Riots
Riots and large hostile crowds - How to survive them.
Riots don’t “just happen.” There is usually some other event that comes before the riot which prompts it to happen. We all know people and mobs can be just a crazy and even more dangerous than natural disasters. People riot for all sorts of reasons and at any given time. Sometime it’s about politics, sometimes it's due freedom of speech, people riot to stop wars or try and influence political decisions. If global warming happens as some predict then there will be food shortages in addition to all the other side effects and that might cause riots. If a town's favorite team losses the big game there might be riots. Anything can set off a riot and some are much worse than others. Riots can strike just about anywhere or anytime so if you take a few minutes to prepare yourself you might save yourself from becoming another statistic.
If you doubt that you could ever be caught up in a riot. Youtube has footage of hundreds of riots all over the world. Thousands die each year from civil unrest and rioting. Some riots are much larger than other and therefore typically more dangerous but just b/c you don't see it on the evening news doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Riots can be deadly to you or your family so you need to know what to do just in case.
The best way to handle riots is to get away before they happen. As mentioned above riots are usually proceeded by some compelling event. Events can raise anger levels in certain areas often many days in advance. If you think there is even a hint of a chance that a riot might break out it might not be a bad idea to get a way for a day or two. and avoid the situation all together. If you can’t get away from the riot, which can be tough, make sure you only defend the things that you absolutely need. If someone wants to smash your car in during a riot…let them. No point in getting mobbed over something that can be replaced. Remember in a riot your personal security and the security of your family is priority number one. However, I imagine martial law won’t be too far behind so make sure you see how to prepare for dealing with martial law.
Obviously, the bigger the riot the more damage there will be. We've all seen the pictures and heard the stories about the total anarchy that goes on during a riot. The power goes out. Basic social services such as protection from the police or fire departments and even ambulances have trouble providing their respective services during times of social unrest. The biggest issues you will face during a riot are issues related to security and eventually depending on how long the riot or the public lock down that follows lasts you might have some issues related to supplies like food. In most cases there might be a curfew but 24 hour lock downs are unlikely as people need to get supplies to live and to their jobs to work.
Ten things you can do to help survive a riot
1. First and foremost like in any situation, remain calm.
2. Get inside a secure location and stay there. Most riots don't last very long and even if they do last a long amount of time rioters often break and the intensity of the riots will have peaks and valleys providing you a time to escape when the action is at a lull and safety is at it's best. When you do decide to leave make sure you leave as a group. There is safety in numbers. When you do decide to leave make sure you don't run unless you have to. Don't give people a reason to chase you a reason for police to think you might be up to no good.
3. Don't get involved. If you do come across a riot (or it comes across you.) try and blend it on the sidelines. Don't stick around to watch. Don't provoke anyone. Keep your eyes down and walk away from the hostility. (unless you find yourself trapped in a large mob then go with the flow and don't fight the current of the mob.)
4. Avoid public transportation. During a riot most cities public transportation in that area will probably be non functional. If it is then try and avoid it b/c buses and train are hard to escape from and generally large crowds collect and escape to these transportation hubs.
5. Avoid large/ main streets. Try and stay on side streets where the crowds and police are less likely to gather. If you take your car be prepared to leave it in case of a road block or traffic or the roads become impossible to pass.
6. Blend in. If you find a riot is targeting a group of people or type of person then try and not wear something that might identify you as someone the mob might be looking for.
7. Don't confront the rioters. You can't reason with a mob. Whatever you do do not confront any of the rioters. Remember there are no rules in a riot and no one is safe. The only thing worth fighting for is your life or that of your family or friends.
8. Don't confront the police. Don't give the police an excuse to harm you either by arresting you, using chemicals on you, or even worse shooting you. Obey all police commands and you will more than likely live to see a another day.
9. The best way to survive any confrontation is to avoid it all together. If you can stay hidden then there is no one anything or anyone can hurt you. Evade and avoid all confrontations.
10. Be prepared to buy your way to safety if you need to. There might be check points between you and safety. (an airport, police station or embassy if you are over seas.) These check points can be manned by many different types of people from corrupt cops, rioters, gangs, to legitimate cops. The fact of the matter is no one knows who is at a check point until you arrive at it. If you have cash bring it with you. (Keep your cash in several different places so if one stash gets stolen you might be able to keep the others.) Also it's easier to negotiate a price if you only pull out 100 bucks instead of a wad of ten $100 bills. Bribe prices are usually decided by how much they THINK you have.
Ten survival tools that might help you survive a riot.
- Flashlight (Here is the safety flashlight we recommend for all emergency situations.)
- Cash (Keep hidden in several different areas on your body.)
- Small knife
- Map of surrounding area
- Compass
- Fire starting tool - Either a lighter or a flint stick
- Food and water
- Blanket for shelter and warmth
- Passport and legal identification papers.
- Small Radio
Riot survival books that we recommend.
by Rainer Stahlberg
We enjoyed "The complete book of survival"by Rainer Stahlberg because the he covered absolutely every disaster you might be unfortunate enough to run into. He touches on how to survive everything from riots and civil unrest to famine and even alien invasion. It's a great addition to your survival library. If you have never even thought about what do in case of riot, famine or gang wars this is a great place to start. This will direct you better the the skills you should learn and those you shouldn't bother with. Since you never really know for sure which disaster you are going to have connect with it is nice to have a reference that you can refer to that pretty much covers any and all disasters. What I really like about this book other than the vast amount of different disaster both man made and natural that it covers is how it uses the day before the disaster as "day one." There are more than 17 reviews on Amazon so don't just take our word for it, it's a good and interesting book.
Go to Amazon and check out the book and read the other readers reviews. See why "The Complete Book of Survival." is a must have for your survival library
by Rex Applegate
Since security will be one of your most immediate problems you face when in a riot situation it is important that you know how to defend yourself. You might not be at home and need to fight your way to your family and then even worse if you can't shelter in your home, you might need to fight your way out of the riot area. Below is an illustrated book we like for self defense. You will see the reviews on Amazon which also like and recommend the book.
We have an entire section devoted to Self Defense, Personal and Home Security for Emergency Situations
Check out Amazon and read the other readers reviews. Learn the skill you need to survive b/c in the worst crisis you either kill Or Get Killed
If you are interested in learning how the authorities or civil services might respond to a riot or a civil disturbance than the book below might be interesting to you.
You can buy all the books mentioned here at Amazon and check out the reviews from other readers.