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Apartment survival and thoughts
This topic came up every few months back. While my blog entry is dated( around the 06/07 mark) , most of the basic concepts still hold. While this is the retreat section of the forum, many of us either rent/lease homes/apartments and this advice IMHO even holds true to some of the more condensed cookie cutter sub divisions out there now days.
Rental units are short term shelters.
They are not self sustainable
Be ready to have an aggressive ROE if it gets nasty!
Your main security issue is your neighbors and what and how they live ( fire ,floods)
Know your building, Know your location and use it to your advantage.
enjoy the read.
something i wrote long ago about being a "survivalist" and apartments.
A lot of us do not have the luxury to own our own home. There are many reasons why, but we really don't need to go into that. If you are a "survivalist" or just getting into being prepared you may feel a Lil under gunned so to speak because of your housing situation. While living in an apartment is not the best "set up" per say, it can be used and prep'd to get you through most of any event that will come your way.
Choosing your apartment!
Yes just like a home you have to shop for one. There are many factors that go into choosing a complex, just like a home ,area and location . The best bet once you find one you like is to see how they are set up. The easiest way is to walk a unit. Most places do this anyway as part of their "sales" routine. Ask questions. While most leasing agents are nothing but A/C sponges you can get good info out of them! Ask questions about the area, but be sly about it. There are laws that permit them from telling you exactly if the property is " loud" full of crime etc. So use your best fishing techniques here. This will help you get some vital Intel on the AO. For example, ask the agent if they live on property. Better yet ask if they have 24 hour emergency maintenance, what is their response time? The agent may say " fast ,since they ALL live on sight.." . this will help later on!
Now you must also ask about the apartment itself. What kind appliances gas or electric. IMHO gas is the better way to go, and ill explain why. If there is a power outage you will still have Hot h20 and be able to cook! Now this may vary from each complex, But the H20 heaters are run purely on gas, the stoves gas/electric. This means you'll have to light the stove by hand each time, no big issue at all! There is a downfall to this ill touch on later.
You also want to ask about the building construction. The agent may not know, but you can ask that they get you in contact with a maint. tech to help you. If you can get the tech alone even better. This is one more person you can fish info out of. Most techs I've worked with will talk, because we are a disgruntled breed Just ask basics, like whats the building made out of , wood or metal studs? sub floors or solid concrete? You get the idea, and always, always read your lease!!!
Few last things on choosing one. Call the local PD and get a crime report on the AO, this will help locate problem areas not only at the complex but surrounding areas. Ask for one every few months and make a map. This will give you the "trouble" areas to stay away from now and during an EVENT. Make sure the unit you pick is in a good area of the complex. I prefer bottom floors. They are easy to move in and out of, and if its a major event it gives you some over head protection. They have their downfalls though, and like the appliances ill explain more later on.
outfitting your apartment
There are many ways you can do this. But unlike a true BOL you can only do so much. In all honesty, an apartment is not a long term event housing option. But for most of what we will be dealt it will do fine.
Security.
This is the first item to check. You've hopefully already done the AO back ground check's, and did some hands on Intel such as riding the property at night,walking it on foot and driving through the surrounding areas. Once your moved in purchase some window locks. These can be as simple as thumb locks or bars. If the window design is a certain way they make Plexiglas window stops. I like these as you can place them in the corners and they are not seen as easily as a thumb lock or bar. You then want to put a lock on the front door. DO NOT get the chain set ups. These are worth less! If you get any type of door bar set up. get a full bar or the style that most hotels have these days. Make sure that when you secure it to the frame you use long enough screws( 3 inch) so you can get into the door frame itself and the studs that box it in. The screws supplied will only grasp the trim, and that rips off with little force. These items are more for "feel" good security and wont stop a person wanting to get inside. They may however give you those few seconds needed to arm and protect yourself and family, and call for help!
If you do own firearms, you'll want to have a safe. I feel that larger bolt down safes are not needed . They are to large, heavy and draw unwanted eyes when being unloaded and installed. The basic stack on/wall locker style will work or a smaller "real" safe will do fine. Secure it anyway you can to the walls,floor etc. Just remember you are renting so do not damage the walls and floor to much. You may get charged later on. Once your safe/locker is installed pick a time to move your firearms over. This is where you do not want the world seeing what you have. On my recent move i unloaded all my ammo the day before. I then chose to move my firearms over at night. Even then i chose to bring them in 1-2 at a time in a over seas bag. Watch your surroundings. Even though it is dark, check to make sure that nosey neighbor isn't looking or worse any "thugs".
