The current economy and loss of jobs has caused an epidemic of home invasions. Some cities and communities have decided that it is better to cut the spending on police and fire departments causing a decline in the amount officers and fire fighters that are readily available to protect its citizens. Currently, all over the United States there are definite increases in robberies and burglaries.

There has also been a definite increase in home invasions. Home invasions are different than a burglary or robbery. Most burglaries and robberies are done during the day or early evening, the thieves try and rob homes that are unoccupied. They will even scope out the area where you live trying to take notice of daily schedules and what houses are advertising alarm systems.

Home invasions can occur at anytime and the invaders want the house to have your family in it. They will use your family as leverage to get what they want. They wil threaten, torture, beat , and murder anyone in the house if they think that will get them what they want. They have no regard for your life or any members of your family including your children.

I wrote another article today about home invasions and how my children questioned the reasons and what to do if something like that happened at our home. I decided to research information on what to do if your a victim of home invasion. What do you do during the attack ? I was amazed to find tons of information on prevention but not much on what to do when you are in the middle of the attack.

I have found bits and pieces of things that you can do during an attack and decided to take all the bits and pieces and put them in one article. It may not be something you ever have to worry about but knowledge is power.

Prevention

There are supposed to be ways that you can prevent a home invasion however when you read the stories of home invasions that have happened this month, some of these things were in place but because of normal daily routines, they weren't a factor in preventing the home invasion.

Alarm systems are supposed to prevent home invasions. Making sure that you keep your alarm turned on at all times helps if someone kicks in your door or breaks through a window. The alarm may or may not scare the invaders away. The other part about the alarm system is that a lot of people don't use them during the day if they even use them at all.

Garage doors are another part of prevention. Don't leave them open all the time. However, if there are invaders they may enter when you open the door. This was true of a case that happened in Atlanta a week or so ago. The man opened the garage door to walk his dog and he was attacked. The invaders then enetered his home and brutalized his family through the door from the garage.

Flood lights and perimeter lights are another way to try and prevent invaders from coming on your property. If nothing else they make you aware when someone or soemthing might be there.

People believe that having chains on the door will help keep invaders out. This is not true because the chains easily pop when the door is kicked in. Make sure that you have a peep hole in the door that allows you a big view of what is on the other side.

Don't answer the door if you don't know who is there. Make sure and teach your kids that they should never answer the door without a parent in their presence.

Make sure that at all time all yours doors are locked. Front door, back door , garage door. Any door that leads to outside should be locked at all times whether you are home or not.

Family Home Invasion Plan

A great majority of families have fire escape plans. Everyone knows what to do and where to go if a fire breaks out in the house. There is no reason not to have a home invasion plan in place also.

A family home invasion plan is something that could save some if not all of your family from invaders. Discuss what a home invasion means. Think about what to do. If it's possible and the family can scatter during the invasion, make sure your children know to run to a neighbors, to get themseleves out of the house. There is no need for heroism. Make sure your children know how to use 911. Make sure your children know if they can't run to get out of the house, they know where they can hide.

Also explain to your children that jumping through windows and off balconies is a viable option for escape if there seems to be no other way out. A few scratches and bruises or even a broken bone may be better than what the invaders of your home have planned for your family.

Sometimes during a home invasion, children are overlooked and so they need to be able to be prepared to run and get help.

Weapons

Invaders in a home invasion are more likely to be armed when they come into your house. If they aren't they will arm themselves when they get in. In one home invasion this month, a man was beaten by the invaders with his own baseball bat.

If you have a gun or mace in your house and the position presents itself where you can use it, do it but be concise. Do not ever try to shot the invader if they have a gun pointed at you unless it is your last hope for survival. Home invaders don't come into your house to just chat with you, they mean ill will towards you and your family. If you are in a fist fight with them and you are trying to defend yourself, try to make hard blows that count. Go for the nose or face, try kicking in the groin but whatever you do, take the opportunity to get away if they fall.

Don't Panic

That doesn't sound like an easy thing to do when you are faced with your own mortality and that of your family. Try to keep your mind clear and look for advatages to try and get away or defend yourself. Try to find a logical solution to survive. If you can be compliant to their demands, do so, but also always look for a way to escape. You might be able to catch them off guard.

Number One Most Important Thing To Keep In Mind

There is nothing in your house more important than you or your family. There is nothing that can't be replaced except you and your family.

This article has been written to hopefully give people power. Every home invasion is different. There are no definite things that will happen during a home invasion other than the fact that your life and the life of your family isn't worth much to the invaders.

There is nothing wrong with being prepared. We teach our kids what to do during a fire and the odds of a fire happening are slim, but our kids know what to do. The same thing is valuable for a home invasion plan.

In todays world, with the economy the way it is, some people are desperate to take from people what is not theirs. They will stop at nothing to take it, even at the loss of your families lives.