Helping the neighbours - in what situations....?

[jaffab]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?
2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?
3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?
4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?
5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?
6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?
7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run?

[Plymtom]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?

Not that straight forward it depend an awful lot on how things go down if it ever does happen, but as a general thing we have always kept ourselves to ourselves and had a s little to do with the neighbours as possible and plan to continue that way as long as we can

2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?
That's a trust issue I'd have to be cautious

3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?

This is all variable I may not know if they are question 4's but I am non confrontational as a rule
4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?

If I thought we were next either way sooner may be more prudent to act, but at what stage of a crisis could one go that far?

5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?

Depends on the neighbour

6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?

I probably couldn't anyway

7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run?

We can't it's a last resort

[Jamesey1981]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?

That depends on the neighbours, on one side there's some elderly people, I already help them out sometimes with bits of gardening that they're not up to doing, a lot of the other houses round me are students though so they're either going to have made a break for home or starved to death when their instant noodles ran out

2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?

I tell them nothing, but some of my neighbours are probably aware that I have firearms as although I am a discreet as possible they'll see me going or returning from shooting

3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?

If its neighbours that I care about then yes.

4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?
Then they're in trouble, and I'd rather deal with them while they're trying to break into someone else's house when I have the advantage than wait until they try breaking into mine

5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?

Depends on the neighbours, but if it's obvious that they have made no effort to look after themselves and they're not useful to me then bad luck I'm afraid

6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?

Hell no, but I might well help when it comes to scavenging or growing food, more people can cover more ground and are safer

7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run

When I have nearly run out of stores, and have no way of getting more in the immediate area, or if my house was actually destroyed, or so damaged as to no longer be safe from the elements or attack.

[Wales1]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?
Idealy yes. We live in a block of 4 flats-2 grondfloor/2upstairs, its really close proximity to each other (as upstrairs kids thunder around) but I wouldn't trust the daft bint upsairs not to burn the block down/flood our home. Theres strnght and security in numbers and co-operation.


2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?
I'd have 'A bit' ive stored stuff with the idea of trading some (coffee, chcolate ect) and but would I show them everthing....Nope....I'd be a bit vage in my answers.

3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?
Depends on the situ, I'd have to play that by ear, I'd be prepared to get involved but would I? Depends.


4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?
Then its a yes, as people have said before, best to deal with them before they turn on my place.....though trying to get into mine they might have some 'suprises'

5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?
Share a little....You may have to look these people in the eye and get along with them, once the lights come back on

6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?
nope. Lifeboat rules apply

7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run?
When the situation becomes untennable....Yes I have BOL in mind but no matter how much stuff you have I would still be a refugee.

[Deeps]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?
2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?
3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?
4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?
5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?
6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?
7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run?

Of course other scenarios are available also.

1) As a rule, I'll most likely work with the neighbours but these things aren't linear so its all speculative.
2) Again, I'd be staying rubber on how much I told them but in fairness I don't know what my neighbours have either, I don't buy into the 'sheeple' principle, most (but not all) will have something to offer, whether its skills or equipment (maybe a firearm or two), a strong back or even another prepper with an extra couple hundred days worth of food. People have all sorts of hobbies and skills so even if they don't have a load of zombie stores they might have the skills to grow or kill food for example, you can keep them hale and hearty in the short term and they can repay you with crops down the line.
3) Well if you're all on good terms it won't just be you that has to go and deal with these rapscallions. You're assuming that you're up to being able to do something about it on a good day. Asking the question in a non SHTF situation, would you accost 4 young guys on your own ? It might not be something you'd even consider, my wife wouldn't.
4) If some of the neighbours are not into the 'borg collective' then it would be 'them and us' so basically outsiders. If they were trying to rob the rest of us then it would be sore face time.
5) You'd really need to be more specific, what I would say is I'd not want to see a good person go without, if its organised and we all toss in at least a percentage of our stuff then we can help each other out. Again, neighbours might have all sorts of useful skills to swap for your food. Two of my neighbours are nurses, there's guys with trades, I've got solar panels on the roof, they automatically shut off if the grid is down, if someone has the skill to bypass this and rig them to some car batteries that might be useful and worth a feed, especially if they're willing to chip in on other fronts, whether that's being part of the 24 hour lookouts or helping to dig a trench to stop ram raiders. You see where I'm going I hope.
6) That would be a decision for the Coronation Street Republic Dictator/Council to sort out.
If it was somehow just me dealing with this as an individual I suspect I'd have a few friends rock up, if they bring their 'hangers on' then I've already decided I'd have a finite number. There's potential for messiness if family turn up and I have to ask someone to leave but I'm big enough and ugly enough to deal with it, unpleasant though it might be. Its also highly unlikely, this also has to be considered. Saying that if we're team handed we could be the 'bullies of the block' and go and take everyone elses stuff. I hasten to add that's a big NO from me, I'm not saying I'd be immune to doing bad things to feed ourselves but it would be a really really really last resort and unlikely.
7) Again, too woolly a question to call, if you're driven out then you've no choice. If you're running out of essentials then you either have to scout round for more or relocate. If its just you then scouting is tricky, do you leave the missus to fend for herself while you go off to look for the essentials or drag her with you. If you go back to question 1) and decide to work together then you can send foraging parties out while looking after your own area. Maybe some of the 'young team' who are a bit more fleet of foot, possibly the 4 lads who are nosing round the neighbours in question 3) have been sent out to look round some of the empty houses to see what they can 'liberate' and don't realise its occupied or whatever.

