Riots

[PJ]

E5C

Hopefully you have a good defense in depth plan which involves various notifications and…ahem…deterrents for those who might feel like looting is a good course of action.

What about during the day when you leave the home and may or may not get stuck 15 miles out?

[Echo5Charlie]

I always have supplies with me if I get stuck out and about and ahem defenses. I have placed a kids bag with my wife and a bag for her in her vehicle. I have arranged a secondary location for them to stay short term if need be. It’s about half way to our family property should the need arise.

I do have friends and family in the area and we have a joint defense plan, if time allows.

I have anti kick plates on my door jambs and security film on the windows along with keyed deadbolts on the inside. Possible fire hazard to do that, so I have keys by every door out of reach of the door of course. If I’m home and asleep I think those would allow me time to ready myself and secure the kids. I would like but don’t have, claymores and fighting holes. Maybe in the near future before a ruling is issued. Joking kinda.

When I’m gone, I do have an alarm system on battery back up and cellular capabilities. Probably could be improved, but I’m not as concerned with my property as I am my family.

The only things I have really changed since this started is managing my family’s come and go times. I also don’t allow them out as much. I fill the vehicles with gas and shop by myself. Our stores are now crowded with the protesters because their markets have been burned.

[J]

The company I work for has its parent company headquarters very near the “ground zero” area. Several of my coworkers there have been telling similiar stories. One of them joked this morning in a meeting that he has never felt so safe as there seems to be a policeman every 100 feet on the street as he drives by.

A bit of gallows humor, that.

Hopefully this will be over soon. I know it has to be a stressful situation you are in.

[Echo5Charlie]

The stress for me is at night. I stay up late till I see it dying down, then I only get a few hours sleep. The next day I’m tired. I have started getting a power nap in after work. That has helped.

I don’t see it dying down anytime soon. We have an investigation, a funeral, indictment and trial to get through. After all that is over I don’t know that it will ever be the same here.

[J]

I’m sure. I would be jumping at the slightest noise in your situation.

[Echo5Charlie]

Funny story about that, with not so funny realities for me…

Middle of the day my daughter hears a loud noise and comes out to ask me if I heard it. I hear a plane over head that’s it, the noise happens again and I hear it. My wife had just laid the baby down for her nap, she grabs her back out my oldest daughter is walking in circles repeating what’s going on, what’s going on my wife’s yelling babies yapping. I yelled for everyone to shut up, wife to go downstairs and look for anything I’m going out side where my daughter thought the noise was coming from. Nothing outside no one anywhere and no marks or anything, come back in but don’t close the door all the way and go check out the back rooms again. They smell like an electric arc and insulation burning. Baby pushes the front door closed, daughter screams, wife screams I come running ready to kill…the front door. Had a talk with them about keeping calm and letting me work. They are definitely on edge, and have no idea how to keep cool under stress and quickly prioritize the next steps.

Turns out a florescent light fixture in the basement went bad… So yeah, there’s my prepared family.

[Clarity Jane]

Echo5Charlie:

I’m so sorry that your family had such an awful fright today but perhaps a tiny bit of good will come from it…

Last winter, after dark, I took some rubbish to the bin at the side of the house. After dropping it in, I turned and found myself almost nose-to-nose with a strange man. He’d walked down the driveway without making a sound. He was lost and needed directions. He didn’t speak English very well and became a little exasperated when he found it difficult to understand me…and of course I was stuttering away with a dry mouth and racing heartbeat. Nonetheless he thanked me and went on his way and I scurried back inside, on wobbly legs, cursing myself for being such a twit. I’d had an awful fright.

Then, this spring, I found myself in a similar situation. It may have been broad daylight and in a public place but I was cornered by an aggressive and agitated beggar. However, this time I felt more in control of my reactions; kept a cooler head and was more, well, ‘prepared’ because emotionally I’d been here before…oh, I’m not putting this very well.

What I mean is, your family have had a ‘dry run’ today and should another fright occur I know they’ll be more prepared too. Forgive me, Echo5Charlie, if this has come across as simplistic or naïve. I’m just trying to present a positive side to the experience.

My best wishes to you all.

[Echo5Charlie]

No your right on, it paved the way for some good conversations. As many times as I’ve gone over situations and tried to get them to understand how its different under stress, I always get blown off. Well, this time it sunk in it seems. I now have a captive audience. I have to tell you, it was a ton easier training Marines than it is my family on even the simplest concepts.

[Clarity Jane]

Women, huh!? (wink)

[J]

In my experience, trying to teach family is more difficult than training others, as you have to live with them after 🙂

best wishes and thanks for the updates. Keep them coming as you can.

[Echo5Charlie]

I have not been able to get through to them the reality that this stuff can happen. My wife is ok to prepare, after several years, but there’s always been a bit of humoring me. When the reality of the police not being able to get to us with mobs looting and burning sunk in, well she’s coming around. Part of her just doesn’t think she can ever deal with a bad situation so she sticks her head in the sand and relies on me to handle it all.

On a good note, last night was pretty calm and tonight it’s been peaceful protests only. Maybe peace will last a bit.

[Echo5Charlie]

With my wife’s new found interest in prepping WE have been going over our house before the possibility of more looting or unrest begins. One thing we found was our fire extinguishers were expired. Maybe, they would have worked. Who knows, they have been replaced. Just a reminder to everyone to check your extinguisher, or buy some. Its commonly recommended to have one per floor or about 1000 sq feet. ABC covers the three types of fires and is not much more than an AB extinguisher.

[Echo5Charlie]

More unrest tonight. Another police shooting, this time in the city. Here’s the ironic part, it’s right by the city house we had been working on the last four months until it was broke into two weeksish ago. I’m watching the news and all of a sudden I’m like wait, I boarded that window…I know that house. We’ll, I’m glad I’m not down there now. Maybe the break in was a good thing for me.

Protestors have already been beating on police cars and several shots have been fired. Several events are planned for this weekend and everyone was expecting more protests and possible violence, and then this happens.

[Capt. Mac.]

Echo:

Please keep us posted.

Good JuJu coming your way from Orygun.

[Author]

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