Well now we have your firearms in place, some basic simple security items installed, now what?
The items i said to install are just examples. There are MANY MANY ways to secure your unit and not draw unwanted attention.
Getting your preps
If you are just getting started, it may seem like a big task. It really is not that bad. You must stick to basics, food,water,shelter. While you have a roof over your head it may be wise to get a BOB and a PLAN started in case there is a long term event.
Until then, start preparing your unit. There are many times where you have limited space. While i agree that you can use buckets as your bed post, table legs etc. I do not feel this needs to be done.
Water, is the most basic item you need to have, and one a lot ask how to store when renting. I feel that for short term events that the renter should invest in some 15 gallon water barrels and a few good 5-7 gallon jugs. These are large enough that even if you make it out with only one, you will still have basic water needs for one person for 5-12 days. They are small enough that you can BO with them with out the need for a dolly or 3 sets of hands!
You can store water in many ways. Water barrels and jugs being the easiest, then 12-16oz water bottles by the case. The case water needs to be rotated every 1-2 years. This is not a big issue, but 6 months of bottled h20, takes up twice as much room as 1-3 water barrels! The best bet, in my eyes is to mix it up What i have is 50+ gallons of bulk water, and one to two cases of bottled water. The bottles are always used first, in a short term event, the bulk water later on. These can be slid under beds,couches etc. Use your imagination, stuff it where it can go!
You will read that you can get h20 from your hot h20 heater. DO NOT depend on this source for water. In most apartments the heaters are hard to get to. You will also need to shut off the incoming h20 before the event or during so it is not contaminated. The major downfall is that these heaters are not New! You may not be able to turn off the h20 all the way, resulting in a flood. The drain valve may not work at all or be clogged shut. It may also leak. Combined with a bad shut off your gonna have water issues for sure! So DO not rely on them as a 100% source.. Shut off the incoming h20. Then use the h20 in there as a last resort. It would also be wise to treat and filter it once you get to using it!
Make sure you have a means of filtration and treatment. I stock on hand for cleaning and for my h20 2 gallons of unscented bleach. I also have on hand several filters ranging from a basic survival straw to a hand pump backpacking filter. Once moved in do some searching to find the nearest natural water source. That canal or creek behind building 5 may save you one day!
Food
For the apartment my advice is to stock what you eat, and then some. As I said above apartment living is not for long term, events. That doesn
Rental units are short term shelters.
They are not self sustainable
Be ready to have an aggressive ROE if it gets nasty!
Your main security issue is your neighbors and what and how they live ( fire ,floods)
Know your building, Know your location and use it to your advantage.
enjoy the read.
something i wrote long ago about being a "survivalist" and apartments.
A lot of us do not have the luxury to own our own home. There are many reasons why, but we really don't need to go into that. If you are a "survivalist" or just getting into being prepared you may feel a Lil under gunned so to speak because of your housing situation. While living in an apartment is not the best "set up" per say, it can be used and prep'd to get you through most of any event that will come your way.
Choosing your apartment!
Yes just like a home you have to shop for one. There are many factors that go into choosing a complex, just like a home ,area and location . The best bet once you find one you like is to see how they are set up. The easiest way is to walk a unit. Most places do this anyway as part of their "sales" routine. Ask questions. While most leasing agents are nothing but A/C sponges you can get good info out of them! Ask questions about the area, but be sly about it. There are laws that permit them from telling you exactly if the property is " loud" full of crime etc. So use your best fishing techniques here. This will help you get some vital Intel on the AO. For example, ask the agent if they live on property. Better yet ask if they have 24 hour emergency maintenance, what is their response time? The agent may say " fast ,since they ALL live on sight.." . this will help later on!
Now you must also ask about the apartment itself. What kind appliances gas or electric. IMHO gas is the better way to go, and ill explain why. If there is a power outage you will still have Hot h20 and be able to cook! Now this may vary from each complex, But the H20 heaters are run purely on gas, the stoves gas/electric. This means you'll have to light the stove by hand each time, no big issue at all! There is a downfall to this ill touch on later.
You also want to ask about the building construction. The agent may not know, but you can ask that they get you in contact with a maint. tech to help you. If you can get the tech alone even better. This is one more person you can fish info out of. Most techs I've worked with will talk, because we are a disgruntled breed Just ask basics, like whats the building made out of , wood or metal studs? sub floors or solid concrete? You get the idea, and always, always read your lease!!!
