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By Kellene Bishop
New York policemen stand guard. Photo c/o Chris Hondros/AFP
Even hardened military personnel are taxed to their maximum ability when functioning as sentries for a structure round the clock. Regardless of how much military or emergency training one has, it’s simply unrealistic to think that anything less than 6 able-bodied adults can manage and protect a home in times of peril. Thus at some point it’s very likely that you will need to accept others into your home after a disaster that debilitates society as you now know it. Think about it. Let’s say that a home is “fully furnished” with a dad and a mom. In addition to the necessity of keeping watch on your home, there’s cooking, repairs, fuel acquisition (wood or otherwise) and ensuring that some semblance of comfort and normalcy are maintained. I dare say that most adults already feel strung out to their maximum capacity. So adding a 24 hour watch to your home with just the two of you either won’t happen or it will occur poorly. Either way that compromises your safety, so you will definitely need help. But who you trust and rely on to be a part of your home/community could be one of the most important decisions you make in your life. As such, this decision could be one of life or death proportions.
The circumstances in which you take individuals in will be a primary consideration for your decisions. For example, if the disaster is related to a pandemic illness, then taking ANYONE in could spread death to your home. If the scenario is one of a nuclear nature, then ensuring that they are clean from fallout would be an important consideration as well so as not to bring any radioactive material into your dwelling or spread to the occupants. Most other scenarios that I can think of at this moment are going to require considerations of a different nature yet it is those that I want to lay out what are the two most important considerations today.
Trust. Although we usually see these types of scenarios portrayed through Hollywood, there is still merit in appreciating how cowards and incompetents compromise the safety of all others around them. Remember the business executive character in Die Hard who thought he would make a move with the terrorists and benefit his own life? Instead he compromised the lives of at least two other people. How many times have we seen a movie in which the person who was told to “stay put” ends up not following directions and costs others their lives? While these examples have only been seen in the movies, they are realistic portrayals nonetheless. Thus those persons you bring into your home and community must be trustworthy. You must be able to rely on them to have a spine, follow directions, and that they will not compromise your safety and survival. In most instances, the cowardly and bullheaded persons around us are just as dangerous as the “bad guys.”
You want people in your community who are willing to contribute.
Contribution. Anyone who comes into your community should be capable and willing to make a contribution to the survival of the group as a whole. This can be in the form of vital skills, the ability to help with meals and chores, and also in the form of supplies when possible. They also have to be willing to learn to do things in the way that you’ve created as you’ve pre-planned for your scenario. In other words, you don’t want someone to come in, use up your supplies and then move along. They need to be an asset to you and your community. In a disaster recovery scenario, everyone except the sick and wounded must participate in the safety, well-being and functionality of the community.
If it were me, I would recommend you making a list now while you’re calm and comfortable as to what you would expect from everyone in your community. Then plan on enforcing it as much as is realistic in your scenario.
Obviously, being competent enough to judge and enforce what folks to bring into your community will require that YOU are properly prepared to defend and fortify your own. If you’re scared of your own shadow, you won’t exactly be in the best shape to play gatekeeper to your world.
Well, that’s my two cents for now. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this community matter as well.
Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.
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Preparedness Pro 
October 23, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I think the only way you can trust anyone is you really gotta to grow up with the person.
October 23, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I had my partner read the article. That is the comment he wrote. He grew up in a small native community. People generally don’t live there unless they were born there.
As for a community, all people must contribute. Adults, children, even sick or wounded. Unless totally incopasitated, we all have eyes and ears to keep watch, read a book to a child, knit, sort, or listen to a radio,(if there is any transmisson), for new news. All people must want to contribute, and do the most within their own capacity. Our camp will not be for the weak minded. We have our “list” and have already let the folks know that they are welcome. As for anyone else other than family, I say good luck to them and wish them the best.
October 23, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I was having a conversation about this recently, and find that it is difficult to decide what the best situation is–more isolated, where, as you have mentioned before, people would be less likely to come due to laziness,or in a more populated area where things could work out if people were working together. Either way, being in a situation where you have to constantly protecting you and yours does not sound pleasant.
October 24, 2009 at 3:41 pm
More isolated is DEFINITELY better. I will write in more detail about this. But there’s no doubt about it. Isolated is definitely better.
October 23, 2009 at 9:34 pm
This makes a lot of sense. One bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. You need to have a situation where you can maintain control. Otherwise you have chaos. We do have to realize that we cannot do it alone. There is a lot to think about.
