too served, but I don’t believe fov rnment is the solution, it’s usually the problem – because people have agendas and control issues. Anyone with open eyes sees the continual message of discord that the media is shouting these past years, with the volume being turned up the last 8-10 yrs. the media braying since trump was elected is a way to energize the lunatic leftists into ignoring common sense and to react (vote for liberals) as desired in order to drive the “usurper” out. If a little violence happens, it doesn’t matter – the media can shape the message to put blame at the feet of their enemies, regardless of the truth.

      One interesting media manipulation of late was the Boston globes article on warren releasing her dna test results. Since the media knows, even if most people don’t, that most Americans have the attention span of a gnat. The bold headline about her reveal proving Native American heritage, then a jab a trump, then a boring article on the details and the experts weighing in with opinions. At the very end, in what looks like a correction to the original article, the writer states a mistake in the math was made and they basically have a huge range of % of Native American dna that are all very low, lower than the average across America by all accounts 1/1064th or some such minuscule Amount. But, 99% won’t read that far, so the point they hope you absorb is the warren wasn’t lying – when clearly, she was f’ing lying. Media truth in all its glory. If they will do this with something so trivial, imagine what they will do when it’s important?

  • One idea is that if you can’t get out of this criminalization of Christianity accursed country itself to places like Paraguay, much more favorable to Christians, then as long as you are out of large cities of the usa or canada you may consider just slowly over a few years making your home more of a fortress secretly. Just driving your van out into the wilderness may sound like a safer idea but honestly not even 1% of people could survive long term in the wilderness. If you have a decent sized yard to grow a greenhouse and have a well dug, that is a better idea than going off into the wilderness. If anyone comes to attack you, make sure you have a plan of how to kill them and make them disappear as well, make sure you have silencers and a place to bury or acidify bodies of any attackers.

  • Tonight I will be armed anytime I open the door for a trick-or-treater, with the dogs at my side. Actually I’m armed anytime I open the door to a visitor. Just because.

    As for getting home on foot: check out hybrid topo/satelite maps. Utility right of ways for major power lines and pipelines typically avoid highly populated areas to save on construction costs, and they are usually graded and cleaned up enough for a competent 4x 4 to traverse with little to no attention from observers.
    And DO NOT keep maps on your person that draw out the route to your home! In the event of capture or loss, you have given potential bad-guys a road map to potential resources.

  • I live 16 miles as the crow flies into Mexico. I smile because I am off grid with my own well. I have eggs, milk and meat daily walking around my house daily. 🙂 Most people are afraid of my 12 Big Dogs! Being retired military it won’t bother me or my husband to defend ourselves, but we won’t go looking for trouble. I shop once a month for things I can’t grow myself which is a long trip of over 100 miles one way. I don’t have a TV or radio, but I have access to the internet via satellite.

    I can’t help thinking this is a false flag operation for the purpose of giving up our rights and building that useless wall. On the wall issue remember the Berlin wall was built to keep westerners out, but I never heard of westerners wanting to go in. Marco Polo said the Great China Wall was built to keep the Hun out. However his father, uncle and him had no problems walking in through the gates into China. It took seven years to get the permit to leave the country afterwards. A wall strong enough to keep them out is strong enough to keep you in.

    All that is needed is to change the policy on illegals. Put them in jail for a year. Make them work during that time to pay for their incarceration and ticket home. Next time five years. Plus deny citizenship forever here due to them breaking the law. Second no benefits to those who are allowed entry. I read that the group walking here refused job and healthcare offers in Mexico. Take away incentives is what is needed.

    No anchor babies either. The intent of Congress on the 14th Amendment dealt with freed slaves, that was all that was discussed. No where in the 14th Amendment does it grant citizenship to illegals giving birth. Even the one court case cited on anchor babies did not address the issue of anchor babies. What did Hitler say? “Tell a lie, make it a big one and then keep repeating it until everyone believes it!” The actual law (understand it applies to me since I was born in Denmark to a Danish women and American father) says the child takes on the citizenship of the parent. If both parents are not American then the baby is not American!

  • Tensions ARE higher than ever before and rising. That is why you keep saying so. It is a fourth turning. Read the book if you haven’t already.

