Join me today as I talk all about scavenging vs looting. I recently saw this post on Facebook that said when is it ok to start looting. The poster was speaking about after the SHTF. But the post definitely went over like a lead balloon. There is never a time and place for looting. There is a place for scavenging though. And there is absolutely a difference. 

The definition of looting is: To steal goods from a place, typically during a war or riot. Scavaging is defined as searching for and collecting (anything usable) from discarded waste.

Breaking the windows out and taking something that is clearly not discarded waste is not scavenging. Some of it is grey. I talk about abandoned houses in this episode. I’ve seen videos and seen them in person. Houses in the middle of the woods that look like people just got up and left and never came back. 

Time is another factor. If something has been abandoned for 20 years I feel that is scavenging and not looting. The poor people in the affected flood areas right now want to return to their homes and would be looting.