Safety & Security Preparation

1. You'll need to take a five block tour of your neighborhood:

a. In all directions

b. Take note of trouble spots

aa.  Abandon housing – hangout for trouble makers, drug users/pushers, homeless & transients

bb.  Boarded up house – same

cc.  People loitering – hangout for trouble makers, drug pushers

dd. Strong PD presents – high crime rate, neighborhood bullies, etc

ee. Abandon cars – crack houses often use this as a physical barrier against law enforcement

c. Talk with neighbors about what is going on in your neighborhood.

aa. Kids roaming the neighborhood at night

bb. Drug dealers or known crack houses

cc. Section 8 housing – although this is not always a problem neighbor, in stressful situations (&/or

without an ongoing supply of their meds) these neighbors can put themselves (& possibly you) in dangerous situations without knowing it. They would benefit (& remain safe) with a little help from their neighbors (IE: you).

dd. Getting to know your neighbors will enable you to more readily recognize visitors and anyone that doesn’t belong. This can go a long way to head off potential trouble in the future. The last thing a criminal wants to do is be identified, especially by multiple witness’. And in a disaster it makes it easier for both you and your neighbors to protect each other and each others kids.

d. Know multiple ways out of your area.

aa. What happens if you back out of the driveway & go right instead of left (& vice/versa).

bb. If you had telephone poles fall (blocking the street) at both ends, could you drive through a neighbors yard that doesn’t have a fence (and the one behind them doesn’t either) to put you on the next street over, giving you a way out.

cc. Do you have alternate routes for the main roads that you use to get to (& from) work and other areas of need (like the grocery store & gas station). Can you take the next street over (either on your left or right) to reach these same places?

(Here’s a good training game for you: On any Saturday or Sunday, attempt to drive to your work without using any highways or passages under highways. When you do this, time yourself to see how much more time it takes then look up your path on Google Maps to see if there may have been alternate ways that may were faster. As well, make note of any “one-way” streets that can either inhibit/assist you in reaching your goal. Then tune up your plan and try it again.   After you accomplish this, look at how you would get to wherever your relatives may be and plan a route to/from there, also think about escaping the area if your home was uninhabitable. From then on anytime you come upon an accident/traffic on the highway you’ll have an alternate plan. As well, you will have an alternate escape plan from your home.)

2. Put your valuables in the glove box.

a. ID’s, - In an area where “Marshall-Law” has been declared, you will have to have a positive, legal, valid form of ID on your person at all times! And this is important! Because if you were to be stopped/questioned by law enforcement and cannot produce this ID then you can be held for “As long as it takes” to positively identify you. And this could take three days or three months dependant upon restoration of power & phone, how many of you there are to process, what else they have going on & various other items. Oh! & by the way, they don’t segregate the smelly ones from the non-smelly, nor do they separate the clear-criminal-record, my-tax-dollars-pay-your-salary, registered-voters from the felonious, murderous, stinky people!

b. Credit Cards – Most likely will not work in the immediate area, however they can mean the difference between a motel and the street when you’ve lost everything but the clothes on your back.

c. Jewelry – Out of site, out of mind. The criminal can (& will) ask for anything he/she can see. So if you have any family heirlooms that you want to hold on to then you better hide them.

d. Anything of value – Your child’s gameboy can be played with at 55mph on a moving highway not at 2mph on a parking-lot of a highway. The child’s whining? Suck-it-up until the traffic gets moving! A little whining now, prevents a whole trip full of it later.

e. Cash – you will needs some! You won’t be able to use your cards in the immediate area and nobody takes checks anymore much less barters! Look below………

3. $100-$300 in cash nothing bigger than a $5 bill

a. Ones & Fives only – In NOLA posted gas prices “Posted” were at $8.50 & $10.00 a gallon, a loaf of bread $8, a gallon of milk $15 (is it illegal? Yes! Will they be arrested? No! Not until everything is over and you need that gas now!). As well, you should keep in mind that these people will not make change for you! You want to pump $20 in gas and give them a $50 bill? You just spent $50 for gas! They have neither time or desire to stop and make change for you when they have hundreds lined up.

b. Take 6 ones & b, like trash, then place in front pocket. The rest in your back pocket. So, if someone sticks a gun in your window and asks for your money, give it to them! Your life is not worth an argument! Plus, think about it, they will take the wad of bills that you are handing them from your front pocket and put it in theirs. They aren’t going to take the time to count it, they are in a hurry. By the time they figure out they only got $5 or $6 from you, you’ll be long gone. And don’t forget to replenish the front pocket cash after the bad-guy leaves, incase there is a second. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina there was a little know 2nd hurricane known as Rita. During the pre-storm evacuation of southern Texas, 238 people stuck in the traffic-jam in Houston reported being robbed at gunpoint. And atleast 10 of them reported being robbed twice!