How to survive after SHTF in an urban or suburban environment

with the majority of the world's population living in urban city centers due to the many advantages that it affords such as job and education opportunities better access to health care facilities and infrastructures civilization is becoming more and more dependent on a fragile artificial environment that should even the smallest sick of occur the consequences could be dire though living in an urban environment does have its advantages most if not all of these advantages would go out the door in an event such as a pandemic MP or earthquake disrupts the systems that keeps everything moving smoothly getting out of these sprawling urban city centers before this happens is the ideal solution but if you're past the point of being able to evacuate then you need to make sure that you and your family are prepared to survive in a suburban environment if the true shtf event occurs in this video we'll discuss the issues that you can expect to face along with the information and ideas to ensure you'll have the best chance of survival the problem of living in an urban environment when shtf happens suburban or urban living possess a number of challenges that you need to address in the event your city experiences collapse addressing these challenges will be the key to ensure that you and your family will survive during these scenarios number one water problems one of the major issues that you'll face is securing drinking water and it's not just drinking water you'll have to deal with but also clean water you can use for washing and preparing your food and for cleaning yourself and your family the city's pipes and water facilities will likely cease to function when a collapse happens which means there won't be any access to clean water number two access to food another major problem that you will likely face is access to food urban and suburban locations don't produce enough of their own food and the food you purchased from the stores comes from rural locations that are shipped into your grocery stores from remote locations during a collapse transportation will likely be impacted thus affecting the food supply of an urban or suburban location another issue you might face with regards to food is storage space if the home you're living in doesn't necessarily have the proper storage space as big enough to accommodate all the food and even water that you're playing to store then you'll have a problem staying there for an extended period of time number three loss of power if you live in the city then you're aware of the importance of electricity in your everyday living appliances gadgets even certain transportation rely on electricity for them to work when a collapse occurs a city's power is likely to get cut off refrigerators lights and the ability to communicate and other electronics you become dependent on will stop working for those with health issues such as diabetes that require refrigeration to keep their insulin cold or those that need a CPAP machine for a breathing at night you will be impacted the hardest number four security issues another important issue you'll face when shtf occurs is security when the infrastructure collapses that keeps people content such as a source of food and water people will become desperate you probably won't be able to expect local government and police to be able to keep peace in order as they'll be in a similar situation as you trying to take care of themselves and their families this will give rise to armed gangs or groups that will inevitably try to take over parts of the city aside from armed groups you also have to deal with other people who are desperate for supplies and won't hesitate to do anything to get them don't think for a moment that the nice amicable soccer-mom that you enjoy going to Starbucks with won't do whatever it takes to keep our kids alive these are just some of the main issues you will likely face when a severe disruption occurs in the urban or suburban location you are living in with proper preparation and knowledge you can ensure that you and your family will have the best chances of survival in this next part we'll look at practical steps you can take now have a bug-out plan the first option should always be evacuation if it's still possible to leave the city and you already have a location where you and your family will stay and you should bug out as soon as possible if you live in a small apartment especially then this really should be your primary goal if you already see that trouble starting to brew don't try to wait and see if things will get better since you might lose your window of opportunity to leave when you bug out it's important that you have an evacuation plan prepared to ensure that you and your family will know what to do when the time to leave comes number one know where you're going the first thing that you need to have when it comes to evacuating is a place to go you need to know where you and your family will stay when things become too chaotic in your urban environment if you don't have a safe place to go already planned out then you're really just a refugee if you have a close friend or relative living outside the city that should be a good location for you and your family to go and avoid the chaos in your city you and your family might also consider purchasing a cabin or a piece of land you can develop in a remote location as part of your evacuation plan it's important that you also have a map detailing where you'll be going with alternate routes highlighted in case the main one is unpassable while we rely heavily on GPS technology keeping a map and your bug out bag would be a valuable resource you also need a plan for the possibility that your initial location is already compromised what would you