How to Protect Your Family from Intruders with a Panic Room

Panic Room, the movie

While building a panic room might be viewed as paranoia overkill, safe rooms for disasters are much more accepted, especially in vulnerable hurricane regions like South Florida.

Things You'll Need

• Non-perishable food supply
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Safe drinking water
• First-aid kit
• Blankets
• Credit cards
• Cash
• Duct tape
• Cell phone or ham radio

Instructions

1. Decide if your home is vulnerable to a home invasion robbery. Assess how likely such a crime could happen to your family.

2. Pick a room in your house, preferably an interior room. A panic room can be a simple room with a reinforced door to a high-end room constructed of the most advanced materials and technology, like in the Jodie Foster film, "Panic Room."

3. Determine what your panic room will primarily be used for. Will it be used to protect people or property like an art collection or sensitive computer data?

4. Stock the room with the necessary emergency supplies. The U.S. Department of Justice recommends a supply of non-perishable food, safe drinking water, first-aid kit, flashlight with extra batteries, sanitation supplies, blankets, credit cards, cash and a roll of duct tape. Most important in a safe room is a communication device like a cell phone, ham radio or police alert alarm button.

5. Decide if you want to design a room behind a secret entrance, or a fortified box with bulletproof Kevlar walls.

Tips & Warnings

• Install a keyless grade 1 deadbolt lock.

Resources

• Tips from Department of Justice
• Tips from bankrate.com
• Safe room supplies