October 23, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I am facing several challenges in in my preparedness plans. First, I live in the suburb of a major metro area. Second, our typical two income family is barely scraping by on one. And third, my husband is in complete denial that any preparation is necessary anyway!
As a result, all preparation is being done in tiny increments by my teenaged daughter and me, and being stashed away in “unlikely to be found” places. I have multiple lists and plans written down that I’ve discussed with my daughter and younger son, but we’re nowhere near where I know we should be. Fortunately, I have many of the skills I’ll need in a disaster, just not the supplies.
In regards to community plans. I have a good friend who is like-minded and has a supportive husband. I’m confident that in a “situation” we’ll have each others back.Its not perfect, but its a start.
October 24, 2009 at 6:39 pm
When you have done all you can do then you have to trust in the Lord to meet our needs. I believe he will multiply what we have if needed.
It is just me and my husband so we will have to pray Angels around our place.
October 24, 2009 at 8:20 pm
It seems at times like you are some how tapped into my thought process. I was just thinking about this while out bow hunting tonight. I gotta say i just don’t know. We probably have adequate family members to put up a decent defese. However that would require a relocate to one house. Issue there is ours is probably not the best. However we have been working hard to have a lot of preps here. Not just food storage but food production. Things would have to be real bad for us to leave and when we did we would be heading for family. The good news is for the most part they all carry their weight. Well everyone but my sister and husband.
I think there is a lot to be said for a MAG setup. However I wouldn’t have the first clue how to set one up and trust is a major factor.
October 25, 2009 at 5:06 pm
This is a topic that I am very concerned about and have given a lot of thought but can’t seem to come up with a solid plan. I agree that isolation is the best and I look forward to that post. We live in a very populated area, no family within 1,000 miles, and have a few like-minded neighbors who agree with the need for self-sufficiency and preparedness but unfortunately put it on the back burner thinking “I’ll get to it someday”. We are now working on extra supplies knowing we are a minority in our action and vulnerable in the event of a major situation as described in your article. Right now, our only option is to stay put, hunker down, and in a time of chaos I hope we will be able to do what we can. We are trying to make inroads to build camaraderie among those within our neighborhood (i.e., a couple of us organized a street barbecue and invited everyone so they can meet and start knowing one another), so if or when a terrible situation arises they may be receptive to work together and accept a plan. That is the best I can come up with right now.
Your articles/posts/links are immensely helpful to me and contribute so much to my knowledge base and preparedness planning. I read a lot about self-sufficiency and preparedness but your site has really opened my arena of learning and increased my perspective; impacting some decisions we’ve made that improved our preparedness.
October 26, 2009 at 1:54 am
I truly hope and pray that I can do so every day I write an article for you all.
October 26, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Those of you that indicate that you have made or are going to make a list of expectation, or just indicated a “list”, can you give examples? Is the list just a list of names of people that you would accept in to your inner circle, or are there actually guidelines? We have already had this come up, and I just started with the preparedness mindset. One says he has bullets he’s fine, and a few others have indicated they will just come over to our house, but refuse to help prepare. I don’t know what kind of expectations to give them or set.
October 26, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I’ve had similar responses where some say they will come over but don’t prepare themselves. We don’t have the option to leave so need to rely on staying put and staying safe, thus need to collaborate with neighbors. We are lucky that we have great people living here (good relationship with about 20/30 families)
I have ideas for my plan:
1. Identify and list skills we and our neighbors have
2. Identify gaps in needed skills and try to read/take classes/practice new skills; encourage neighbor(s)to do same
3. Identify security; layout of streets, vulnerable points, and who has capabilities to provide protection. A number of us are trained and fairly well supplied with weapons.
4. Establish a local communications system; who contacts whom, and how; Identify any Ham radio operators; we have 2-way radios with up to a 20mile reach(and my husband just got his Ham radio license and ordered equipment).
5. Encourage neighbors to plant vegetable gardens now (I’ve been doing that this year and 4 of us are now planting)Create food need plan and establish community sharing (not sure how this would work)
6. Medicine; we have a physician and two paramedics in the neighborhood. Can stockpile some but plan to talk to physician about holistic/herbal medicine practice in case there is no other option. I also started learning about these skills just in case.
All this assumes we each can stay in our own homes. If not, plan would include suggesting doubling up in homes for increased security. I think we could do it out of necessity and pair up. Definitely share role to take in the special needs elderly folks.
Like I mentioned previously – I really am not sure what is best. These are just ideas I’m tossing around. I believe most will be receptive when it is almost too late so I’m thinking to have some sort of plan ready to propose when the time is right. I agree I would include those I trust otherwise, the plan is vulnerable.