do in that scenario adding hidden caches along your escape route in advance could be useful in the event you could not carry enough food and water for your journey having the locations where you could resupply can make a huge difference number two prepare the supplies you will need once you have the possible locations the next step is to prepare the supplies you will need you need to determine how long your travel time will be from your home to your evacuation location also consider the possibility of traveling by foot if traveling by a vehicle is unavailable so this could lengthen your travel time and adjust your needed supplies you also have to consider the length of your stay in your evacuation location especially if it is a remote area where you will likely be bringing in the supplies while going into the details of a bug-out bag is beyond the scope of this video I have done several videos and I'll be doing more in the future that give into detail my bug-out bag setup the content of bug-out bags is often debated depending on your particular situation but the core components needed our shelter water food first aid and security how much you need to add to your bag depends on weight considerations the more weight you add the slower you will go and the more difficult it becomes each member of the family would need to have their own supply bag having times where you go out as a family to practice hiking with this gear would be a great way to get your kids accustomed to carrying the gear remember to double check and test out your gear often to see if it needs to be replaced or not number 3 where to meet up you would also need to have a meet-up plan in case you and your family are not together when the need to evacuate comes up or if you become separated during the chaos the meet-up location should be known by everyone in the family it should be accessible either by foot or vehicle and make sure that the meetup location you choose is safe from the chaos or at least won't be affected by too much number 4 communication plan the last thing you need to prepare when you are evacuating as a communication plan during a disaster communications infrastructure are usually shut down or will experience congestion making it harder to communicate using the standard forms of communication it's important that you have a plan prepared so that you and your family will know what to do when this happens establish an out of City contact person that you and your family members will contact in case of an emergency this person is a designated contact hub that will contact each member of the family so everyone can concentrate on surviving and not have to worry about contacting each other have a two-way radio available for each member of the family as a backup communication device in case cellular services are also disrupted during the collapse make sure that each member of the family has a list of important local urgency numbers that they can contact it's preferable to evacuate before an all-out collapse occurs but in the event you missed the window there will likely be another one expect the first two to four weeks to be the most chaotic time if you and your family can survive this period with your own supply of food and water and avoid being the victims of violence from Marauders the initial period of chaos will hopefully die down giving you another window to try and head out again so how can you prepare to survive in an urban environment after shtf if evacuating out of the city is not possible anymore then you need to get your home prepared here are some of the things that you will need to prepare to ensure you and your family survival number one preparing your home the first thing you need to prepare your home you need to make sure that your home is capable of storing food and water for prolonged periods you'll also need a plan for producing your own electricity and figure out how you'll fortify your house and increase its security what are storage plan the first thing you need to prepare your house for is during being able to produce clean water yes you should definitely think about producing clean water as a long-term solution since you won't know how long until clean fresh water will be available again for storing water the minimum requirement that each person will need in a day is a gallon of water but for drinking and cleaning the requirement could increase if you live in a warm environment or if your family members have a medical condition nursing mothers tend to consume more water as well if you have a large space like a garage or basement 55-gallon barrels are a good storing option for your water while not portable there are great options if you're forced to shelter in place a space is an issue you can consider reusing water bottles which are good for those living in apartments five-gallon water containers or products like water bricks which you could slide under couches or beds make sure that the water storage containers you're using are clean don't have any holes or leaks where contaminants can enter remember water truely never goes bad but it can be contaminated requiring it to be filtered and purified to make usable also ensure that the storage space where you keep your water is clean and does it have any harmful chemicals or possible contaminants that can pollute your water try picking a cool and dark area to keep barrels and storage containers you also need to have multiple ways that you can filter your water in order to purify it I primarily use a berkey water filter but in the event it's damaged I've got multiple backup solutions for water filtration like our Sawyer water filters and our bug out bags definitely give strong consideration to having a few different ways to filter your water aside from storing water you should also think about