The following article has been contributed by Madison Parker, a personal and home security blogger. It has been published with permission of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of PreppingToSurvive.com.
You don’t want to think about it, but there may come a time when you need to protect your home and won’t have access to the power grid. When that day comes, you’ll need to do everything you can to keep home invaders, burglars, and others who would seek to do you harm at bay. Fortunately, there are a number of home security measures you can take that don’t require access to the power grid.
Some of the things you can do to protect your home without electricity include:
- Work on your landscaping. Make sure there’s a clear line of sight from the street to every entrance to your home. Get rid of tall bushes and trees that a burglar could hide behind. Criminals don’t like to operate in plain sight, for obvious reasons. Don’t give them ways to get out of sight. Make sure trees don’t reach out over the house, giving a burglar access to your second story. Watch out for basement windows, as well.
- Don’t invite home invaders into your home. Your home may contain a great deal of value, whether that’s in the form of expensive electronic equipment today or large stores of survival rations down the road. Either way, you don’t want to announce to the world that you’d be a good burglary target. Don’t let your home look any more attractive, in terms of its contents, than the house down the street.
- Win the psychological battle against home invaders. All you have to do to keep someone from breaking into your home is convince them that it’s not worth the risk. You do that in part by making it look like there’s nothing inside worth having (see above). You also do it by making it look like there’s greater risk. Place a large dog food bowl on the stoop, for example. Leave a pair of men’s size 14 work boots next to the door. Give home invaders reason to pause before coming into your home.
- Choose the right personal protection weapon. Not every home is a good candidate for a
gun, but many are. A gun can stop a home invader in his tracks, regardless of whether or not you have power. Just be sure to follow all of the best safety practices so that your gun remains in your control and that it remains accessible only to you. - Install the right locks. External doors should have deadbolts, preferably surface-mounted ones that are much harder to disable. Consider a double-key deadbolt for any doors that also have windows, so that the home invader can’t simply bust the window and reach in to unlatch the deadbolt. Deadbolts aren’t perfect, but they will slow down a home invader and, in some cases, convince them to move along.
Don’t let a lack of power keep your home from being protected. Fortify your home using these five steps and you’ll prevent a number of potential home invasion scenarios.
Madison Parker is a security expert whose interests range from personal to home security – Get more tips and advice at the blog Home Security Systems!
PreppingToSurvive.com 
February 6, 2012 at 7:17 am
Interesting article. Especially the landscaping one. I agree totally
February 6, 2012 at 10:11 am
Great read! But I do I think the landscaping idea could go a little further. Planting bushes with thorns below windows or in front of the basement windows could be a great deterrent. Of course, like the author said, they must be trimmed to keep burglars from being able to hide. Thanks for the post! Great way to get the mental gears turning. 🙂
February 7, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Good point, Melissa. Thorny bushes could be a help I suppose. I guess you’d also want to balance that against the potential need for escape in case of fire, threat, etc.
February 7, 2012 at 1:19 am
Great common sense tips – thanks for sharing. Another non-electric security method is one or more loyal dogs. Our Rhodesian Ridgeback would definitely make an impression on any uninvited visitors, and woul make a lot of noise while doing so.
February 7, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Yes, we’ve invested in a mastiff to help with that, northernhomesteader. But like all good security measures, we aren’t relying exclusively on it, but more on a layered approach. Dogs can be gotten around or through pretty easily in some cases.
February 7, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Absolutely agree Joe – a multi pronged/layered Defence is the way to go!
February 7, 2012 at 7:52 pm
get some dogs, best security
January 6, 2013 at 7:47 am
As opposed to an electronic/mechanical security system a dog will let you know when someone is close by. Usually with enough time to get situated to meet the threat. Plus, they are more useful than just a threat deterrent. For example, Dobermans are part Weimaraner and can be good hunting dogs. And they have the most admirable trait in an animal, loyalty, to the death.
February 11, 2013 at 2:43 pm
So many people are focused on buying a home security system but what do they do when there is no power for an extended period of time. I think you answered that question quite well.
December 6, 2013 at 9:38 am
The best locks in the world can’t do their job because of your weak wooden door frame. One hard kick, the wood splits and they are in your house. If you can’t purchase a steel door and door frame, harden your door and door frame with The Door Patriot. Sorry, shameless plug in know, not trying to be a spammer BUT it can make all the difference in the world! We consider a firearm a necessity BUT you have to be home in order for it to protect you AND you have to be prepared to use it! A dog, another great layer of security BUT a raw steak, or heaven forbid, a gunshot can take your dog out. Layers upon layers of security is what we preach.
November 26, 2014 at 8:07 am
1. Large aggressive dog(s).
2. Multiple grave sized mounds on front lawn with sign saying “Trespasser Boneyard”
3. Concertina wire.
4. Moat around property line filled with punji sticks.
5. Multiple wooden crates strewn around property marked “M18 Claymor Mines”.
November 26, 2014 at 1:18 pm
We have these installed in front of all of our doors. My husband got locked out once when i was out of town and it took him an hour to get through the door. By the time he got in he had completely dislodged the entire frame around the door. The wedge never moved!
http://powerwedge.net
March 2, 2016 at 6:05 pm
Nice tips you got there! I also have here an article (https://www.getkuna.com/blogs/diy-home-burglary-deterrents/) that I know goes along well with the topic you have here.