Drones Will Be Used Against You After The Collapse, Here's How To Fight Back!.
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When society collapses, whether through war, economic destruction, civil unrest, or some other large-scale disaster, most people imagine chaos in the streets, empty grocery stores, and people fighting over basic resources. But there’s another threat you need to be prepared for. One that flies silently overhead and could strike you before you even know you’re being watched. I’m talking about drones.
As someone who’s been researching prepping, reading articles, studying books, and creating survival content, I see a lot of talk about the same cookie-cutter topics. Water filtration, food storage, home invasions, and civil unrest. But I rarely see anyone talking about drones, or even asking me about them, and that’s a mistake. Drones are already a massive part of our world. They are used by hobbyists, by militaries, by law enforcement, and even by cartels. After a collapse, I truly believe drones will become a major concern, and not many people are thinking about it now, but they should be.
To see for myself how accessible this tech is, I even ordered a couple drones off of AliExpress. They were cheap, around thirty dollars each. And they worked. I also saw higher-end models being sold with full HD cameras, 50 times zoom, and flight times of twenty-two to thirty minutes, all for under two hundred dollars. You can get much better ones from companies like DJI. This kind of technology is available to anyone. After the collapse, criminals will absolutely use it the wrong way. Let’s break it down.
How Criminals Will Use Drones After the Collapse
If the power grid fails, the economy crashes, or civil war breaks out, drones will quickly become a critical tool for attackers. They are cheap, quiet, and extremely effective. And they will be used to scout, surveil, and attack.
The first and most obvious use will be reconnaissance. Criminals or roaming gangs will launch drones to fly over neighborhoods, countryside roads, and forested areas to look for signs of human activity. They will be scanning for solar panels on rooftops, vegetable gardens in your backyard, rainwater catchment barrels, smoke coming from chimneys, or even livestock.
If you’ve bugged out to a remote camp, don’t think you’re automatically safe. Drones can cover miles of wilderness and pick up trails, tracks, or even heat signatures from above. That camo tarp you set up may look hidden from the ground, but from the air, it might stand out like a billboard.
Some drones will have thermal imaging, which means they do not need daylight to find you. They can detect your body heat, the warmth of a running generator, or even a campfire. If you're cooking outside, they’ll see the heat plume. If you're walking in the dark, they’ll see your body glowing in infrared. Unless you actively work to hide that heat, you’re vulnerable. And they won’t just use these drones to watch. Some will use them to strike.
Drones Will Be Weaponized
In war zones like Ukraine, we’re already seeing what’s possible. Commercial drones are being modified to drop improvised explosives on enemy positions. You can find footage of drones dropping grenades through sunroofs or into trenches. The same thing can happen to you.
Post-collapse, criminals will use drones to drop pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs, or homemade incendiaries onto homes, vehicles, or camps. A single road flare dropped into dry brush could start a wildfire. A smoke bomb tossed into your backyard could confuse you long enough for them to rush your property. Some may drop rocks or debris through skylights to distract you before a ground attack. This is asymmetric warfare adapted for the collapse.
If you’ve made enemies, or if you’re guarding something valuable, drones will be part of their toolkit. They will scout, test your defenses, and possibly attack from above.
Do Not Advertise What You Have
One of the biggest mistakes people make in a collapse is showing what they have. If you own something that desperate people might want, keep it covered or bring it inside when it's not in use. That includes your generator, solar panels, rain barrels, even buckets and gardening tools. A drone flying overhead for two minutes can take a dozen high-resolution photos of your property. They’ll know what you have, what time you’re active, and whether you’re worth robbing.
You don’t need to live in fear, but you do need to live smart. If you’ve got gear, hide it. If you’re growing food, put it behind fencing or netting that breaks up the visual pattern from above. If your generator is running, place it in a shed or behind a sandbag wall. Muffle the noise and block the heat. Noise attracts people. Heat attracts drones. You cannot afford to make yourself a target.
How to Defend Yourself from Drones
You are not helpless. You can fight back. Start by limiting your visibility and heat signature. If you’re moving during the day in open areas, you’re easy to spot. Travel at night. Stay close to trees and shaded terrain. Forest canopies interfere with a drone’s line of sight and break up your outline.
To protect yourself from thermal drones, use mylar emergency blankets. These shiny blankets reflect heat and can distort your infrared signature. Wrap your shelter. Line the inside of your tarp. Cover stored gear. They won’t make you invisible, but they may throw off the drone’s thermal sensor just enough to protect you.
Now let’s talk about how to bring them down.
Shotguns. In Ukraine, soldiers and mercenaries have confirmed that 12-gauge shotguns with birdshot are highly effective against drones. One operator said he uses a Mossberg 500 and has downed multiple drones with ease. Birdshot gives you a wide spread, so you don’t need perfect aim. Just the right timing and angle.
Slingshots. If you want a quieter option, a high-powered slingshot is a great tool. Loaded with steel balls, marbles, or rocks, it can take down drones silently and without giving away your location. Slingshots are legal in most places and don’t require ammo you can’t find or make. They are light, reusable, and surprisingly powerful.
Anti-drone guns. These are more advanced tools that jam a drone’s signal using radio frequencies, causing it to crash or return home. They are expensive, starting around four thousand dollars, but if you are defending a large property, a group, or critical resources, they may be worth it.
Sandbags. Don’t underestimate them. Stack sandbags around your rooftop, generator, garden, or fuel stores. They block line of sight and absorb damage from explosives. Even a small sandbag wall around your gear could be the reason a drone fails to hit its mark.
Fire is a Weapon. Prepare for It
If drones are dropping flares or incendiaries, fire is going to be one of your biggest threats. You must be ready.
Every household should have at least two to four fire extinguishers rated for Class A, B, and C fires. That means fires caused by solids, flammable liquids, and electrical sources. Keep one near your back door, one in the kitchen, one in your garage, and one near your generator or tools. If you live on a homestead or larger property, have extras near fuel, outbuildings, and sheds.
Fires can spread fast, and in a collapse, there’s no fire department coming to save you. Your only option is to put it out yourself or watch everything you’ve built burn.
Expect Injuries. Build a Trauma Kit
Drones dropping explosives or sharp objects will cause injuries. And if you’re hit, you need more than a box of bandages.
You need a trauma kit. A real one.
Here’s what every prepper household should have:
Tourniquets like CAT or SOFTT-W
Pressure dressings such as Israeli bandages
Compressed gauze for wound packing
Hemostatic agents like QuikClot or Celox
Chest seals for puncture wounds
Nitrile gloves
Trauma shears
A nasopharyngeal airway with lube
Burn dressings or sterile burn sheets
Antiseptic wipes or iodine swabs
Eye shield and eyewash solution
SAM splint for fractures
Permanent marker to note tourniquet times
Emergency blanket
Basic trauma instructions in case someone else has to treat you
Train your group to use these tools. Don’t just own the kit. Know the kit. At the very least, if you don’t want to take an in person course, watch youtube videos from experts to see how you can use each item. Remember that when the collapse hits, you are your own medic.
My Final Warning
Drones are not just military tech. After the collapse, they will be used by gangs, looters, and anyone with bad intentions and access to basic tech. They do not need the power grid. They can be charged using solar panels, car batteries, or scavenged power stations. They’re quiet, fast, and deadly.
They will be used to scout your property, track your movements, cause chaos, start fires, and even kill. And they will be used by people in your own community, not just by organized forces or governments.
Hide your gear. Conceal your heat. Fortify your home. Train your eyes to the sky. Be ready to defend not just against what’s coming through the door, but what’s flying over it.
Keep prepping!

5 items every prepper should consider for emergencies
Alright guys, today I want to give you five items every prepper should have, and these are not the typical rice and beans or the flashlight everyone talks about. These are real tools that give you an advantage in a crisis.
First is a gas siphon pump. Most people forget how fast gas stations run out during any disaster. If the power is down, the pumps are dead. A siphon pump lets you pull fuel from abandoned equipment, cars,, lawnmowers, generators, anything that has fuel in it. You stay mobile, you keep your generator running, and you are not stuck hoping a gas station magically opens back up.
Next is a bulletproof jacket. Yes, they make these. Level 3A jackets that look like normal clothing. I talked about this inside Prepper Academy. You get quiet protection without drawing attention. In a real crisis you do not want to look tactical. You want to blend in and still be protected from handgun threats. These jackets are perfect for that.
Third is sandbags. Preppers forget about these. Sandbags give you an instant barrier around doors, windows, and weak areas of your house if things get dangerous. They slow down incoming fire and give you a fighting position if the neighborhood goes bad. And they are also useful for floods. If a water main breaks or a storm hits, sandbags keep water out of your home. They even help with embers and small debris during a fire. They are cheap, easy to store flat, and you can fill them in minutes.
Fourth is a good countertop water filter. Not a basic kitchen filter, I mean a real gravity fed system that can take outdoor water, lake water, rainwater, and make it safe to drink. The one I use filters the equivalent of sixty eight thousand plastic water bottles. In a crisis, clean water is everything. If you can filter your own, you have a massive advantage over everyone else standing in line for bottled water.
For the fifth item, Get a handheld thermal camera or binoculars. This is one of the most underrated tools in prepping. You can detect people or animals in the dark, see heat signatures through smoke, locate intruders hiding behind bushes, and even check your house for heat loss in winter. In a post crisis environment, being able to see what others cannot is a huge edge. Maybe you guys don't agree with me but I think for tactical purposes at night, its so valuable.
These five items might not be on every prepper checklist, but they give you mobility, protection, water security, and home defense, That is the level you want to be operating at.
#SafetyProducts

How To Do A Threat Assessment Of Your Neighborhood
Most preppers focus on food, water, and gear. But the truth is, your biggest advantage or your biggest danger will come from the people who live within a few streets of you. So here’s how you do a simple threat assessment of your neighborhood before any crisis happens.
Start by making a basic map of your block. Nothing fancy. Just house numbers and the layout of the streets. This gives you a clear picture of your surroundings if things ever go bad and the power or internet goes down.
Next, find out who actually lives in each home. You can look up property owners through public records. If it’s a long-term owner, that usually means stability. If it’s a rental, people may come and go. From there, look at basic public information. What do they do for work. Do they have skills that matter in a crisis like medical training, electrical work, or mechanical skills.
Now pay attention to the household itself. Is it a big family, older adults, or a bunch of roommates. Larger or chaotic homes can become unpredictable during an emergency. Homes with kids usually try to stay calm and safe. A home with elderly residents might need help. Understanding these dynamics helps you figure out potential strengths and weak points around you.
Then watch behavior. This tells you more than anything. If a house constantly has police visits, fights, or loud parties, that’s a red flag. If a home has frequent medical calls, that could mean health issues that leave the house empty or vulnerable later. If someone relies on takeout every night and rarely cooks, they probably don’t store much food, and they may hit desperation early in a long emergency.
Look for helpful skill sets too. Police officers, nurses, military members, or people who clearly work in emergency services can become valuable in a crisis. They might also be gone if they get called in to work, so keep that in mind.
Lifestyle risks matter as well. People struggling with addiction, unstable behavior, or constant arguments at home can become unpredictable fast when stress hits. You’re not judging them morally. You’re assessing risk realistically.
Also keep track of transient activity. Cars with people sleeping inside, RVs parked for long periods, or homeless camps popping up and disappearing are things you should note. These situations can escalate quickly during a disaster.
Finally, notice how people talk online in local groups. If someone constantly stirs up conflict, posts angry comments, or acts aggressive online, they usually act the same way when things get rough.
When you put all of this together, you’re not creating a giant file on your neighbors. You’re building awareness. Who around you is solid. Who might need help. Who has skills. And who might become a problem when resources disappear.
This is one of the most overlooked parts of preparedness. Your home matters. Your supplies matter. But knowing your neighborhood can be the difference between staying safe or getting blindsided when everything falls apart.

FINANCIAL PREPAREDNESS

Financial preparedness is one of the most important parts of survival, yet most people ignore it. A crisis is not only about food, water, and safety. It is also about money. During emergencies people lose jobs, banks close, cards stop working, and the cost of basic items goes up instantly. When your finances are stable, every crisis becomes easier to handle.

Why Financial Preparedness Matters
Most families are one or two paychecks away from disaster. If your income stopped today, how long could you survive. Financial stress is one of the fastest ways people lose control during a crisis. Bills pile up. Food becomes expensive. Gas becomes expensive. If you have no savings and no plan, panic takes over. Financial preparedness removes that fear.

Emergency Cash
Cash is still one of the strongest tools in an emergency. When cards go down or banks freeze for a few days, cash is the only thing that works. Keep some at home in a safe, hidden place. Even a small amount can help you buy food, water, gas, or supplies when everyone else is stuck waiting for systems to come back online. Cash also lets you move faster during a crisis instead of depending on technology.

Staying Out Of Debt
Debt is a silent threat. In an economic downturn debt becomes heavy. Interest goes up. Payments become harder. Falling behind damages your credit and adds unnecessary stress. Pay down your high interest debt as much as you can. Even slow progress helps. The less debt you carry, the stronger your financial position becomes during any emergency.

Building A Small Emergency Fund
You do not need thousands of dollars sitting in the bank to start. Begin with a small goal. One hundred dollars. Then three hundred. Then five hundred. Build it slowly. This money protects you from surprise bills, medical problems, car repairs, or sudden job loss. An emergency fund turns a crisis into an inconvenience instead of a disaster.

Keeping Expenses Low
Preparedness is not only about adding things. It is also about removing the things that drain you. High monthly bills, unnecessary subscriptions, and constant spending weaken your ability to prepare. Keep your life simple. Focus on what matters. The lower your expenses, the easier it is to survive unpredictable situations.

Essential Supplies Before Luxury
Some people buy luxury items before they build a real prepper foundation. A strong financial strategy means buying what you need before buying what you want. Food, water, medical supplies, and basic gear should come first. These items save your life. Everything else can wait.

Diversifying Your Income
If you only have one source of income, you are vulnerable. A layoff, a shutdown, or a company bankruptcy can change your entire life overnight. Look for small ways to create additional income. Selling items, freelance work, online side jobs, or learning a valuable skill. Even a small second income stream gives you more stability.

Recognizing Economic Red Flags
Learn to pay attention to the signs of economic trouble. Rising prices. Job layoffs. Supply shortages. Government spending. Bank instability. None of these mean panic. They simply mean awareness. When you see these signs, you tighten your budget and increase your preparedness.

Financial preparedness gives you freedom. It gives you control over your life when the world becomes unpredictable. When your finances are stable, you make better decisions, move with confidence, and protect your family without stress.

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