Posted on January 11, 2016 by Gaye
Levy
Most preparedness information out
there seems to assume that everyone is part of a family with a mom, a dad,
three kids and a dog — or, if not that, an extended family that includes
brothers, uncles and a grandpappy. Somehow, the picture presented always
includes a man.
The truth is that is not always the
case. There are a lot of women alone out there who are also preparing, and it
often seems like they are left out of the equations.
There are all sorts of reasons that
a woman might be living alone. She may have just left the nest and is out there
joining the adult world with her first job and apartment. She may be divorced
or widowed. She may not have children, or those children may be off raising
families of their own. Whatever the case, family-based preparedness suggestions
don’t always apply to the woman living alone.
Because of that, I felt it long
overdue to step up and address specific survival strategies for the woman
living alone. Not that these tips are only for women. Many of them
are important for any person who wishes to be prepared, and especially
for the female prepper who is living alone.
10
survival strategies for the woman (or man) living alone
No. 1: Be extra vigilant with home
security. As they say, an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure that you have motion-sensor
lights at all of the entrances to your home and property. Get a dog. It
does not have to be a big dog; my little Yorkie is a great early warning
system! Install high-quality locks and be sure you have a fortified door frame.
You can read more home security tips here.
No. 2: Learn to use a weapon. If you decide to purchase a firearm, get some instruction
and go to the range frequently to optimize your skills. If you aren’t
comfortable with guns, your weapon of choice can be something else; just make
sure you have a way to defend yourself. Consider pepper spray or a stun gun such as this one that doubles
as a flashlight. Heck, even a can of wasp spray has a long range and
can do some very painful damage.
No. 3: Take a women’s self-defense
class. Classes geared specifically toward
women are the best if you need a crash course. Of course, if you’re already a
black belt in martial arts, all the better! If you can find a recurring
class that lets you spar with a bigger “attacker,” this will help the moves
become more natural for you.
No. 4: Learn to use tools. Being able to repair things yourself is a big part of being
self-reliant. Practice makes perfect. Home Depot and other home-improvement
centers offer workshops each weekend that teach customers how to make
something. It is a great way to get your feet wet. Also, if something in your
home breaks and is in need of repair, search YouTube for some related repair
videos and give it a shot yourself. If you do have to call a repair person,
hang out and watch; and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
No. 5: Be careful what you say. Obviously, your closest neighbors will be aware that
you live alone. But when you’re out and about, don’t broadcast it. Many a
stalker first became interested in a victim in the most innocuous of settings.
Court records have shown that some stalkers were repairmen, pizza delivery guys
and mechanics who realized that the woman they became obsessed with lived
alone. As well, in the event of an emergency, you do not want people to
remember that you mentioned having a year’s supply of food in the basement. You
don’t want to be a target.
No. 6: Don’t make it obvious your
house belongs to a woman alone.
While you shouldn’t need to be afraid to be feminine, you might want to tone
down the pink girlie stuff in the front yard. You can also purchase a large
pair of used men’s work boots at the Goodwill, get them dirty and leave them
beside the door as though someone just took them off to go inside. And for
heaven’s sake, don’t get those stick-figure families for the back window of
your vehicle to represent you and several pets. Be discreet.
No. 7: Learn to change a tire. If you don’t already know how to do this, be sure that you
know how to change your own tire. A flat is one of the most common vehicular
issues that will leave you stranded. My friend Daisy from The Organic Prepper wouldn’t allow her daughters to drive
the car alone until they could change the tire in the driveway using the
factory jack. Many women have felt scared and vulnerable on the side
of the road while waiting for AAA to come and change their tire for them. It
also would not hurt to have a can of Fix-a-Flat
stuff. Using that, you can make a temporary repair and get on your way
quickly.
No. 8: Be prepared to hunker down. Should a disaster or civil unrest occur, one of the
most dangerous things you can do is set out on foot. If at all possible, you’ll
be safer if you stay put. Have the supplies you need in place so that you can
stay home and wait out the chaos.
No. 9: Avoid attracting attention to
your home during an emergency.
Your goal is to avoid attracting attention to your home; so no matter how
well-prepared you are, don’t be the only house on the street with lights
blazing from the windows. Invest in some blackout curtains and even consider
lining your windows with heavy black garbage bags and duct tape to keep light
from escaping.
No. 10: Plan to fortify your home if
complete chaos erupts. In advance of something happening,
plan how you will fortify your house. Consider a professional-grade bar for the doors,
some decorative grillwork for lower story windows and sidelights, or even some
plywood that is pre-drilled and cut to fit windows and sliding glass doors so
you can cover them if it’s a major hullabaloo.
The
final word
I hope you will take this list and
use it to formulate your plan for staying safe during an emergency. While
you may not be as strong and scary looking as a 250-pound hunk of macho, you
can still defend yourself and what is yours will some advanced planning and
training.
Do not be discouraged if you aren’t
part of a large family or group. For you, it is still very important to prepare
and perhaps even more so. Go ahead and adapt the preparedness information
that’s out there to fit your personal situation, and be the hero of your story,
not the damsel who needs to be rescued!
Enjoy your next adventure through
common sense and thoughtful preparation!
–Gaye Levy
–Gaye Levy
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