If you are an American or Canadian reading this, chances are you assume that your safety is guaranteed.
You might think that your region is safe from a natural disaster, given the fact that there hasn’t been any recent war on American soil.
However, what is truly frightening is that the likelihood of a catastrophe is significantly greater than our awareness may suggest.
- Natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, economic crashes, and electromagnetic pulse, to name just a few.
- There is a wide range of situations where you might need urban survival skills.
This guide will help you become familiar with the necessary urban survival skills, enabling you to endure various disasters, including personal ones like homelessness, as well as full-scale warfare situations.
Shelter
Living in the city does not mean that you can assume you will be able to remain in your home following a disaster.
According to the accounts of Bosnian war survivors, they were forcibly expelled from their residences by both militants and civilians.
What steps would you take to prevent intruders equipped with automatic assault rifles from causing harm?
If your home was destroyed by a hurricane, to where would you relocate? And by WHAT means would you travel there?
If you ever find yourself homeless, are you familiar with any techniques for surviving on the streets such as securely sleeping and staying warm?
It is important to address these major concerns. It is not realistic to expect immediate mastery in urban survival. Currently, concentrate on posing these inquiries to yourself. Following this, proceed to identify resolutions for every potential urban disaster scenario.
Urban Survival Gear
Urban survival gear differs greatly from wilderness survival gear.
When you are in the wilderness, your dependence is on the resources provided by nature.
When in urban areas, your reliance should be on the survival gear you have and on what can be scavenged.
Let’s examine some of this fundamental urban survival gear.
The Get Home Bag
Similar to the Bug Out Bag (BOB), a Get Home Bag (GHB) is a survival backpack that encompasses all the essential items required to ensure your safety in an urban setting amidst a calamity.
In order to ensure safety, it is important for a GHB to include water treatment tablets that can eliminate viruses and pathogens before consuming the water. It should be noted that a regular camping water filter is unable to effectively eliminate viruses.
Urban Everyday Carry Gear
If you possess items such as a Swiss army knife or other multi-tool, there are also various wallet EDC items available that are equally excellent.
In an urban survival situation, string and a paperclip can prove to be unexpectedly useful.
Scavenging
It is hoped that you have made necessary preparations and stocked up adequately to last you (at the very least) the initial 30 days. Aim to endure this period with minimal disturbance. Looters possess an aggressive group mindset and will engage in confrontations to acquire any possessions you come across.
During the initial stages of looting, looters typically prioritize items such as TVs, stereo equipment, and expensive shoes, which hold no value in aiding one’s urban survival.
Once the initial chaos subsides, you can begin your scavenging for necessary supplies. Supplies that you may scavenge for include, for instance:
- Spare parts for fixing machinery
- Scrap newspaper to use for making paper logs
- Plywood for reinforcing your windows
Knowing where to look for items is a skill that you must possess.
When considering the thought process, rephrase the following passage while preserving the original meaning. Avoid adding new information and refrain from omitting any details. Ponder upon the ways in which individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty manage their daily existence. They possess the knowledge to identify a “wealthy” trashcan, rather than wasting time on ones that do not contain any useful items.
Be sure to check out our Urban Survival Gear Checklist, as it contains the necessary tools for scavenging, such as heavy-duty gloves and a crowbar. Don’t forget to take a look at the checklist!
Lock Picking
In a world after a SHTF scenario, it may be necessary to forcibly open doors for access. Nevertheless, there will likely be numerous occasions where it is preferable to keep the door undamaged.
If your family is unable to leave the city before it gets dark, you can follow these steps to ensure your safety: locate an empty building, unlock its entrance, establish security inside, and spend the night there.
If you forcefully knock down the door, you will be encouraging anyone to enter through it.
This urban survival skill can be quite enjoyable, so you might find it to be a fun hobby.
Repurposing Everyday Items
When you possess creativity, you have the ability to think unconventionally in order to discover solutions to problems.
Creativity involves examining one’s surroundings, and making the best of what is available.
After a disaster in the city, envision the aftermath: a landscape scattered with abandoned cars, heaps of trash, and the wreckage of buildings. Amidst this chaos, all these objects hold potential for your survival.
Gray-Man Tactic
The term “Gray-man” pertains to the ability to blend in with a crowd during a crisis in order to avoid drawing attention and becoming a potential target.
A gray man would not go into the streets with his Bug Out Bag loaded with gear on his back.
In order to appear as if he or she were also unprepared like everyone else, this person would place their Bug Out Bag in the same low-quality plastic shopping bags as everyone else, creating the illusion that they too had hastily grabbed items and were fleeing alongside the unprepared majority.
Blending in not only involves resembling the masses, but also entails behaving like the masses.
If all individuals are moving towards a particular direction, it is advisable for you to also move in that same direction. If everyone is panicking, it is wise to simulate panic as well.
Situational Awareness Skills
Being aware of your surroundings at all times is known as situational awareness, which should be practiced daily, not just during disasters.
If you are not being aware, it means that you are texting on your cell phone while walking down the street.
If you are unaware of the location of the room’s exits, it means you are not being observant.
If you are unable to describe the individuals present near you, it indicates a lack of awareness on your part.
Your “baseline” is not characterized by constantly scanning the environment, feeling paranoid, and having a racing heart, which does not align with situational awareness.
By thinking in a logical sequence, rephrase the text without changing the meaning, while staying composed but attentive. This will enable you to evade threats (such as the pursuer tailing you) and promptly decide (like opting to divert onto a more crowded street) to escape the mugger.
Situational awareness training is practiced by the military, law enforcement, and even forestry loggers.
You can enhance your situational awareness by practicing numerous drills. Stratfor, the Geopolitical intelligence firm, provides an excellent guide on improving your situational awareness skills.
