Get this guide from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The Emergency Preparedness Guide gives homeowners practical measures they can take now to prepare themselves, their families, and their homes for any possible emergencies,” said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. “We are pleased to join the Homeownership Alliance and Habitat for Humanity in this important effort.”


Here is the link:
http://www.homeownershipalliance.com/documents
/emergency_final_000.pdf

Something you should do ASAP if you are worried about your home security:

Take a walk around your home and look at it from a burglars point of view. Where would be the easiest place to break in? Where could you hide if a car approached? Is there a point of entry that is not easily seen from the street or a neighbor's window?

Making your home a less attractive target is the goal. Security stickers and yard signs are a great way to make burglars look for an easier opportunity, but there are many things you can do to make your home more secure.

Here another Home security tip that deals with landscaping:

Plant materials ("foundation plantings") should be trimmed so that they are not any higher than the sills of the windows or they have no branches below three feet to create a clear-view zone. Plants should not create places of concealment, particularly adjacent to the entrance or at bedroom windows. If plants are overgrown, ask to have them trimmed before buying. If you are selecting plant materials, work with the landscape designer to ensure that the materials selected will not grow to create a problem.

These tips were published by Master Lock:

Make sure all outside doors to your house have keyed knobsets and deadbolt locks.

The deadbolt locks on your doors should have high-security features such as interlocking chassis and full one-inch throws.

Always lock the doors when you leave the house and when you return.

Use security bars for added security on sliding patio doors and entry doors.

Secure garage and shed doors,and gate latches, with pin-tumbler, laminated padlocks.

Make sure padlocks are highly resistant to weather and the elements.

Always lock gate, garage, shed and storage warehouse doors.

If you're not sure which home security products are right for you, consult your local retailer or crime prevention officer.

Here is another home security tip from Crimedoctor.com

WINDOWS

Windows are left unlocked and open at a much higher rate than doors. An open window, visible from the street or alley, may be the sole reason for your home to be selected by a burglar. Ground floor windows are more susceptible to break-ins for obvious reasons. Upper floor windows become attractive if they can be accessed from a stairway, tree, fence, or by climbing on balconies. Windows have latches, not locks and therefore should have secondary blocking devices to prevent sliding them open from the outside. Inexpensive wooden dowels and sticks work well for horizontal sliding windows and through-the-frame pins work well for vertical sliding windows. For ventilation, block the window open no more than six inches and make sure you can't reach in from the outside and remove the blocking device or reach through and unlock the door. In sleeping rooms, these window blocking devices should be capable of being removed easily from the inside to comply with fire codes. Like sliding glass doors, anti-lift devices are necessary for ground level and accessible aluminum windows that slide horizontally. The least expensive and easiest method is to install screws half-way into the upper track of the movable glass panel to prevent it from being lifted out in the closed position. As a deterrent, place highly visible decals on the glass door near the latch mechanism that indicates that an alarm system, a dog, or block watch/operation identification system is in place.

Secure all accessible windows with secondary blocking devices
Block accessible windows open no more than 6 inches for ventilation
Make sure someone cannot reach through an open window and unlock the door
Make sure someone cannot reach inside the window and remove the blocking device
Use anti-lift devices to prevent window from being lifted out
Use crime prevention or alarm decals on ground accessible windows

I found this tip on the CrimeDoctor web site.

You can visit the full article at:
www.crimedoctor.com

DOORS AND LOCKS

The first step is to "harden the target" or make your home more difficult to enter. Remember, the burglar will simply bypass your home if it requires too much effort or requires more skill and tools than they possess. Most burglars enter via the front, back, or garage doors. Experienced burglars know that the garage door is usually the weakest point of entry followed by the back door. The garage and back doors also provide the most cover. Burglars know to look inside your car for keys and other valuables so keep it locked, even when parked inside your garage. Use high quality Grade-1 or Grade-2 locks on exterior doors to resist twisting, prying, and lock-picking attempts. A quality deadbolt lock will have a beveled casing to inhibit the use of channel-lock pliers used to shear off lock cylinder pins. A quality door knob-in-lock set will have a 'dead latch' mechanism to prevent slipping the lock with a shim or credit card.

Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points
Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt
Use a quality, heavy-duty, knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism
Use a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame
Use a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches

The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden jamb kick it open. The weakest point is almost always the strike plate that holds the latch or lock bolt in place. The average door strike plate is secured with only door frame molding. These lightweight moldings are often tacked on to the door frame and can be torn away with a firm kick. Because of this construction flaw, it makes sense to upgrade to a four-screw, heavy-duty, high security strike plate. They are available in most quality hardware stores and home improvement centers and are definitely worth the extra expense. Install this heavy-duty strike plate using 3-inch wood screws to cut deep into the door frame stud. Use these longer screws in the knob lock strike plate as well and use at least one long screw in each door hinge. This one step alone will deter or prevent most through-the-door forced entries. You and your family will sleep safer in the future.

This new blog was created for Home Security Reviews.