your long-term water solution in case the emergency situation lasts longer one way to get water is to harvest rainwater I made a video on how you can build your own rainwater collection system a while back I'll post a link in the cards up above having a way to harvest water is not only great for cleaning or gardening but possibly for drinking as well during emergency situations while times are good be sure to locate watering holes creeks streams and other water sources that are near your community in case you need to get fresh water using Google Maps satellite view will allow you to locate where water is in your area or see who has a pool in their backyard in the event they abandon their home be sure to have this information handy prior to a disaster food plan after making sure your houses are a capable of storing water the next thing you'll need to do is prepare your house for storing and producing food similar to water you also need to think long-term about your food make sure that you have at least six months worth of food store in your home and repackage them if necessary to conserve storage space also ensure that the food you store doesn't spoil easily if you have a yard you can also start a small garden where you can plant and grow fresh produce to supplement the food that you are very stored if you don't know how to start a small garden you can check out the video on how to build a raised bed square foot garden so that you can start planning your fresh vegetables I'll put a link to the video in the description below and the cards above while the reality is that growing enough food to take care of your family could be a challenge learning the basics of gardening now will be a critical long-term survival skill I've recently taken up gardening and while I've had some successes I've also realized that I've still got a lot to learn start now when times are good having to learn a skill when things are tough but you in a bad position another way of producing your own food in your backyard is with chickens the great thing about chickens is that you can also get fresh eggs from them daily again I created a video about the things you need to consider when raising chickens in an urban environment again I'll post a link in the cards and the description section below a power electricity plan as mentioned earlier if the grid goes down electricity will be a casualty you should consider having a plan or strategy to be a liver store or some power in your home having a small backup generator is a great option to restore the power in your home the two primary options available are gas propane generators which is the most commonly used type of generator and renewable energy's generators that can convert solar or wind into a storage device gas generators pack more power when compared to solar generators this allows you to power more electricity demanding items in your home the upfront cost is also cheaper but the problem with gas generators is that they're harder to maintain and people can easily detect them due to the smell and noise this will alert your neighbors to the fact that you have power in your home a source of power is also limited since you'll need gasoline to power these and you may not be equipped to store huge amounts of gasoline which creates safety issues solar generators on the other hand are easier to store and maintain and you'll have an unlimited source of power since its power comes from the Sun or wind but also quite are allowing you to be discreet when using them but the problem with solar generators is that your power usage is limited since the generator cannot power electrical devices requiring a large draw over an extended period of time also the upfront costs will be an issue since these types of generators are a bit pricey I'll post a link in the description section and the cards to a video that I did detailing the difference between these two options security plan the last preparation that you need to do for your home is make sure that it is safe and secure desperate people are capable of doing things that they normally wouldn't do and having a security plan can ensure you and your family survival and things become dangerous here are some tips that can be helpful now improve the fence around your house make them sturdier and higher to make it hard for trespassers to enter your property get a motion detector light to flash bright lights on trespassers on your property consider getting bad operated or solar-powered options so they will still work during a power outage a loud alarm is also a must to ensure your home security consider getting battery powered motion sensors window alarms and door stop alarms these alarms will last longer in case of a power outage and it's great at alerting you if there's an intruder be sure to and reinforce your door so that it won't be easy to pick the lock or Ram it open add additional dead bolts or doorstop to make force opening your door harder if you have the budget for it consider replacing your doors with metal frames or steel doors if you're going to reinforce your door you should also reinforce your windows since they're the other main point of entry to your home add some type of rods on the gap where your windows slide so they can't be fully open you can also consider adding security bars or replacing the window panes with plexiglass install security cameras in and outside your house security cameras are a great way to monitor the inside and outside of your home and see who's trespassing there are battery-operated or solar power security cameras on the market out there so they'll still work even during a power outage if you love dogs you can also get the defensive canine to help protect your home German Shepherds Labradors Rottweilers and other breeds used in police duty are