  • Make sure to fill up your gas tanks as well. Install security cameras, battery backup UPS’s if possible. A taser and handcuffs or 12-gauge beanbags also works well to avoid killing an intruder.

  • You keep saying tensions are higher than ever because they are. Only those old enuf to remember WWII can recall higher–maybe. And they are rising, to continually astonish. It is a Fourth Turning. Vital–read the book if you haven’t already.

  • One of the things you don’t want in a lock-down situation is to have food odors leave your resident and draw unwanted guests for dinner. I came across a way to cook and keep cooking smells to a minimum.
    The THERMOS Thermal Cooker 4.5 liter (4.7 qrt) RPC-4500 Shuttle Chef is a healthy, economical and efficient way to cook and keep smells to a minimum. Assemble all the ingredients in the stainless thermos inner pot, put it on the camp stove and bring to a rolling boil, but before that food has a chance to cook and release a ton of smell, remove the inner pot from the stove and place it inside the outer thermo pot which serves as a vacuum insulated stainless steel thermos container to keep the contents hot and also keep the food smells from escaping. There is no need to plug in any power cord. Great in a grid down situation. The food will continue its thermal cooking process using the retained heat Just like an electric crock pot. After the required time (e.g. rice 30 min; chicken stock 2 hrs; beef brisket 3.5 hrs), just open the outer thermal pot, and a nutritional and flavorful meal is hot and ready. The vacuum insulated Thermos thermal cookware has excellent heat retention capacity and keeps the cooked food smells from entering the environment; the food smells are cooked into the food and once the food is served it does not seem to leave a heavy food odor lingering in the room. Might be worth a try.

  • Dear Daisy, Interesting comments, but I would say, you do not get it.
    Each environment that one appears in, can be their environment, or some one elses environment.
    Humans have situational environments that make them appear to have all the answers and all the solutions.. A Senator today could be be a complete fool, should he be in a car break down,
    in the middle of a desert, with 20 other people all with broken down cars.

    The janitor, that got picked up hitch hiking, may be the actual winner and hero. And until your environment comes and hits you in the face, we are all waiting.

    I can only hope for the best.

  • Good article, it reminded me to remember a couple other items for me to think about.

    People who are well prepped also need to think about what they leave in (or how they dispose of) their trash — others looting for supplies will check trash piles/receptacles (if they find empty food packaging or cans, it’s a tip-off what supplies you have in the house).

  • A scanner with Police, Fire and Paramedic frequencies. It is vitally important that you know in real time what is going on around you. The news will not be able to catch up. Also, everyone should have a entry level Ham radio licence so they can communicate with loved ones and friends and so they can come to your aid. Never let your vehicle get below a half tank of fuel.

  • Since carpooling is common consider in a SHTF situation traveling from work to your home in numbers with your fellow carpoolers, part of the way anyway. It would be better than traveling alone. If any in the carpool are of like mind, you should by now have a feel where they stand, start a discussion group of how it would work. A plus is you’ll know who you can trust to form a group for when the SHTF. Once that happens it will be difficult to join a group unless you really have skills they need. (Thanks to Pastor Joe Fox at ‘Viking Preparedness’, Patreon/YouTube/website for that idea.)

    Army Manuals can be downloaded free PDF, which discuss squad formations*. They work. Also, if feasible, form a paint-ball team to practice. Don’t wear camouflage clothing and the like to draw attention.

    Footwear. Definitely get the best footwear, with pairs of socks, good soles, skin mole pads and talcum powder, you can afford to trek home. Whatever fits your foot and arch. Kenner boots (the American leather ones) seem to be rated highly but again whatever is comfortable for you. Height 6″ to 8″ to protect and support your ankles. A bar fighting boot knife is optional (.. not really kidding). Sneakers if you think you’ll be running through the city jungle … screaming the whole time like a little girl to let your inner self out. I know I will be when the SHTF. Break them in beforehand to avoid blisters and to look like a grey man so no one will be telling you they like your shoes and wants them.

    Quad leg muscles exercises to support your knees. And Krav Maga, or maybe Urban Kempo martial arts training would be good.