These things can't really be called, say you do decide to 'bug in' and try and stay under the radar in question 1) and other neighbours try and work together for a week or two, fight off other neighbours, forage for food, struggling by and then the 4 youths try and get into your house assuming its empty. I'm sure the Coronation Street Collective will be delighted to know that you've been living under their protective umbrella with a large stash of provisions. Oh how they'll laugh and slap their thighs.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything, its just that there's no point trying to assume........anything, you're going to have to be very reactive in any serious situation. The big one being is this going to be a scenario that the country will come back from or not, will law and order be restored and in a timescale that doesn't justify killing someone. If you do serious damage to or kill someone and a couple of weeks later law and order is restored you'll have a lot of explaining to do. If its 6 months later the courts might be busy and an amnesty handed out. You'll probably not know this at the time, it will all be intuitive. Personally I can't see it being an issue but if this is the stuff that concerns you then I'd lose your pre-held list of what you'd do and be very reactive, if things did deteriorate to this level people aren't going to be thinking too logically. If its going to 'stay' in a primitive state with no hope of order being restored then you might need other people who have different skills, its how our society works now and post apocalypse it would be the same just more so. Why avoid the ones nearest to you at the start of any difficulties just because the don't have 6 months worth of zombie stores ? If the 'bad times' go on for 7 months then you're all pooped anyway. Bin the list mate and play it by ear, if it happens.

[Britcit]

A general discussion on what would you do with your neighbours when the SHTF. Pick the situation you think is the most likely in your mind, and in your situation....

1) Do you work with your neighbours for defence, or bug in and lock up?
2) If you say yes, to Q1, how much do you tell your neighbours of what you have. What if they say "does anybody have any weapons/food/water stores"?
3) You notice one of your neighbours are in trouble (say a gang of 4 rascals are trying to kick down their door)... do you get involved?
4) What about if you see the 4 people trying to break in are other neighbours?
5) A neighbour is hungry, you have your prep food stash, do you share?
6) What about if you suspect that the neighbour will have his her family coming over to stay with them, and the word will get out and you will end up with the entire street/block on your doorstep. Do you feed them/everybody?
7) What would need to happen for it to turn from a bug in to bug out situation? When do you cut and run?

The most likely situation to happen in my mind here would either be extended power loss, or being cut off from food supplies due to extremely bad weather.

Under these circumstances my answers would be

1. I'd work with the neighbours. I don't know them all that well, but they are locals and have extended family in the area. Working with them put us in with a bigger crowd.

2. I'd be honest. As things stand I MAY have more tins and veg stored but they all keep sheep. I'd happy pool our resources. Chances are, we are all just as well armed.

3.Yes. I won't go into how.

4.Not going to happen, as they are all related. And I only have 4 'close' neighbours. We all be working together.

5. I'd share, if they also share their sheep. For food, not 'recreation'.

6. If all and sundry turned up, we would just start killing sheep to eat, so not an issue.

7. Fire. Earthquake. And then, we would cut and run to neighbours house.

[Plymtom]

I'm not going to cut and paste everything Deeps said, rather thank him for taking the time and trouble to say in more depth the very things I was thinking, the more I think on these SHTF scenarios we go on about despite other normal sh1t hitting us on a daily basis the more I feel that like or not one of the first things I would have to do is get to know the neighbours PDQ, almost everyone in this country will be on the same boat, obviously if it were total anarchy most if us would be at least trying to keep our heads down, selfish perhaps, or you could as I would say, I don't want to be part of the problem and really don't want or intend to make matters worse.

So interaction and cooperation are inevitable unless we can move to a woodland fort or hollowed out volcano, even then the 5 of us would need company to keep the hoards at bay, and the NHS, it's not just antibiotics that are hard to source, I have to take a 50 liter rucksack to the chemist monthly if all our prescriptions coincide and I doubt, no know we're far from the only preppers around this place in that boat, and of course as it's been said before, if after the trouble has passed the extremely well prepared dude pops up unscathed, when everyone else has been to hell and back, lost people, helped people, expecting to be treated or greeted nicely? Well they would be dreaming.

All these threads have a similar fault, if the situation discussed is in any way fluid, it becomes interpreted from either an individuals limited vision of what is going to come to pass, or a realist's who may try and go around in circles to oblige for a while, but eventually will have to say "I have a strategy, it's not written in stone, nor can it be, this scenario has too many variables, everything about it depends on those variables, being specific is not possible". --- Sound a bit like Mr Spock don't I? I think I'll write that one down.

[jansman]

My neighbourhood comes to me,then I decide. That sounds pompous? My wife and I have lived here for almost 30 years, in this house.In this village we have ( between us) lived here over a century.

The old villagers have gone.The ones we helped,and helped us too.Now we have 'urban' incomers. We have tried to communicate but they are too ' professional' to speak to yokels like us!

My late father's old mate,Geoffrey, lives opposite us.Last of the old locals.We look after him. That sounds really insular I know,but he was a market gardener and taught me a lot.And he was my Dads mate.

4 doors down my Daughter and partner live.Maurice lived there ( he was the local plumber) top bloke.But gone now.My DD partner is 25 but from the next village ( sounds like Deliverance!) and is good with lurchers and terriers and keeps a good strain of polecat ferrets too,as his dad was the gamekeeper on the estate. That lad is onside!

As for the rest of em.They help themselves before I do. As things are now, I don't pay their bills or pick up their mortgage payments. Why should I feed them if crap happens?

[junmist]

Well if I saw my neighbour being burgled I would call the police, so if I saw that someone was trying to kick a door down I would try to help them. Would I tell them I had food

[ForgeCorvus]

Well if I saw my neighbour being burgled I would call the police, so if I saw that someone was trying to kick a door down I would try to help them . Would I tell them I had food

Help the door owner or the door kicker??

Beat the rush..... Ask them if they've got any food