info@survivaltribenetwork.com
Preppers are always looking for intel that could help them plan for the future or even help them survive a disaster. But, with so much information available, it can be difficult to know where to start.
This article will provide you with some tips and tricks on how you can use area intel to your advantage and make better decisions about what lies ahead.
What Is Area Intel
As all of you readers may not be familiar with this prepping term, I have chosen to discuss it before we get into the details.Area Intelligence is a term often used in military operations.
It’s essentially the process of gathering information about a specific area or environment through various means of surveillance.
The goal is to gain knowledge about the terrain, infrastructure, and major assets to make informed decisions about how to move forward with your mission.
Area intel can be very useful for preppers when planning how you will survive a disaster or emergency.
For example, let’s say there has been a tornado, and you need to leave your home for safety reasons because there isn’t enough food or water left in your house anymore. You need to scope out a place before you move there.
This is what area intel is; making sure you put thought and effort into your decision to move to a new area instead of going with your gut.
Area Intel Starts With Observation
The first step to area intel is observation. Observation is a form of intelligence gathering, but it’s also the foundation for all other forms of intel.
For example, if you want to know which direction an enemy will come from and whether they are likely to be armed, you need to observe them gather information.
Observation means more than just watching people or places; it also means making observations about them. This includes observing what they do and how they interact with each other.
Observation can help you make decisions based on facts rather than assumptions or guesses—and it’s also a critical tool for making plans that have been vetted by others before implementing them yourself!
Knowing What To Look For Is Important
Knowing what to look for is important. In fact, it’s one of the most important things you can do as a prepper. You know this already but let me say it again: knowing your surroundings is crucial to survival.
The environment you find yourself in will have a big effect on how easily you can survive there and what it takes to keep yourself safe.
Knowing the terrain and weather conditions will help determine where you set up camp or live in during an emergency situation. Knowing the people who live around you will also help determine whether they are friendly or hostile toward outsiders (and if they might pose a threat).
Knowing the culture of an area can even make all the difference between being able to procure food and shelter when supplies run short or having them taken away from you by someone else who knows how things work in that area better than anyone else does.
Take Notes
Once you’ve identified a location to target, you need to observe and take notes. This is the most important part of your intel-gathering process.
While it may be tempting to rush in and act on your findings, this can cause more harm than good. You’ll know what you’re looking for if you have a plan or have prepared in advance.
You should also know where to look and what type of information to write down about each location (i.e., weather, number of people). This will make it easier for you when compiling all of your intel into one place later on so that it becomes easy enough for anyone else who needs access to find out about it as well!
Why Is Observation Important
It’s important to understand the purpose of your observations. Are you developing a specific skill set for yourself, or are you doing it for the benefit of your family and community? The answer to this question should be a driving force behind what types of skills and knowledge you develop.
For example, if the goal is to make sure that your family is prepared for an emergency situation, then learning how to shoot a gun shouldn’t be high on the priority list.
On the other hand, if an emergency situation arises in which people need food and water, knowing how to hunt or grow crops would be very helpful in providing those necessities.
By understanding where each skill sits within your overall strategic plan, you’ll be able to identify which ones are most appropriate at any given time.
Collecting Area Intel Greatly Increases Your Chances Of Survival
As a prepper, it is important to collect as much area intel as you possibly can. The more information you have about your location, the better your chances of survival will be.
You don’t want to make any assumptions about what may or may not happen in the future. If there are threats nearby, then these threats need to be identified and dealt with appropriately before they become serious problems for you and your loved ones.
The Future Is Easier To Predict If You Understand The Present
For example, let’s say that you’re a prepper who wants to know what the best source of food will be in the future. You could just guess based on your own preferences and biases, but then you’d have no way of knowing whether or not your guess was right.
Instead of guessing, let’s say that you assume that people like porridge more than granola bars. Then when researching how many calories are in each item (and I’m sure there is an app for this), see which one has more calories per serving.
This will give you an idea about which food has more protein and fat—which are essential for growing bodies such as those belonging to children who are about to become adults later in life.
