This is a great article about how and why building a community for SHTF is important, and what some of the benefits are of doing this. I did not write this article, credit is given at the end of the article for the author. I am very glad to have other informed patriots that have good writing skills around to help get the word out and to provide different forms of information and training, to assist us and our fellow patriots in these troubling times.
You’re living in your suburban home. CNN has just said that the stock
market is dropping for the ninth day in a row and people are now racing
to their banks to empty their accounts. Couple this with an unstable
euro, an unstable Middle East, and a worldwide economic recession and
you get the start of the shit hitting the fan. How does your
neighborhood react to this? Who in your neighborhood do you trust?
Now take that a step further and imagine a state of civil unrest.
Homes nearby are being looted and undesirables are now common in your
neighborhood. You have a weapon, but the occupants of your home include
you, your wife, and your two small children. You have a front door, a
backdoor, and the
garage door. How do you cover all three much less the first floor windows?
What I’ve described above is the situation you will be faced with
when the SHTF. So, do you need to build a community of liked-minded
folks when the shit hits the fan? I believe there are 10 reasons why
building a community is key when it all goes down.
Strength in Numbers
Being in a suburban area, I tend to worry about what will happen if
looters run amok. I imagine when the SHTF, criminals will likely run in
gangs. Those gangs will target individual homes for looting and
potentially seek to oust the folks living there. They would target homes
with a small number of occupants to make their raids that much easier.
So, to avoid being in their crosshairs, it would be optimal to be
viewed as a large group. These criminals will have quite a few homes to
choose from when things get tough and there is no sense in being an easy
target. Remember, giving the perception of a large force is enough to
deter those with bad intentions.
More Hands, More Work Done
Continuing with the theme of a group, the more folks in that group,
the more workers you have. Those additional sets of hands will be able
to help garden, cook, pack supplies, gather water, and hunt for food.
While you will have to feed and care for those extra bodies, the work
you get from them should more than make up for it.
I would much rather have 5 people foraging for food and supplies versus one, as time will be of the essence.
Pre-planning
Knowing you’ll have a community of preppers allows you to be
proactive with planning now. You can request your neighbors start
preparing by gathering supplies, preparing their homes and getting their
financials in order. You can even go as far as planning the homes you
will use for what purpose. By having those families focus on particular
areas of prepping, you can be sure you will be best prepared when the
trigger event happens.
At the very least, having your neighbors prepared will prevent them
from being a liability when things go south. The last thing you need is a
needy “friend” eating into your family’s supplies.
Multiple Locations
Having multiple homes in a community provides several advantages.
Besides the tactical advantage of defending yourself, you acquire
additional space for supplies, including areas to prep them.
Additionally, you provide the sense of normalcy for the folks in the
community. Utilizing one house as a mess hall could be a possibility.
Having a house serve as a medical facility is another. You would almost
be able to build a town within the community. You cannot underestimate
the importance of this helping with the psychology of the group trying
to survive.
Additional Resource Network
Your neighbors will have different supplies, different tools, and
especially different skills. That alone is a huge asset when attempting
to survive in uncertain times. However, the resources we don’t think
about are the various contacts they may have. They may have an uncle
who owns 10 shotguns. A cousin that has an RV for sale. A friend with
access to critical medical supplies.
Each neighbor will have their own network of contacts that may come
in handy. Those contacts become even more valuable when things get very
tough. You may even choose to join a larger group that your neighbors
will have paved the way for by providing that connection. We can be
sure that we will need to be creative during difficult times.
More Supplies
You can never have enough supplies when chaos ensues. Your neighbor
may have several bundles of firewood he’s been collecting. Another may
have a portable generator and a water filtration system. Another may
have access to items very useful for bartering. Each one may have
specialized tools to do things you do not.
With each person you bring into to the group, you add to your
potential assets. While they will come with their own liabilities (need
for food, shelter, etc), the assets and skills they bring should tip the
scales in your favor.
Never Stop Working
When you are part of a group, you’re able to work in shifts. You are
also able to continue working if one of the group gets ill. This is key
when you are pressed for time in preparing supplies.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll also have people that excel in certain
areas. This will allow you to accomplish things efficiently and
effectively. For example, my neighbor happens to be very good with
electrical issues. If we needed to fashion something electrical, I would
be very hard-pressed to come up with something effective. The time I
spend working on that electrical solution would be time away from
building defense capabilities, which are my strengths. Not to mention,
it would take me significantly longer.
Companionship
When the SHTF, people will have a hard time adjusting. We will be
going from a life where we have access to almost everything, to a life
where getting the basic needs will be a challenge. While having our
families will be a crutch that we rely on, having others to share the
hardship with will certainly be a comfort.
As a man I know that hanging out with my male buddies is something I
look forward to. Being able to vent to the other dads in the community
and husbands will be a huge release (and take a bit of the burden off my
wife). Don’t ignore the importance of human companionship when facing
tough times.
Never a Bad Thing… More Guards
Obviously, the additional folks will help defend the community.
Again, the different skill sets will come into play here. Some neighbors
may have experience in the military which will come in handy when
defending your position.
I hear many preppers say they have so many weapons in their home that
would be difficult for any looters or criminals to penetrate. However,
at most you will be able to fire two guns (as you have two hands). I
don’t know many people that could hit a target with two guns in your
left and right hand.
Having and training additional marksmen would put you at a huge
advantage. Think about it, as a criminal would you want to face an armed
group or dad trying to defend his wife and two kids?
Scouts / Reconnaissance
Having the ability to leave your compound without fear of losing it,
is a distinct advantage. There will be times when you need to go out and
either hunt for food, do some reconnaissance, or simply search for
supplies. Having able-bodied men guarding your community allows you
(and others) to venture out to find information and plan further.
Remember, there will be no turning on CNN to find out what’s going on
down the street. You will need to be able to gather intelligence
military style.
Conclusion
Clearly, having more mouths to feed and more variables in the
equation will be a challenge. However, a unified front when the
desperate folks come calling is clearly the best long term approach.
This article has been contributed by Survivor Mike of The Home for Survival.
