Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Ezekiel 4:2 – Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.
History
Walls were used to protect societies for a very long time. Uruk in Mesopotamia was one of the earliest examples of fortified walls that protected a city. It wasn’t long before settlements arose that people realized they must protect themselves from others.
The best way to defend against invaders was a nice big wall to keep them out.
As with all of humanity's skills throughout the ages, the simple fortification of a civilization evolved into much more complex and effective means. As well as having the fortification of the wall itself, there were other defenses included.
A smaller wall was often constructed around the larger more fortified wall. The space between the two walls was often filled with other obstacles as well. The path between the invading force, the precious people, and resources within the walls grew larger and more complex. Ditches and moats were also used to slow down invading forces.
Materials for Building Walls
In a modern collapse, the need for fortified neighborhoods will arise again. This is not just something reserved for the zombies. Your community will be in grave danger if you are living through an SHTF scenario and hordes of desperate people are trying to survive.
They will come for what you have and then they will burn the rest to the ground to keep warm.
Let’s look at some materials that can be used to fortify your community soon after a collapse. This wall will have to go up fast, so we are going to look at the quickest ways to make it happen. Sourcing and cutting stone from a quarry in an urban survival situation is just not realistic.
Cars
Cars are heavy and they are also valuable. I know that this is a radical idea, but cars can be used to build a serious barrier between your community and any outsiders. Just parking them around any open roads that lead to your community is one method.
This will not keep people out, but it will keep cars out.
You could also turn these cars on their sides. This will take effort but will make it much harder for people to get into your community. If you were to couple this obstruction with gunfire, you would be hard-pressed to find a group willing to take that on.
To roll a car on its side, depending on size, you will need about 4-5 strong men.
Be sure that you push the car in neutral and have someone steer it to just the right location. Once you lift the car on its, side there is no moving it. Even an attempt to flip it back onto its tires could get you a broken axel.
Line the cars up nose to end on their sides to create a formidable wall. It will slow the passing of people into your community. You can go one step further to make vehicle passing impossible. It will require lengths of serious cable.
Begin by running the cable through your car wall from the back windshield through to the front. Affix the cables at the ends of every 10 or so cars. If someone attempts to drive through your wall of cars, they will have to take 10 cars with them and that won’t work for any kind of vehicle.
Felled Trees
If you live in an area that has lots of trees and lots of homes, your community could best be protected by strategically cutting down trees. At a minimum, trees should be felled over all main routes in and out of the community. If you are in a situation where gas has run out and people are searching for scraps of meat to survive, this will be a must.
These felled trees also offer a great option for building nearly impenetrable walls made of stacked logs. These will take time and tools to get through. The very best method will include creating large notches in your wall. This is a method often used in building retaining walls.
Another resource like felled trees that can be used is telephone poles. If we have suffered something like an EMP, it may be in your best interest to put those power poles to some use. Check out this great video on building a wall from telephone poles.
Earth Bags
Earthbags are a great option for building. Ideally, they should be filled with sand, but even walls made of bagged dirt can create a huge obstacle for those involved. People are building entire homes from earthbags. Check out the technology here.
By investing in the minimal fee of the bags, you have the potential to build up walls that will stop gunfire. These bags or another type of bag could be stored. Try approaching your civic association about flooding if you are in a floodplain. They may kick some money into a purchase as well.
Building with earthbags takes some planning and a lot of back work. This should be a community objective. However, you will find that legitimate structures can be built. Each bag is filled with dirt or sand and stacked on top of the other. They are layered and sturdy because of the weight of the sand.
To see the process in action, watch an actual small home being built by these bags in this amazing video.
Fortification Inside the Walls
Fortified walls were only abandoned once civilizations adopted forts and regular watches from towers. Of course, weapons advancements also allowed for the walls to come down in some areas. Paris actually had a wall around it in the early 1900’s. So, they did not all go away quickly.
If you are fortifying your area, you must have a dedicated security patrol force that is willing to stay at their posts. This lead time will make an enormous difference in readiness. Your security force will be responsible for perimeter walks, daily structural inspection of the walls, and maybe even some short-range recon.
I would also recommend a serious armaments team that pays attention to weapons. A group to clean, count, and repair weapons will be crucial. If the world has reached such a point where walled warfare makes a return, life will be very hard. You will be in an all-out war situation where every advantage must be taken.
Fortified Relationships
There is no enemy more powerful than the enemy within. As Americans, we like the idea of fortification through steel and bullets. The fortification of community relationships is vital to a survival community.
In fact, I would say most of our issues in the nation today stem from us not having one on one dialogue with as many people as we can in our neighborhoods.
You will be able to improve your fortifications as well as the condition of the society within if you are listening to others. There is no need to agree with everything someone says, but to consider all thoughts will make your walls and what’s within them much stronger.