You may be wondering why all of this has been discussed here. Well, are intel consists of two words. Intel, which stands for intelligence, also means that you need to make decisions that will ensure your survival and the survival of your prepper community.
Once You Have The Intel, You Need The Right Plan Of Action
A good strategy for surviving a disaster is to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. However, it’s important to focus on planning for everything in between as well. For example, what if things turn out better than expected? Or worse than expected? What about all of those possibilities in between?
You should always have a backup plan or two and be flexible enough so that you can adjust your strategy quickly if necessary. You should also keep safety as your top priority at all times, even if that means failing miserably at something else (like hunting).
Area Intel Is A lot More Than Observation
Area intel is a vast topic, and this article cannot cover it completely. But, by the end of it, you will surely have an idea of what it truly means and how preppers can use it to improve their living conditions in order to guarantee the safety and security of them and their families and communities as well. Let’s take a look at other things that should be a definite part of intelligence gathering:
•You should know the population
This is important because a big city or town may have a lot of people, but there may not be many jobs available. A smaller town might have fewer people, but they will likely have more opportunities for work and businesses that can help you out in a crisis.
The first thing to look at when evaluating an area’s demographic makeup is its population size. You want to make sure that there are enough people living in the region so that there will be adequate resources, such as food and shelter, for everyone in case of an emergency or disaster.
The next thing to consider is population density. Population density refers to how many people live per square mile or kilometer within a given region.
If there are fewer people per square mile or kilometer than what’s considered normal for your area, then this means that it might take longer for emergency services and resources such as clean water and medicine to reach certain areas during times of need, as they tend to help places with higher population first.
• Learn As Much As You Can About Socioeconomics
Knowing how much money is in circulation and where it’s being spent is important because it can give you an idea of how stable that region’s economy is.
If there are lots of people saving, chances are good that the economy won’t collapse anytime soon—but if all the available liquid assets have been spent on goods and services, then there may not be enough cash to pay for essentials like food when a disaster happens.
Knowing this will help you make better decisions about what areas are worth investing in when looking for a new home or business location.
• Check The Local History
Get to know your area’s past, including its government and economy. What is the history of the local government?
Has it been stable for a long time, or are you moving into an area that has historically had more than its share of turmoil?
Do you want to live in an area where there is likely to be unrest, or do you want to live somewhere where things are relatively calm?
What is the history of the local economy? Does it change frequently, and how does that affect your decision-making process when preparing for disaster scenarios in this area.
Your location may not be ideal if there are frequent recessions and depressions which could mean that your assets will lose value while they sit un-replaced by new ones.
You might want to avoid areas or places where industries have gone out of business, leaving empty factories behind them, like Detroit with nothing but blighted streets and abandoned buildings.
• Don’t Forget About The Climate
The climate of an area is just as important to consider as the people and terrain. The climate can affect how you dress, travel, and build your home and your plans for survival.
For example, if it’s cold where you live, then you may want to consider building a base with heaters or fireplaces in it. This will help keep the temperature up so that those inside aren’t freezing their butts off all winter long!
Also, remember that if it frequently rains in an area, then there might be more flooding than normal during heavy rainfalls or hurricanes/typhoons (if applicable).
It would also be a good idea not only to have a plan for what happens when there’s the flooding around but also beforehand–such as having extra water stored away somewhere safe from harm in case something like this happens while they’re out getting supplies too!
• Always Look For An Escape Route
Regardless of the fact that the new place you discovered is safe, you should make sure to check for an escape route for the possibility of if things go bad.
If you are going to make a run for it, then you need a plan. You will need to consider how the terrain is and what kind of obstacles are in your way. If possible, you should map out your route beforehand so that when the time comes, you can head straight for safety without having to stop and get lost.
The plan would also include whether or not to take anything with you or leave it behind. For example: if there is nothing valuable left at home, then there is no point in risking your life trying to save it.
On the other hand, if someone, in particular, has something important like medication or another piece of equipment that may be helpful during an evacuation scenario, then maybe taking those things along would be worth risking danger over them being left behind by themselves (or worse yet destroyed).
