After 30 years in construction i see the exposure everywhere. You can almost kick your way through the siding to get in, and thats IF you didn't want to break one of the 15 windows that you could almost open with a butter knife. Its what i call security for honest people. Honestly, when the face brick stops at your hip, an exterior wall is not much harder to break through then an interior wall.
With the protection afforded the Sheriff's office, the local police and all the other LEO agencies you become less focused on physical security. If there is a need, police arrive almost instantly because everyone has an alarm thats monitored. Everyone knows police will show up and they depend on it. You are safe, but only because of the blanket provided by "the system".
My previous house, in the inner city, was built in the 50s. It had a brick skin to the roof line, steel casement windows. It even had a completely brick skinned 2.5 car garage that i had converted to a workshop. I had a generator inside the garage that only powered the basement and kitchen so we could keep a low profile in a blackout and the only light would be basement. It had steel pins drilled in the windows that basically made them iron bars when engaged and i made wood fill panels that would block the few windows that were of concern. It was a literally a fortress.
Since before Y2K i had been adapting that house for a sustained siege. Partly because the higher crime rate in the inner city, and partially because of my pepper nature, I had improved the security on the doors and windows. But there were other things, like It had a huge 8 x 15 walk in pantry, that was on and outside basement wall, without a heat vent. It stayed about 60 degrees year round and was lined with wood shelves that was amazing for food storage. The house was built with the idea of pantries and home food storage were common, because we were in the baby boom and remembered WWII. I knew "in the city" the police were somewhat less responsive, and i had "hardened" my residence and focused on being self reliant.
I contrast the two homes because, what happens when the police can't come? I talk a lot about bugging out, but thats actually the last resort. Shelter in place is a much more likely response to an event. And as much as i enjoy the suburban life, this suburban home actually makes me less secure and more vulnerable in a prolonged shelter in place. There is little difference in the population per square mile in the inner city and the suburbs when you think of crisis response. Neither has the physical space to ensure security. And the timing may be slightly delayed, but an overwhelmed law enforcement system would eventually be the case in both locations. The difference is, my previous residence gave me significant advantage in securing myself and family.
So anyway, as a self proclaimed prepper, I do the best I can to be ready. I have enough plywood against the wall of my garage to secure the two sliding door walls, and the front glass door. I have a quantity of 10 foot 2x4s bundled and standing in the awkward space beside the garage door. I keep enough carpenters nails and deck screws to put it all up. I have a number of staged items to allow me to create a perimeter around us, but its a trade off I made with my eyes open.
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