Dealing with looters in a SHTF scenario?

Hello everyone. This is my first post in the survival section of ATS.
I had a thought which I'd like to share with you.

Like any other SHTF scenario.... the society you knew has completely collapsed...You were one of those who wisely prepared for this day... You are living with your loved ones, either in your fortified home or within a sustainable community....You've stocked up on food rations, weapons, energy, whatever.... and you find that all those years of preparing are finally paying off.
For the first few weeks, you and your family survive as you had planned, while the outside world is in complete chaos. But you also realize that things wont always remain the same.

Now, with law and order gone, you would find that whatever you have stocked up for survival is under threat from looters... who feel they are somehow entitled to your belongings and will use force to take it from you.
Also, its not too far fetched to think that these looters will also try and help themselves to women in the family. (Why would thieves in a SHTF scenario just stop at food and energy supplies?)

I believe that a SHTF scenario would bring out the worst in people. Theres no two ways about... its going to be might is right with jungle law dictating the course of events.

-How confident are you in your capabilities to keep looters away?
-If at all you do end up losing your belongings, how would you reconcile to the fact that you need to start all over again?
-How do you deal with the possibility of being looted/losing loved ones to gangs of looters?


Thoughts?

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


Here's my proposal on how to stop people from looting other peoples' homes and small businesses: direct them to the nearest Wal-Mart lol. That oughta keep em away from the honest people.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


That is a good question. I remember reading here someone said to trash your yard and make it "look" like your house has already been hit and they will pass you on up. That seemed to be real good advise and made a lot of sense.

Advice: Watch the Walking Dead series on AMC...

www.amctv.com...

I'd say that's pretty good visual prep for this kind of scenario.

IMO having prepared everything for most SHTF scenarios, it brings me relief that my family is prepared for the food shortage, famine prevention and treatment, and supplies essential to survival. However the thought of the protection of my family from looters and their gangs troubles me as I know that it could very likely happen as people get more desperate. A couple of ways I have prepared my home for protection from intruders includes door and window boarding & reinforcements, arms for defense, acceptance, and compromise to protect my family and our resources at any cost.

Preferably I try not to associate my thoughts with the possibility of having that happen to me. Can't say that I haven't but doing so brings fear and preoccupation, and that is an impediment during chaotic times that require awareness and determination.

reply to post by xXxinfidelxXx

Here's my proposal on how to stop people from looting other peoples' homes and small businesses: direct them to the nearest Wal-Mart lol. That oughta keep em away from the honest people.

But walmarts and other supermarkets would be the first target for looters.
Its after all the walmarts are looted empty that the problem begins for survivalists and their stocks.

How would you all rate attack dogs(rottweilers and such) as a decent defense against looters, (at least the ones not armed with guns)?
I imagine keeping a pack handy would be very useful to conserve ammo, the only problem being that keeping them fed would cut into your rations.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


The idea is to be long gone before the Walmart runs out of stupid crap for people to steal. Never underestimate the value of a good delay tactic.You weren't actually planning to stay in the city, were you? To stay in the city in a SHTF scenario would be tantamount to sticking your head between your legs and kissing your tush goodbye. Don't do it. At the first sign of trouble, I am gone. I suggest you do the same.

Let's face it, if the shtf you will become looters yourselves.

You can't tell me that you have enough food for your entire family that will last all of you for a year or more.

If a massive solar flare struck the earth and wiped out the entire electrical grid and basically all vehicles; then there will be no traffic, there will be no gas stations with fuel, and there will be no electricity, and food stores won't have food because there will be no vehicles to bring it in.

Do you have a fire place and enough chopped wood inside to last through an entire winter? Do you have hand pumps to pump water from an underground source that you can protect from people who will come and purposefully dump poison and other things down it in order to get at you dead or alive?

Will you be capable of growing chickens indoors in a protected area for food? Or, do you have a very large pond or lake at your disposal that is full of fish that you can fish from without being picked off by a hungry sniper the moment you have gotten your limit of fish?

I seriously doubt that you have enough food to sustain yourself and your family for a year or more.

I think the idea of dogs is good... The idea of guns is all but required. There is something even more important though. Get to know your immediate neighbors and at least have a couple that you feel good about cooperating with if things go sideways.

Numbers are what looters will tend to back away from. If they get shots from one house, it's a challenge and a nut to crack. If they get fire or the obvious intent to fire from 3-4 different houses at once...well, now you just have an area to avoid all together for the average criminal.


Additional to that and in a practical way, Harbor Freight has battery operated, wireless motion sensor/receiver units that easily stretch from around the yard to inside the house. I have one covering my carport for car theft issues among rental houses. By covering the little red light so it can't be seen when it's triggered, no one even knows it's there and I get a chime from the portable unit in the office or bedroom.

What if one lived way off the beaten path? It may be that looters would not be willing to venture to the "middle of nowhere", to find possibly nothing. And likely to find an armed somebody, who knows the land much better.

I'll deal with the looter problem simply; with a 12 gauge.

I think always having one or two people up on watch would be key, and multiple guard dogs would be ALOT better than one. Guard dogs are better at listening than any person can ever be. most attacks would probably happen at 12 am - 4 am. so especially have somone up then.

The power of voice/noise to stop a fight can't be underestimated. Four pitbulls barking with a 12 gauge magnum warning shot followed by 10 smaller caliber rounds will deter any man and scare even the biggest of gangs.

Supposedly after reading about SHTF's your ganna be dealing with groups of about 20 people all armed and drunk and noisy as hell, not sneaking in quietly.

best way would be to prevent this from happening by making your house look trashed, ie broken tv in lawn, ripped up bloody shirts by gate, trash strewn on lawn, broken windows for good measure.

Throw the fan at them.

I should then cover them in the S.

If not, they could drop their loot and scarper.

My ideas are not often the best, but hey, try me and I'll see how it goes

"I found a finger or two.. ha.. and a tv!! nice!! Oh but as usual, there's nothing but crap on the tv... oh well"

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


A very sensible outlook for possibilities, but a tad too short. For a moral dilemma take your senario just one step further.

What will YOU do when your supplies eventually run out and your family is hungry and you still have bullets?

You and yours will either starve, commit family suicide or take from others what you deem necessary in anyway that you feel justified. Survival will not be done by today's standards. Only the best and the worst will continue to exist.

(If you haven't seen the movie The Road, do it. It gives some insight into the less than glorious life of survivors.)

A few 12 gauge dissected bodies laying around the yard should prove to be a deterrent to further looters.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


And what will you be feeding said attack dogs? They need to eat too and not a small amount if they are working.

first person, or group that will try and loot me, I will kill them, and put their heads on pikes in my yard. Oh yeah, and lots of booby traps around the property.

If you're a worthwhile target for looting you will be overrun eventually.

Best to avoid looters altogether.

Dont live in an urban area or on a major street. Dont look like you have anything to loot.

An apparent hovel at the end of a long dirt road behind dilapidated barns and overgrown fields that havent been worked in at least 50 years.

Nothing to loot back there. Location, location, location.

Oh, and keep your mouth shut about your toys and tools and storage. Even to friends and family. Loose lips get your door kicked in and your head smashed with a brick.

IMO, I feel that looters are scum, and should be treated as such.

But, it'd be best to avoid them. If you live in an area where you believe looters would be a problem, it would be best to bug out. Set up a cache with your food and water and essentials where you plan on going. While your buggin, avoid conflict as it draws attention. Get to an area where you can thrive and last through the incident.

But always remember, looters won't go away even after everything has calmed down. Always be aware of your surroundings and be safe.

Thats what I'd do...