It’s important too that whatever area you live in should have some sort of transportation system because if not, then they probably won’t be able to make their own way out safely even if everything else goes according out perfectly well according to plan (which rarely happens).
Practice OPSEC
When we talk about OPSEC, we’re talking about using common sense to protect your security and privacy. In the same way that you’d lock your house and car before leaving them unattended, you must take steps to ensure that others cannot gain access to your personal information.
OPSEC is a military acronym that stands for “operational security.” It’s a practice of protecting sensitive information from being disclosed by those who shouldn’t have it.
Practicing OPSEC is not just important when living in an urban environment (where there are more people around). If you live on a homestead or off-grid property and have neighbors close by, then practicing OPSEC will help keep your life safer as well.
As far as preppers go, knowing how to practice good OPSEC habits becomes essential when it comes time for disaster scenarios or even just day-to-day survival situations where people may not be friendly towards one another anymore (because they could be desperate). Remember: knowledge is power!
Choose Effective Firearms
Firearms can be a valuable tool for a prepper, especially when scoping out new areas. They are also useful in defense of your home or camp against intruders. The most effective firearms for the purpose of hunting and self-defense are rifles and shotguns, but handguns may be more easily concealed.
Many preppers have guns for self-defense, but they also use them for hunting. This is important because you need to be able to feed yourself in the event of a disaster scenario.
You do need a license to get your hands on a firearm, but it is assuredly an investment that may very well save your life. So, if you are new to the world of prepping, you need to be prepared for all scenarios. Buying a firearm is the correct thing to do.
Harden Home For Backup Purposes
If you have a safe room in your home, it’s important to make sure that room is well-protected. Install heavy-duty locks on the doors and windows, as well as security cameras and motion sensors to alert you when someone enters or leaves the room. You can also install electric fencing around the perimeter of your property that will sound an alarm if someone tries to cut through it.
If you don’t have a safe room yet, now is an excellent time to get one built! Ask around at home improvement stores for recommendations on what materials would best be used in building such a thing — they’ll be able to tell you what would work best given your climate conditions (cold vs. hot) and frequency of natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes).
This tip is important if you have moved to a new place but are unfamiliar with the environment. As a prepper, this is not what I recommend, but it may be that you moved quickly due to quickly developing situations. Regardless, a safe room will go a long way in making sure you will remain safe, whether during an attack or during a natural disaster.
Create Observation Posts Around Your Property
You should also consider creating observation posts around your property. These are places where you can get a good view of the surrounding area, and they should be placed as high as possible when possible. They should also be difficult to access so that potential intruders will not be able to see or climb up to them easily.
In order to make an effective observation post, you’ll want two people: one who is scanning the area through binoculars and another who is keeping track of their location on a map or GPS device (and maybe even a range finder).
The person with binoculars will have more information about what’s going on around them, but without someone nearby who knows where they’re located, it’s hard for them to make decisions based on what they’re seeing.
Protect The Perimeter Of Your Property
One of the best ways to protect a perimeter is with razor wire. This can be used at the top of fences and trees where intruders may try to climb over, or even in conjunction with other types of fencing.
While this may seem like an extreme measure, it can be extremely effective in deterring potential threats. One good place for it would be around your windows and doors, which are often easy points for entry into your home if they aren’t locked properly or securely enough.
Razor wire is easy to find online through several different retailers who specialize in selling this product. It comes in lengths ranging from 3 feet up to 100 feet long, so you have plenty of options depending on how much coverage you need from intruders at any given time!
Conclusion
Area Intel is extremely vital for preppers, and it’s a skill that everyone should learn. It can help you stay safe and escape danger in an emergency situation by keeping you up to date on what’s going on around your town or city as well as giving you an idea of what types of disasters may be waiting for you when a disaster situation occurs.
The most important part about area intelligence is knowing how to interpret the data that’s being presented to you so that it makes sense and doesn’t overload your brain with too much information at once.
In this article, we’ve covered some basic tips for interpreting area intel so that it gives its fullest benefit without confusing or overwhelming anyone who reads it.