Treat other people as possible allies first and possible threats second, and protect yourself by being hard to find, easy to avoid and ready to leave, not by preparing to fight. You cannot know what a stranger intends, so judge what you can see: how many there are, how they approach, whether they call out, and whether they are watching your location. When a group shows signs of hostile intent, withdraw before contact; avoiding the encounter is the objective.
Part of Threat Assessment
Other people are both the best source of help and the hardest danger to read. The parent article splits them into individuals driven by need and organised groups.
Not Every Approach Is an Attack
The parent article calls people the most complex category: simultaneously your greatest potential ally and your greatest potential threat. In the first days, it says, most people are in shock, cooperative and waiting for help. Plan for both outcomes, and do not assume that every approach is an attack: a person asking for water, news or directions is one of the ordinary reasons a stranger appears.
Judge Capability and Behaviour, Not Intent
The parent article’s rule is to assume capability, not intent: you cannot know what someone intends, but you can observe what they are capable of. In practice, watch behaviour.
Signs the parent article lists as indicating hostile intent:
- Groups that approach without calling out or making themselves visible
- Armed individuals who fan out rather than staying grouped
- Scouts observing your location over multiple days
- Signs of recent looting, such as broken doors, scattered goods and emptied vehicles
Signs that suggest a non-hostile approach:
- Calling out from a distance and waiting to be answered
- Staying in the open, hands visible, and approaching slowly
- Asking for something specific, such as water, news or directions
- A mixed group that includes children or injured people
None of these signs is proof. A calling-out group can still be dangerous, and a silent approach can come from someone too afraid to speak. Use them to decide how much caution to add, not to decide what someone is.
A Rough Planning Pattern, Not a Measured One
The parent article sketches four phases: days 1-7 cooperative shock, days 7-21 desperation as food runs out, weeks 3-8 organised groups forming, and months 2 onward territorial patterns. This is a planning assumption written without a cited study. Use it to prompt questions, such as “what will people nearby be short of?”, and not as a schedule.
What You Need
- Low visibility — see Threat Assessment on smoke, light, noise and waste as signals to others.
- A way to see approaches — see Situational Awareness.
- Prepared exits — see Escape Routes.
- A group agreement on signals — a word or gesture that means “withdraw now”.
Method: Reduce the Chance and the Cost of Contact
Step 1: Be seen only when you choose Cook in daylight, limit lights at night, keep noise low, bury waste. Less signal means fewer visitors.
Step 2: Watch approaches early Keep a place from which you can see who comes, with space to react.
Step 3: Decide in advance what you will do Agree with your group before anyone appears: who speaks, who stays out of sight, and the signal to leave.
Step 4: Prefer distance If you can leave without contact, leave. Keep supplies packed and exits clear so leaving is quick.
Step 5: If contact happens, keep it calm and open Speak from a distance in a steady voice, keep hands visible, and offer little information about your numbers and supplies. Do not escalate. Leave by the planned route if anyone’s behaviour turns threatening.
Common Mistakes
- Treating every stranger as an enemy — it burns allies and wastes energy.
- Treating every stranger as safe — it hands over your location, numbers and supplies.
- Preparing to confront — a confrontation can injure you even if you win. Planning for avoidance costs far less.
If you feel threatened
Withdraw. Put distance, walls or terrain between you and the people concerned, and leave by a route you have already planned. This page does not teach how to injure people. If contact cannot be avoided, the aim is to end it without harm to anyone.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Desperation-Driven Behavior — why ordinary people become dangerous when short of necessities
- Combine with: Escape Routes — prepare the way out