So you now have your food and water. Everyone’s worst nightmare has happened. Some people even have taken power and shut down the operations of your city, or even your state. You’re safe and unharmed, however, and can probably hold up for a bit.  The only real problem is those who have not taken the time to prep are now wandering the streets.  At night, you hear random gunfire and can see mobs of people looting and rioting.

During the time of an emergency, local emergency services such as police, fire and emergency medical are probably going to be stretched to the max and unable to respond to emergencies in a timely matter.  For this reason I will be doing a few articles on hardening your small space for better survival and peace of mind.

Lets start out with some real basics. Window locks are a great way to slow down and detour would-be home invaders or looters.  You can grab your average window lock from from a hardware or home improvement store for five dollars.  These devices will not stop people from breaking windows, but it will stop them from just sliding the window open.

(The following paragraph is my opinion)

If your window is broken by an object, I would suggest not repairing it during the day. Instead, I recommend sweeping the glass into a pile below the window if it’s easy to access.  The broken glass will make more noise if someone tries to slide through the broken window later.

Of course, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to secure the windows in your current location.  You can also go to a hardware store and purchase wooden dowels or rods to place in the track of your window.  I would also suggest saving some plastic garbage bags or even some weatherizing window plastic and duct or masking tape.

These supplies can be used for either be used for sealing a broken window to prevent a draft, or for sealing off a room with a broken window to prevent airflow.  You will want to use common sense when making your decision about how and when to cover a broken window or just sealing off a doorway to stop breezes.

The next point you will want to harden is your front door.  Before purchasing new locks or a security door, check with you land owner or leasing company to find out what they will and will not allow.  Once you know what you can get away with, it’s time to secure it up.  You can check out door jambs and lock reinforcement.  Remember, you probably won’t be able to stop someone who really wants to come in, but you can at least give them hell while they try.  Predators often look for weakness.