Protecting Your Family And Home In 5 Simple Steps

So you've just bought a new house? Should this be the time to rejoice and relax? I'm afraid it isn't. Buying a home for you and your family is only half of the battle. Now you must protect it from criminals who may be eyeing your possessions. But how do you protect your family and home from these people? Can you pull it off without wrecking your savings account or wallet? Fortunately, the answer is Yes. And I am about to show you how to do it in five simple steps.

Assess Your House and Corresponding Needs

Step one is to know your house inside out. Check how many doors and windows you have that could be used as an entry point by criminals. Doors located in the basement, garage and balcony should also be considered. Know which areas of the house should be put as the highest priority. Find out which floors or walls have weak points that could be easily smashed open and used to access by criminals. Also, assess how much money you can shell out for home security as you will be needing money to pay for good door locks, alarm systems, etc.

Install a Home Security System

A home security system is the simplest yet most effective measure you can implement when working on your home's security. A home security is both a product and service due to the fact that the device is linked to a home security company that monitors signals made by the device during detection of a threat. Through this system, you get immediate help from the police when a suspected break-in occurs. Aside from alarms, fire and gas detection devices can also be installed if possible. This will safeguard you against fires, floods and gas leaks that could be as dangerous as theft.

Have a Plan

Always have a plan. At our house, I taught my family where to go during a fire, what measures should be carried out and so on. These safety drills have somewhat become our precious bonding time. By having a plan, you improve the security of your home plus survival of your family during the most dangerous of circumstances. Know your way out or what tools to fight with if necessary.
Improve Privacy

By closing the drapes at all times, you not only get privacy but also a way to deter criminals from knowing if you are inside the house, where your valued items are, and how to get inside the house. Criminals won't be stupid enough to break into a house if they don't know what is going on inside.

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Building a quick structure: Using scavenging methods to build shelter

road work ahead (Photo credit: theinvisiblewombat)

I'd like to talk about a material that can be used to build a simple structure and that is easy to scavenge. We've all seen the roadwork ahead signs or the signs that suggests there's construction work being done. These signs are typically square and can be used to fashion together makeshift huts or small and sealed buildings.  Let me explain a little bit. When I was about 11 years old growing up in the city I always had a very hard time finding a good place to building Fort. The more I looked or searched the harder it was to locate large amounts  of wood and/or building supplies. It was by chance I happened on an idea that led to some of the best forts I've ever built (I have no idea if I am the only one who ever thought of this, I doubt it, but I was 11 at the time). 

Walking home from school I noticed several signs along the way that would inform me that there was roadwork being done up ahead. The signs were square and for the most part easy to carry, now as 11 years old I found I could only carry one of  them at a time, but with enough trips I was able to get a few dozen of these. Now the only thing I had to figure out was where do I build my structure so I grabbed my nails and hammer along with my brother and we set out to find the perfect fort building location. We ended up settling inside of a Briar patch, just so happened that it was right in berry season so we would get to enjoy a snack as we built our Fort. With a simple machete we were able to hollow out inside one of these patches I can't remember the exact size of the of the patch, but we were able to make a tunnel that led into four rooms. Once inside you can actually set up several sleeping quarters for general places to get out of rain, because the brush set over the top of the structure it was actually quite possible to remain dry for a period of time. So if you're a city dweller, and you find yourself in need of a structure and you have no preplanned location perhaps take a look around you.

There are literally thousands of pre-built signs just lying around it wouldn't take long for you to find a location to set up your hut. Here's a few things I learned as a child. When clearing out a blackberry bush don't clear out too much too fast try to bring some of your boards inside and see if you can use the brush as a natural seal. What I mean by this is to save yourself the need for nails or any adhesive, you simply use a tight space to force the boards together. Always put the colored side down. Always. As you will notice if you leave the colored side up that any holes with inside the blackberry patch will show outside. This will allow people to see your structures if you try to use the colored side. The inside typically is Brown or darker color and it will blend in with the surroundings much easier. Don't worry about walking. If you have to make a journey of a mile or more that's not a big deal don't be tempted to make your structure right next to the location where there are hundreds of signs. If there is a better location farther away be willing to use that. Well I hope this helped you a little bit, as with any scavenging method: always be prepared ,  ready and expect setbacks.

 Building a quick structure: Using scavenging methods to build shelter
This childhood adventure was brought to you by the letter S and D as in SecWh Directory

The land use to be dry and barren with no hopes of survival

The Colorado River from Laughlin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Environmental Issues: Colorado River

The area that the Colorado River runs through is the driest in the nation. These deserts are drier than some of those found in North Africa. Thanks to major agricultural changes in this area, now tens of millions of people can now reside on this land. Utilizing the Colorado River, which gets a significant amount of water from the Rocky Mountains when the snow melts, can now permit this dry desert to be a thriving community, compared to the “inhospitable land” that it once was (Sierra Club).

The land use to be dry and barren with no hopes of survival for any creature that required water to thrive or even live. The land was so dry that it was essentially a waste of valuable acreage. Now that the Colorado River is able to have water diverted into this area, it is an area that can be utilized for agriculture, communities, and thriving families and companies. Essentially, the “Colorado River has become a plumbing system” (Sierra Club). As a result of this plumbing system, crops such as cotton, alfalfa, fruits, and vegetables can be grown here. However, these changes come at a price.

The changing of the natural flow of the Colorado River has had detrimental effects on the river and the area around the Colorado River Basin. This basin provides water around the entire southwest US. Not only are most of the endangered native fish now endangered, but all major bird migration stopping points have severely devastated by the changes in the functions of the river. The largest human impact of the changes in the Colorado River is the result of over allocated water supplies. Since there are now so many people reliant on this water source, it is no longer a viable, long term solution to the drought that is naturally common in this area.

The California 4.4 plan is a plan that is currently being developed. The point of this plan is for California to reduce its usage of the water from the Colorado River to only the 4.4 million acre-feet allotment. The only way that this plan will work is if the state of California prohibits any additional additions to this water source in order to sustain the amount of water available to this particular area. This is a very concrete, cut and dry plan. It seems a little unfeasible because many people are wishing to move and/or build in this area and having a stringent rule like the California 4.4 plan makes it difficult for people to maintain. The plan is viable if the California state government implements strict guidelines that regulate the plan that is mean to assist in sustaining the Colorado River basin for a length time.

References:

Sierra Club. “Colorado River Report.” Feb. 2001. Accessed: 8/8/10. Internet:

<http://www.sierraclub.org/rcc/southwest/coreport/index.asp>.

Withgott, Jay & Scott Brennan. Essential Environment: 3^rd Ed. Pearson Custom

Publishing: San Francisco, 2009.