As Hurricane Milton approaches west central Florida, highways are backed up for miles with evacuees, creating a perfect storm for looters to monopolize on the impending weather event.
"If you think you’re going to go in and loot, you got another thing coming," Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a briefing at the state’s Emergency Operations Center.
"If you go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, think that you’re going to be able to commit crimes, you’re going to get in really serious trouble. And quite frankly, you don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state."
Geoff Fahringer, who worked for 50 years in law enforcement and has taught a number of courses centered around emergency preparedness, explained how homeowners can make their properties less attractive to would-be burglars.
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1. Make it look like someone is home
Fahringer said that although power outages are expected, homeowners can leave lights on and even music playing inside their homes to make it appear as though they are inhabited.
"Hopefully, if you have an in-home generator or the power doesn't go out, the home [will] look like someone's there," Fahringer told Fox News Digital. "That's the first thing we should do is in any situation when we're not home, make it look like we're home."
2. Advertise alarm systems and cameras around the home, even if you don't actually have an alarm or surveillance system
Fahringer said that visible cameras and stickers notifying would-be criminals of alarm systems are good deterrents, and even if you don't actually have these systems in place, some cheap dupes can make those criminals think twice.
"A very smart move as a deterrent to crime on your property is [to] go on Amazon and buy a set of fake cameras," he said. "There's cameras on Amazon as low as $30 for a set of four that are solar activated or batteries or solar-powered. And they actually have a little red blinking light that's blinking to show that the camera's recording, even though it's a fake camera. For as little as $10, you can buy stickers for your window to show that the house has an alarm system."
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3. Form an action plan with neighbors
If you are evacuating and your neighbors are not, considering communicating with them to keep an eye on your property and make themselves visible if something looks awry.
"Get together with your neighbors and have a discussion. What would we do? What is your plan? If there [are] strangers in the neighborhood now, day to day, it's an important conversation," Fahringer said.
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"Criminals hate an audience," Fahringer continued. "Think about coyotes. Coyotes are looking at a herd of deer. The last thing they want to do is be seen by the herd of deer. If you think about it, criminals [are] nothing more than two-legged coyotes. They don't want witnesses."
Fahringer said that neighbors don't have to directly confront strangers in the neighborhood. Instead, they should make noise to alert the rest of the neighborhood to their presence.
"It's enough to let strangers in the neighborhood know that you see them," he said.
"You start seeing a strange car in a neighborhood down the street, hit your alarm button," he said. "Your neighbors are going to hear it. Everybody comes out and sees what's going on."
Fahringer also suggested getting a compressed airhorn to ward off burglars and get the attention of other neighbors.
"It's going to alert and probably frighten off or cause the criminal to change their plan," he said. "It gets the neighbors aware that something's going on."
You should share contact information with your neighbors so that if they see something strange happening at your home, they can keep you informed.
4. If you own a firearm, take training classes and know how to use it
Florida is a "Stand Your Ground" state – if you are home in the wake of Hurricane Milton and an intruder breaks into your property, you are within your rights to use a firearm. However, Fahringer said it's important to be prepared to use it.
"Most people have a false opinion on how they would deal with an armed threat. And a lot of it's based on what they saw in movies and TV," he said. "Most people hesitate or even not respond and actually fire a weapon. And that's really a good thing. That's the way we should be."
"If you decide you are going to become an armed citizen, I would beg you to take training classes," he said. "You have to learn how your weapon works. You really should learn how all similar types of weapons work, like the one you own. And you should take actual classes on how to safely handle that weapon. And part of those classes should be learning the laws of your state [regarding] the use of deadly physical force or even threatening deadly physical force."