Few last things on choosing one. Call the local PD and get a crime report on the AO, this will help locate problem areas not only at the complex but surrounding areas. Ask for one every few months and make a map. This will give you the "trouble" areas to stay away from now and during an EVENT. Make sure the unit you pick is in a good area of the complex. I prefer bottom floors. They are easy to move in and out of, and if its a major event it gives you some over head protection. They have their downfalls though, and like the appliances ill explain more later on.
outfitting your apartment
There are many ways you can do this. But unlike a true BOL you can only do so much. In all honesty, an apartment is not a long term event housing option. But for most of what we will be dealt it will do fine.
Security.
This is the first item to check. You've hopefully already done the AO back ground check's, and did some hands on Intel such as riding the property at night,walking it on foot and driving through the surrounding areas. Once your moved in purchase some window locks. These can be as simple as thumb locks or bars. If the window design is a certain way they make Plexiglas window stops. I like these as you can place them in the corners and they are not seen as easily as a thumb lock or bar. You then want to put a lock on the front door. DO NOT get the chain set ups. These are worth less! If you get any type of door bar set up. get a full bar or the style that most hotels have these days. Make sure that when you secure it to the frame you use long enough screws( 3 inch) so you can get into the door frame itself and the studs that box it in. The screws supplied will only grasp the trim, and that rips off with little force. These items are more for "feel" good security and wont stop a person wanting to get inside. They may however give you those few seconds needed to arm and protect yourself and family, and call for help!
If you do own firearms, you'll want to have a safe. I feel that larger bolt down safes are not needed . They are to large, heavy and draw unwanted eyes when being unloaded and installed. The basic stack on/wall locker style will work or a smaller "real" safe will do fine. Secure it anyway you can to the walls,floor etc. Just remember you are renting so do not damage the walls and floor to much. You may get charged later on. Once your safe/locker is installed pick a time to move your firearms over. This is where you do not want the world seeing what you have. On my recent move i unloaded all my ammo the day before. I then chose to move my firearms over at night. Even then i chose to bring them in 1-2 at a time in a over seas bag. Watch your surroundings. Even though it is dark, check to make sure that nosey neighbor isn't looking or worse any "thugs".
Well now we have your firearms in place, some basic simple security items installed, now what?
The items i said to install are just examples. There are MANY MANY ways to secure your unit and not draw unwanted attention.
Getting your preps
If you are just getting started, it may seem like a big task. It really is not that bad. You must stick to basics, food,water,shelter. While you have a roof over your head it may be wise to get a BOB and a PLAN started in case there is a long term event.
Until then, start preparing your unit. There are many times where you have limited space. While i agree that you can use buckets as your bed post, table legs etc. I do not feel this needs to be done.
Water, is the most basic item you need to have, and one a lot ask how to store when renting. I feel that for short term events that the renter should invest in some 15 gallon water barrels and a few good 5-7 gallon jugs. These are large enough that even if you make it out with only one, you will still have basic water needs for one person for 5-12 days. They are small enough that you can BO with them with out the need for a dolly or 3 sets of hands!
You can store water in many ways. Water barrels and jugs being the easiest, then 12-16oz water bottles by the case. The case water needs to be rotated every 1-2 years. This is not a big issue, but 6 months of bottled h20, takes up twice as much room as 1-3 water barrels! The best bet, in my eyes is to mix it up What i have is 50+ gallons of bulk water, and one to two cases of bottled water. The bottles are always used first, in a short term event, the bulk water later on. These can be slid under beds,couches etc. Use your imagination, stuff it where it can go!
You will read that you can get h20 from your hot h20 heater. DO NOT depend on this source for water. In most apartments the heaters are hard to get to. You will also need to shut off the incoming h20 before the event or during so it is not contaminated. The major downfall is that these heaters are not New! You may not be able to turn off the h20 all the way, resulting in a flood. The drain valve may not work at all or be clogged shut. It may also leak. Combined with a bad shut off your gonna have water issues for sure! So DO not rely on them as a 100% source.. Shut off the incoming h20. Then use the h20 in there as a last resort. It would also be wise to treat and filter it once you get to using it!
Make sure you have a means of filtration and treatment. I stock on hand for cleaning and for my h20 2 gallons of unscented bleach. I also have on hand several filters ranging from a basic survival straw to a hand pump backpacking filter. Once moved in do some searching to find the nearest natural water source. That canal or creek behind building 5 may save you one day!
Food
For the apartment my advice is to stock what you eat, and then some. As I said above apartment living is not for long term, events. That doesn
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