American Rifleman
Home-defense is more than a static idea for confronting a bad guy. It is a comprehensive plan for surviving all potential disasters that includes all family members.
Very few would argue that having a home-defense plan is not an important thing. Unfortunately, most folks limit the scope of their thinking unnecessarily when considering home-defense. Home-defense is not just about using a firearm to defend against a violent criminal attack. It is also about defending the home and family against fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and any other situation, man-made or not, that places the family in danger.
Another major mistake is for the head of the household to think that he alone should devise a plan that will protect everyone. In a criminal attack, the man of the house may be the first one to fall. If that happens, what exactly is the rest of the family supposed to do? Who knows what tools to use and how to use them? Who knows who to call for help? Home-defense has to be the task of the entire family. And the entire family should be involved in the planning.
As painful as it may sound, it really wouldn’t hurt to turn the TV off for an hour, or so, and have an old-fashioned family meeting. This family discussion should begin by listing the various dangers that are possible in your area. If you live in Oklahoma, it is probably a waste of time to talk about hurricanes, but tornadoes are a different situation altogether.
Once the list begins to take shape, subsequent family meetings should work on developing a plan to deal with each situation. Lists of equipment and supplies that will be needed should be made, as well as deciding who is going to be responsible for taking care of those supplies and operating the equipment.