Scoping out the neighborhood

Hello there friends,

A practice I've fallen into when out walking our old brown dog or cycling with our children is to make a mental note 'strategic supplies' around the neighborhood.

For example... a couple of our neighbors have huge stockpiles of cut wood. Should there be a long term survival situation a resource like that could be beneficial.

I also find myself making note of secure buildings, ones that may offer more substantial protection than my own home.

I'm not considering taking these resources without permission of course. Just considering options for catastrophic situations.

Nick

 

So your survival plans are to use your neighbors stuff and move into their property because its more secure than yours?

Please do not come to my neighborhood. It will not turn out well.

You need to start building relationships, and improving your own position, not looking at what others have.

 

I always watch for folks who take an interest in my yard and buildings.
They usually have a set schedule for things like walking a dog. They often use the same route every day.
Then I get ahead of them and follow them and find out where they live.

I'm really a lot sneakier then I admit...

 

I do a similar thing but what I am looking for is how to burn out the riff-raff and where to dispose of the remains.

 

The original poster did say that he did not intend to take these resources without asking, and ABANDONED resources are always going to be fair game in times of need. If your neighbor is dead, sitting in your house shivering while looking at a pile of firewood under his shed, wouldn't be very survival-minded.

Stealing/looting is another matter entirely - always wrong, and generally not smart in SHTF situations. Moving into someone's unused "vacation cabin," which is actually their bug-out location; or taking their boat docked at the local marina, is a good way to get shot.

I don't think that's what the original poster had in mind though. He may be looking at a SHTF potentiality where the deadwood/unprepared have been trimmed off by natural forces and man-made evil; and you are the only family left in your neighborhood. Your neighbors are either dead or gone, and not coming back. Knowing what stores are available to you for use would be a good thing.

 

You guys are funny, and a little threatening. What an odd mix.

Next time please try to make it to the end of one of my posts before mashing the Post Reply button.

Thanks for the feedback but as I learned during y2k preparations, there are those who prepare and those who get guns to take from those who prepare.

I prepare.

This is exactly what I meant. Thank-you for the intelligence.

Oh, and thank-you for not threatening to hide when I'm walking the dog and then follow me home and kill me like the other guy.

By the by, if anyone does want to hide and then follow me home please bring poop bags for the dog.

Thanks,

Nick

 

My first problem is I don't know what those abbreviations mean. I'm such a noob.

It was so much simpler when this was just called Survivalism. Back then we were just all whack jobs.

 

That actually does clarify a lot.

 

AoO = area of operation.

short on the trigger sorry for the double post.

 

Here's the deal as far as I'm concerned. My property, my family's property and my friends property is now and will remain mine or my family's or my friends until it is given by our free will.

Property that is not occupied is not fair game just because you are cold and hungry. Just because someone is not there does not make it abandoned. Abandoned property is something you find in the lost and found box at the mall, not on someone else's land.

Even if I die of the plague, its still not up for grabs because I have family or friends out of town that might be trying to make their way to my place and they will need what I have.

My friends know this and will make sure it stays secure if I die. The same is true of their property.

Unless you are Charlton Heston in the Omega Man, you need to establish relationships and put in your own supplies before the SHTF.

After it hits, your chances of getting permission to use someone's firewood or moving into their more secure location is going to be virtually non existent.

If I know someone is scoping out my property before I know and trust them, it will not turn out well if they show up after the lights go out.

 

AoO = Area of Operations
OPSEC = Operational Security

I will say, I did read the entire first post, and still thought what the first repliers did. Just because you say you are going to "ask for permission" to take the resources should the need arise doesn't mean you will get the permission. You are better off getting to know the owners of these supplies NOW. That way should you need the assistance of the property owners you are more likely to get it.

So other than taking an inventory of what others have, that you may need, what are you doing to prepare? Do you cut and split your own wood? What about securing your own building/home.

 

Ok, let's dial back the testosterone... I promise I'm not going to come and steal your firewood.

The original point I failed to make was it just makes sense to be aware of what is in the area you live.

You don't know me. I might be a 6' 4" former Marine with a bunch of buddies who are also former Marines and we might all have uber fighting skills and an APC. In that situation we are going to take your stuff.

However, there's a much chance of that being true as there is of my imagined scenario of the SHTF and no one being around except me and my Marine buddies.

Please don't beat me up.

 

I can't tell you, it's OPSEC.

See, I'm a fast learner.

 

I doubt you are a "former Marine". You would know better than to say it that way. Some of us take deep pride in our military backgrounds. Best to not go there if you can't master the nuance of it.

 

Oh for the love of pete... no, I'm not a former Marine! *face palm*

My brother in-law is and so are several people I work with. They all refer to it that way. I did make the mistake of calling one an ex-Marine once. Only once.

 

You would do well to do more listening and less antagonizing. I provided factual honest advice. Comments about testosterone are not going to be helpful in this conversation.

Survival in any emergency depends on being prepared and developing relationships with like minded folk.

Everything in this world belongs to someone and most people will fight to keep it. Other peoples stuff is not a viable survival strategy.

As a side note, myself, most of my family members, and my friends are all either active duty or former military, and all the former Marines I know are honorable men and women that would not appreciate your comments.

 

Ok pilgrim...

I didn't come here to antagonize anyone.... this whole thing started off with what I thought would be a helpful post, yet it quickly spiraled down into the usual internet sideshow pissing contest.

Put the gas can down and come join me at the fire pit.

 

Nickjlancaster I'm kinda with you on this one. I often notice things, Example. 1/2 mile from my house is a state maintenance facility. I know allot of the guys that work there and most work more than an hour away. They Store hundreds of gallons of fuel for use to mow the misc fields with and other maintenance stuff. I know it's there. I know i have allot of PRI-g and PRI-d to refresh fuel should i need to. I have several hundred gallons of fuel of my own and should never need it but if the need arises then i know where to look first.

On the other hand i have a neighbor who owns a camp from buffalo ny, He has a nice quad, I know this and would never consider taking it even though i know it's there and the chances of him making it out of buffalo are slim. Now if 10 years down the road things stabilize and his property comes on the market for back taxes ect then i know what it's worth and would make a legal acquisition of said property.

This topic has a razors edge. with people balancing on both sides. I never prep by assuming i can get something from someone else. If i think i need it i make sure i have it. I think even the most die hard prepper/hardcore anyone would scavenge if they came face to face with death vs looking through someone else's property that has sat abandoned for a few years.

Here is another thought, Allot of these POW fiction style movies depict people scavenging and breed a society/mentality that at the first sign of trouble they can find/scavenge stuff. Well as bfayer has said , almost all of us has friends/family that may be headed out way. If something happened to me and my family gets to my house and someone else has taken up residence they are going to assume those people are the reason i am out of action and reclaim that house regardless if they found it when passing though or took it by force.

Jason