    * Kinda amusing story. While in New Orleans during Marti Gras some friends and I foolishly wandered off track into an area we may or may not should have been. Before we realized it there was twenty or more people for a welcoming committee in front of us. My friend called out a wedge formation, used for riot control, and to my surprise we cut through the crowd and out of town. An offset/staggered four person diamond formation is nice for line of sight.

    The point being stuff can happen quickly. Say, if someone casually approaches you don’t let them in your personal space. While they’re gesturing with one hand to get your attention they could easily be concealing an eight-inch K-bar knife behind their forearm, resting on their curled back fingers.
    So, as above, it helps to do the unexpected to gain a few seconds of time.

    Of course, read and study Selco’s writings.
    They’re gold for when the SHTF.

    ps.
    Currently reading about rats and firebases during Vietnam. Seems like sanitation wasn’t high on the list resulting in literally millions of rats (tailless squirrels) descending on the firebase at night. A rat couple can make 2,000 offspring per year. Do the compound math. Interestingly, the rats tended to stay away from the local indigenous villages and hamlets since they were a culinary dish.
    Btw, G.I.’s used to sleep with their arms around their face at night, rats are mostly nocturnal creatures, to avoid waking up without their nose or ear cartilage bone structure eaten off.

    The point, when battening down the hatches, plan now what is to be done with refuse (poo) or possibly wake up without your nose. Just saying. Or learn to cook rodent au gratin.

  • Thank you for continuing to write about these vital topics even as the hysteria cranks up even on your comments page!! I suppose we are really in the kitchen now and we are going to have to take some heat. You do a good job of staying civil.

  • Daisy,

    Good points about government lockdown as the prepper event.

    One thing to keep in mind about getting home in such lockdowns is that transportation will likely be screwed up. Getting home might not be simple or easy. Getting stuck at home is one thing. Getting stuck at work is quite another.

    I was working in Boston the day after the Marathon Bomber event. Part of the lockdown was to close the bus station, train stations, and airport. There were roadblocks and checkpoints checking vehicles leaving Boston.

    Normally, I take a bus home, but could not. I no longer carpool, but when I did (like back during 9/11) a problem was the group being unable to contact all the members (phone lines jammed), so they left some people behind.

    Back to the Marathon lockdown, getting out of Boston took some creativity. I found out there was a bus at the airport which left New Hampshire, bound for Boston’s bus station, but could not come into Boston (as scheduled). It was going to return to NH. Why that one wasn’t blocked, I don’t know. It was something. The lockdown was inconsistent. Trouble was, you can’t walk to Boston’s airport. Uber wasn’t much of ‘a thing’ then. There were few cabs on the streets.

    A lady and I agreed to share the lone cab that drove by. She wanted to get to the airport too, to get a different bus. State troopers stopped all cars bound for the airport. The lady and I didn’t look like the Tsarnaev brothers, so we got through after only a moderate delay. I eventually caught my bus and got home.

    If the government is locking things down because of civil unrest rather than a pair of terrorist brothers, how do you prove you’re not Antifa, or a White-Nationalist, or whatever they’re trying to stop at the checkpoints?

    The lesson learned was that if the government wants to lock things down, you shouldn’t assume you’ll have freedom of movement to get home.

    — Mic

  • Good guide in case lockdown ever happens, you people do know that there have been thousands of illegals streaming over the border, for many years thousands daily, since GHW Bush abandoned Reagan’s immigration policy? To call the Caravan a national Security Threat is a hoot. Let ’em in to Texas, we need the workers!

  • Fortunately where I live is a rather small town and I have already maped out numerous escape routes out and to our safe house. I am also on real good terms with most if not all of the Police, Deputy Sheriffs and State Police. The nearest NG unit is over 46 miles away with several canyons and bridges over rivers from where I live so they are not an immediate threat. Nearest Military Reserve unit is over 200 miles away with at least 10 large city’s that would be more of a pressing issue. Evacuation is at the very first hint of trouble on a National Scale, I have friends within the Military who will give me a heads up and also some friends within Federal LEO.

  • Daisy,

    Thank you for the article and the reminder to not be complacent . Thanks to you, I’m refocused.
    Try to keep yourself in the best physical condition possible…
    Also, fyi, the author “Joe Nobody” has some great books on prepping and survival.

    Your friend,

    Dave

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