The Importance of Home Disaster Planning & Types of Natural Events to Prepare For
Preparing for emergencies, be they natural disasters or otherwise, is essential as they can occur unexpectedly. The purpose of home disaster preparedness is to ensure your ability to promptly react to these sudden threats, enabling you to take immediate action without the need to hastily determine the next steps.
Every part of the U.S. is susceptible to natural disasters, although the degree of vulnerability varies depending on the specific type of natural disaster. To adequately prepare for severe weather and other natural disasters, it is essential to comprehend the specifics of the ones most likely to occur in your region. A recommended initial action towards this is to reach out to your local or state emergency management office.
Residents of California face common threats from wildfires, earthquakes, and drought, while Iowans often contend with floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and winter storms. In Florida, habitual natural disasters consist of flooding, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. However, it is important to consider that certain natural disasters have a longer “return interval” than others when only looking at recent history or collective community memory. Although New Englanders may not be frequently impacted by hurricanes, they may encounter one in their lifetimes. Additionally, some areas may not typically experience frequent wildfires, but the landscape may occasionally see significant flame every hundred or two hundred years.
9 Things to Do for Home Natural Disaster Preparedness
While the following tips do not encompass everything in terms of emergency preparedness, they do cover many of the basic steps to get yourself ready for when a disaster occurs. We will provide links to important authoritative resources at the end of this post, which you should definitely take the time to explore. Additionally, we have other posts on the topic of emergency readiness available from Mountain House.
(1) Make a Disaster Kit
It is important to have a cache of essential supplies that can last for at least 72 hours, and preferably longer, in the event of an emergency situation while sheltering at home. These supplies should include nonperishable food, drinking water, medicine, as well as other important items like a hand-crank or chargeable flashlight, a battery-powered radio (preferably an NOAA weather radio), a dust mask, a first-aid kit, a cell phone with charger, extra batteries, duct tape, and a map of the local area. It is crucial to store important documents such as passports, birth certificates, social security cards, insurance papers, and similar items in waterproof containers as part of the emergency kit. Additionally, all emergency supplies should be kept in airtight plastic bags or small waterproof containers, and then placed in one or two large and easily portable bins or duffels.
(2) Know How to Store Food & Water
When gathering a natural disaster readiness kit, it is advised to have enough food and water for at least three days, as previously mentioned. However, it is crucial to store these provisions correctly to prevent spoilage, and occasional monitoring is necessary to ensure their freshness. Additionally, stored food or water might become unsafe due to potential flooding.
(3) Make an Emergency Plan
In order to effectively prepare for a natural disaster at home, simply having an emergency kit is not enough. It is equally important to establish an emergency plan that outlines specific actions to be taken by each member of your household in a worst-case scenario. This plan should include determining evacuation routes and compiling a list of crucial phone numbers. By collaborating as a team, you can create a thorough disaster plan and rehearse its implementation.
(4) Consider All Members of Your Household—Pets Included!
When creating an emergency plan, it is important to take into account the specific needs and vulnerabilities of all members of your household. This includes any age-related physical limitations or health conditions that may require special medication or medical equipment. Additionally, it is crucial to include pets such as Fido and Fluffy in your planning and ensure that essential supplies for them are included in your emergency kit.
(5) Know How to Shut Off Utilities
During or after a natural disaster, there is a significant risk of gas explosions. It is essential to ensure that everyone in your household is aware of how to turn off the gas at the meter. It is important to note that the process may vary, so it is advisable to contact your gas utility to obtain the precise instructions. Additionally, it is often necessary to use a wrench. It is crucial to remember not to actually shut off the gas during practice and to leave it to professionals to turn it back on. It is also essential for everyone to know the location of your home’s circuit panel and understand how to shut off the electricity. This can be done by first turning off the individual circuits and then the main circuit. Similarly, you should be prepared to turn off your home’s water supply as a natural disaster can contaminate the municipal water supply. As part of your preparations, ensure that the main valve is not rusted and can be turned without any leaks. If necessary, consider replacing the valve.
(6) Stay Informed Before, During, and After a Natural Disaster
During a natural disaster or emergency, it is crucial to obtain trustworthy information from credible sources. Ensure that you are able to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) on your mobile phone, monitor local radio and TV stations for emergency alerts, and include a NOAA weather radio in your natural disaster preparedness kit, as previously discussed.
(7) Prepare Your Home
There are several steps you can take to enhance the resilience and safety of your home during a natural disaster. Begin by examining your house for any necessary repairs to ensure its maximum security. Weak areas, such as poorly insulated windows, broken hinges, or loose roof shingles, can serve as potential entry points for wind or water, and also pose the risk of becoming dangerous projectiles. If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, it is highly advisable to secure your water heater. Additionally, ensure that crucial access points, such as around your circuit panel, water shut-off valve, and designated shelter areas, are consistently cleared and easily accessible.
(8) Stay Away From Floodwaters & Other Standing Water
During a natural disaster, such as river flooding, storm surges, heavy rain, or burst pipes, it is important to avoid standing water in and around your home. This is because the water may contain electricity, pollutants, or hidden debris, which could potentially cause you harm.
(9) Keep Your Ride Gassed Up
In order to be prepared for any potential need to leave your home during or after a disaster, it is advisable to ensure that your vehicles always have at least a half a tank of gas, as there might be temporary unavailability of filling stations.
Closing Thoughts & Further Resources
We have outlined a basic plan for preparing for natural disasters at home, but there is much more to consider that cannot be covered in one blogpost. We suggest visiting Ready.gov, the official website for emergency and disaster readiness by the federal government, for more information and useful tools such as printable disaster plans. The American Red Cross is also a reliable source for emergency preparedness and response.
