Cuba just lost power. All of it. Again.

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I locked myself out of an apartment years ago. Stood outside for 40 minutes, then got in through an unlocked window in about thirty seconds. It was embarrassing, but also educational. If I could get in that easily, so could anyone else. That side window got a lock on it right after. Here’s what else I’ve been thinking about.

Home Security Without the Monthly Bill

Most people think of home security as a system: cameras, sensors, a control panel, a monthly monitoring fee. That stuff works, but it's not where you should start. The foundation of home security is much simpler and much cheaper.

Start with your doors. About 34% of burglars enter through the front door, according to FBI data. A standard door frame with short screws is surprisingly easy to kick in. Replace the 1-inch screws in your strike plate with 3-inch screws that anchor into the wall stud, not just the trim. This takes five minutes, costs about $2 in hardware, and makes your door dramatically harder to force open. Do the same for any exterior door with a deadbolt.

Next, think about lighting. Dark corners and unlit entryways are an invitation. Motion-activated lights on your front porch, back door, and along the sides of your house eliminate hiding spots. A basic motion light runs $15 to $30 and installs with a screwdriver. Solar-powered options mean no wiring at all.

Windows are the second most common entry point. Ground-floor windows should have working locks. Sliding windows and doors benefit from a simple bar or dowel cut to fit in the track. You can make one from a broomstick in two minutes.

Then there's the human element. Get to know your neighbors. A street where people recognize each other and notice unfamiliar activity is harder to operate on than one where everyone keeps to themselves. You don't need a formal neighborhood watch. You just need to know the people on either side of you and across the street well enough to say, "Hey, that's not right."

The most effective security habit is the simplest one: a nightly lockup routine. Every evening, same time, walk through your house and check every exterior door, window, and garage. It takes two minutes. Most break-ins exploit unlocked entry points, not defeated locks. The enemy is complacency, not sophisticated criminals.

Expensive systems have their place, but they're layer three or four. Solid locks, good lighting, aware neighbors, and a consistent routine are layers one and two. Get those right first.

Replace the screws in your front door strike plate.

Grab a handful of 3-inch wood screws from the hardware store (or your garage). Remove the short screws from the deadbolt strike plate on your front door and replace them with the longer ones. They'll bite into the wall stud behind the frame and make your door much harder to kick in. Five minutes, a couple of dollars at most.

Signal jammers are now standard equipment in organized burglary rings

A South American theft group operating across the Houston area burglarized more than 60 high-end homes using WiFi and alarm signal jammers to disable security systems before entry. The group targeted second-story rear windows between 7 and 9 PM, climbing ladders or patio furniture to avoid ground-floor defenses. They repositioned security cameras and carried stolen goods out in pillowcases. Twenty suspects have been arrested so far, with $4 million in stolen property recovered. The same network is under investigation in California, Florida, Wisconsin, and New York. Consumer Reports has confirmed that most wireless home security systems are vulnerable to jamming devices that cost as little as $50 online. Hardwired systems, cellular backup connections, and local storage cameras are significantly harder to defeat.

Sources: Fox News, Consumer Reports

Selco Begovic survived a one-year siege during the Balkan War in the early 1990s, living in a city with no power, no running water, and no rule of law. In The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival, he writes bluntly about what home security looked like in that environment. The biggest lesson wasn't about locks or weapons. It was about community. The households that survived were the ones embedded in small, trusted groups who watched out for each other. Isolated families, no matter how well armed, were vulnerable around the clock. Selco's advice for peacetime is the same: your relationship with your neighbors is a security asset. A community that communicates and cooperates is harder to victimize than any individual household, regardless of what gear it has.

Cuba’s entire power grid collapses — third island-wide blackout in four months

Cuba’s 11 million residents lost all electrical power on March 16 after the national grid suffered a complete disconnection. The Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed no individual unit failures preceded the collapse — the system simply gave out. By Tuesday, roughly 55% of Havana had power restored, along with health centers across the capital. The grid has been deteriorating for years, but the situation accelerated after no oil shipments reached the island for three months following the disruption of Venezuelan supply lines. Cuba now averages daily rolling blackouts even when the grid is technically operational. When infrastructure this fragile exists anywhere in the world, it’s a reminder that grid reliability is never guaranteed — not even in countries that once took it for granted.

Sources: NPR, CNN, CBS News

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus

I've been using the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus for a while. The motion detection is adjustable by zone, which cuts down on false alerts from cars and animals. Video quality is sharp enough to identify faces day or night. The pre-roll feature captures a few seconds before the motion trigger, so you see the full picture, not just the tail end of someone walking away. Battery version means no doorbell wiring needed. Installation took about 20 minutes. Runs about $150. The optional Ring Protect plan ($4 per month) stores video history, but the live view and alerts work without it. For a budget alternative, the Blink Video Doorbell does the job at around $30 with similar basic features. Neither are great for privacy if I’m being honest, but they’re cheap and reliable if you want to see who’s at the door from your phone.

Overrated: Yard signs from security companies when you don't have the system. Experienced burglars know the difference. A sign alone provides false confidence without actual deterrence.

Underrated: A simple door reinforcement kit. For about $99, it reinforces the frame, hinges, and strike plate. Turns a kickable door into a serious obstacle by strengthening the weakest parts.

SimpliSafe — No-contract home security with professional monitoring starting around $15 per month. Easy self-install.

FEMA Flood Maps — Not strictly security, but knowing your flood zone is a home safety fundamental most people skip.

Kidde: Fire Safety — Smoke and CO detectors are home security too. Check your batteries while you're at it.

FireSafeCouncil.org — Defensible space and fire-safe landscaping if you live in wildfire territory.

Broadcastify — Live police, fire, and EMS scanners for your area. Good situational awareness tool.

Citizen App — Real-time local incident alerts. Know what's happening in your neighborhood before the news covers it.

Next week we're going internal. Mental preparedness is the one area most people skip entirely, and it might be the single most important factor in how well you handle any emergency. We'll cover how to train your brain before you need it.

I'd bet money that at least one exterior door in your house right now is unlocked. Go check. I'll wait.