While we will never stop stressing the importance of having emergency food and water in case of an emergency… The truth is, that’s not enough.

What good is your survival stash if outsiders can take it?

This is why securing your perimeter from hungry neighbors and desperate intruders needs to be a major part of your preparedness plan.

You can invest a lot of money in home security systems, but those won’t be effective if the grid goes down.

True perimeter security requires simple basics that can work with or without power.

Think along the lines of Kevin’s security measures in Home Alone or the perimeter protection measures against zombies in The Walking Dead.

Use the following perimeter security tips to prepare your property for what’s coming.

Natural and Physical Barriers for Perimeter Security

Even though TV and film make it seem like intruders go to extreme lengths to break in, that isn’t typically the case.

Intruders break in where it is easiest for them.

According to ADT:

“These are the most common points of entry for home break-ins:

• Front door: 34% of burglars twist the doorknob and walk right in.
• First-floor windows: 23% use a first-floor open window to break into your home.
• Back door: 22% come in through the back door.
• Garage doors: 9% gain entrance through the garage.
• Basement: 4% choose the basement as a point of entry.
• Unlocked areas, sheds, and storage: Another 6% will simply try for any opening that isn’t locked down.
• Second-floor window: A daring 2% will go for the second-story window.”

If SHTF, desperate survivors will be looking for the easiest homes to break into as well.

So, it is critical to use natural and physical barriers to make it harder for intruders to gain access to your home.

Consider the following measures:

• Fencing: Consider adding or building a sturdy fence at least six feet high, ideally with anti-climb features like barbed wire or spikes.

• Natural Obstacles: To deter intruders, make the most of your existing landscape elements like thorny bushes, dense hedges, or even a small pond.

• Gates and Locks: A simple but effective way to protect your property is to secure all access points with strong gates and high-quality locks.

• Window Protection: Reinforce windows with security film, bars, or shutters.

• Doors: Install heavy-duty doors with deadbolts and security hinges. You don’t want doors that can be easily kicked open.

• Lighting: Install motion-sensor lights around the perimeter to deter nighttime threats.

• Landscaping: Avoid dense shrubbery near windows and doors that could provide hiding places for intruders. Keep trees trimmed away from roofs and windows.

• Defensive Landscaping: In addition to basic landscaping, implement defensive landscaping such as planting thorny bushes below windows and along the perimeter of your property.

• Decks: If you have outdoor stairs to a deck, remove them in an emergency so people cannot easily enter.

[Related Read: Navigating the Aftermath: Hiding Signs of Life after Disaster]

Deterrence and Surveillance for Perimeter Security

In addition to making it harder for intruders to access your property, you also want to have systems in place that will deter them even more.

Here are some ideas for deterrence and surveillance:

• Security Cameras: Install visible cameras at strategic points around your property, as well as an alarm system. Consider a monitored alarm system with perimeter sensors. Keep in mind that these types of security systems will only work if you have electricity. So, if the power goes out, you will need other security measures.

• Guard Dogs: Trained dogs can act as both a deterrent and an early warning system. A story by the Miami Herald discussed the benefits of dogs for burglary prevention. In the report, they interviewed Tony Guzman, a K-9 services expert with three decades of experience. He said, “For deterrence, there’s nothing like a canine. It’s the fear factor… They just fold up when a canine shows up.”

• Gravel: A layer of gravel around the perimeter creates noise when someone approaches to help you stay alert.

• DIY Noisemakers: Strategically hang pans, bells, or wind chimes along the perimeter to let you know when people are coming.

• Bells on Door Handles: Hang bells on your home’s door handles to let you know when someone is turning the doorknob.

• Boarded-Up Windows: Board up windows in certain rooms so that if you use a solar generator, no one can see your lights or activity at night. It is also wise to board up certain windows that are easily accessible.

DIY Tripwire Alarms for Perimeter Security

One of the simplest, most effective perimeter security tools is a tripwire alarm.

A tripwire is a type of wire or rope strung in a place where an intruder may cross. When the intruder trips over the wire, he “trips” the “alarm.”

There are many different types of DIY tripwire alarms. You can incorporate everything from bells to glow sticks to flash bangs and popper blanks.

You can use any type of line to function as your wire. Ideally, you want to choose a line that is difficult to see, such as a clear fishing line.

Here are three simple DIY tripwire alarms to get you started:

Simple DIY Bell Tripwire Alarm 

1. Gather supplies. You will need a fishing line, two stakes or posts (unless you’re going to use two trees), and a bell.
2. Tie the fishing line to one of two anchor points (stakes or trees).
3. Wrap the fishing line around the other anchor point, but don’t tie it, and make sure you have extra fishing line left over.
4. Tie the extra fishing line to a bell, making sure that the line is still taut between anchor point two and the bell.
5. When someone walks into the fishing line, it will pull on the bell, causing it to ring.

Simple Tin Can and Tree Tripwire

1. Gather supplies. You will need a fishing line, two trees, tin cans, and marbles or rocks.
2. Punch or cut out holes from empty tin cans close to the lid.
3. Tie the fishing line to one tree.
4. Slide the fishing line through the holes in the tin can.
5. Tie the remaining line around the second tree.
6. Place rocks or marbles inside the tin cans.
7. When the line is hit, the tin cans will move, causing the marbles or rocks to create a noise alarm. 

Simple Door Alarm Tripwire

1. Gather supplies. You will need a fishing line, a battery-operated touch-activated small window or door alarm, a large rock, and a few sturdy sticks.
2. Place the door alarm on the ground.
3. Tie the fishing line around an anchor (such as a tree) and a sturdy stick.
4. Use a sturdy stick to balance a large rock above the door alarm.
5. When someone bumps into the line (tripwire), it will cause the rock to fall and set off the battery-operated door alarm.

Take steps to protect your property today, friends.

In liberty,

Elizabeth Anderson

Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply