In scenarios where public order has broken down, such as government collapse, national EMP strikes, natural disasters, rebellion, and others, looting frequently occurs.
Looting can start immediately, or it can take a while to gain traction. In either case, it is exploitative behavior in which the looters seek personal gain by taking what they want or need from others.
This exploitation can be aimed at survival needs but is often for monetary or personal gain. Here are some of the items looters will take first from your property.
Look around the house sometime, and think about the value of all the stuff you have. Not how much money you paid for it – consider how important it is to you. Some things will be valuable to you because you use them all the time. Some will have sentimental value. Some will be important just because you like them. It’s a safe bet that if you were told you had to get rid of half your stuff, you could list your belongings in order of importance pretty easily.
If the SHTF and society collapses, the order of that list is likely to change quite dramatically. For example I have three English longbows which I love, and a compound bow that I don’t particularly like at all. In a crisis, though, the compound will be a lot more important to me, because while it’s no fun to shoot it’s more accurate, much more compact and, generally, a far more practical hunting weapon. You’ll know which of your own possessions will be worth most in an emergency.
