A crisis can be overwhelming for families and individuals. They have to deal with power and water disruptions, and families may be in a situation where they cannot call upon law enforcement in the hours or days after a disaster. You may be left to defend yourself, and to do so you will need to develop self-defense skills. First, you should arrange to attend self-defense classes periodically because you must know how to deal with one-on-one confrontations because a crisis will bring out the best and the worst in people.
Knowledge and practicing what you know is important. Being able to think ahead to avoid certain situations is part of developing self-defense skills. Once you have practiced and have developed confidence, it will project to others, making you an undesirable target. However, because you have certain skills does not mean you should put yourself in perilous situations. Know that looters will be active for days after a disaster, so avoid retail areas where looting will be most active.
Once the disaster strikes and in the days following people will look for those that have prepared. There will always be those that simply did not prepare for whatever reason. People that under normal circumstances would never turn violent but given the stress and possibly a hungry family, they can become a threat. Developing self-defense skills must be a part of any emergency preparedness plan.
Look out your window and ask yourself in which direction would you go if you had to escape quickly. Do you know where the street that runs behind your apartment or house leads to? Check the google map of your city or area and study it carefully so you know where each highway or side street leads. In any situation where you have to defend yourself, escape is a viable option, but first you must know in which direction to go. Evaluate your area for access points and entrances that others would use to gain access to your property or building, and consider how to restrict access by either parking a vehicle to block admittance or fortifying a fence.
Training your body is as important as training your mind. You must be healthy and relatively fit to survive a crisis. You will have to perform tasks that are more physical during a crisis so you must be ready. Start now developing a fitness plan because fitness is important when it comes to defending yourself.
Weapons should be a part of any self-defense plan, and training with those weapons is critical. Carefully choose your weapons and decide how far you are willing to go to defend yourself, your family, and your possessions. Most would say they would do what it takes, but if you cannot use a weapon, you cannot do what it takes. And get a solid gun safe to properly store your weapons.
You must include your home when developing self-defense skills. You will likely have to put up a defense from your home and you want to make sure you have fortified it as best as you can. Know all entrance points to your building or home and make entry as difficult as possible by placing objects or installing barriers. Cover all windows and main entranceways with wood or steel bars. Do not barricade yourself to the point you become trapped. Consider escape hatches such as through the roof to another building and so forth.
You will be a target once people realize you have supplies that they need. Broadcasting your intentions is never a good idea, so avoid bragging or mentioning how well prepared you are because people will remember when a disaster strikes. Some people may feel it is necessary to inform others with the intent of helping. You must keep in mind people you know will transform emotionally when in a survival situation. People will become desperate and will do things you would never expect.
Conclusion
I hope this article has been helpful. The best way to stay safe is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This is why it is important to have a plan and to practice your plan.
Developing a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan will give you the best chance of surviving a crisis. A well-thought-out plan will save your life. The plan should be realistic, practical and realistic. This is not a game, this is real life and you need to be prepared.