good dogs that can help protect your home if you have the budget for it consider building a safe room that you and your family can retreat to during a home invasion it's important to understand that during a true shtf situation most people who enter your home are really after your supplies and stuff not necessarily you so having a safe and secure room where you and your family can retreat to in the event you get overpowered may make a difference in your survival the last thing you need to do is arm yourself having firearms you have practice with will be critical while using the lethal force will bring its own set of challenges not having the ability to fend yourself and your family to repel intruders it leaves you in a vulnerable position preparing you and your family once your house is prepared and ready when shtf occurs the next preparation will be for you and your family every member of the family should also be prepared during this scenario so everyone will know what to do where to go or how they will react so what do you need to do when shtf occurs and true prolonged or down scenario it's important that you're aware of certain things so that you can prepare an act accordingly the first thing you need to know is that law and order is likely going to be thrown out the window don't expect local governments or authorities to protect or offer assistance during the situations they are likely overstretch already and cannot accommodate everyone you and your family need to be able to survive on your own during the situation it's a harsh reality but one you need to realize and accept you and your family would need to be prepared physically mentally and emotionally all of the preparation that we have been talking about will be useless if you and your family are not prepared to act quickly when the time comes this means that you need to be fit and in decent shape since there's always a good chance you'll be doing a lot of running and moving around especially during the early stages after an event in our current culture the average person sits 10 hours per day now imagine a scenario where you will suddenly be required to be mobile move fast at times and do a lot of physical labor thank you be ready but your body is not the only thing that you need to prepare decisions and reactions will need to be made swiftly so there's no room for second-guessing or doubting your decisions if you're not mentally prepared you'll likely panic freeze up and forget the preparations I witness this recently our home was at the epicenter of a large earthquake a few days ago when it struck I immediately got to the floor but my 9 year old son began to panic and run frantically despite yelling at him while making eye contact to get to the ground he still ran in circles without prior practice the flight-or-fight response takes over since then we've been working with our kids to educate them on how to react in an earthquake prepare yourself mentally in advance and how you will handle situations as for emotions highly tense and stressful situations tend to make people more emotional you need to be able to control your emotions so the decisions that you make are based on sound logic and reasoning never reason out of fear skills to learn aside from getting no Jen preparing yourself mentally physically and emotionally you also need to develop certain skills that can help you survive this is especially true if the collapse lasts longer one of the most important skills you need to learn is how to grow your own food as mentioned earlier start simple with gardening and raising chickens having these skills will not only ensure your own survival but can make you valuable in your community as you can teach and train others most people living in a suburban environment have never learned any of these skills if you can help others you become an invaluable resource another important skill you need to learn is how to make water safe to drink by boiling water will kill pathogens present in the water you need to be able to filter any contaminants out having the proper equipment as we discussed earlier will be crucial learning how to barter or negotiate learning how to barter or negotiate will also be a great skill to develop having extra food and water will put you in an advantageous position to negotiate money will likely be useless in this scenario so learning how to barter will be key to your survival you should also learn to become aware of your surroundings in situation train yourself to see signs of dangers so that you can do something about it before it happens it's important that you learn situational awareness so that you and your family can avoid putting yourself in a tough spot you also should learn how to scavenge your environment in case you run out of supplies and you need to get more before the grid goes down learn where assets are in your community while I do not advocate stealing depending on the severity of the situation you may be forced to find supplies to continue surviving you also need to learn how to be a great man or blend into a crowd you should learn to never attract attention to yourself if people learned you have supplies are not without food word will get out learn how to blend in with a crowd if people are lining up for food supplies be right there with them looking the part cutting back on calories to drop weight might also give you the ability to blend in number 3 preparing your community the last thing you need to prepare is your community what this means is that you should be aware of the community that you are part of get to know your neighbors learn what emergency plans you're in a community has and see if there's a way for everyone to work together there's always strength in numbers but that only works if you can trust the people you're working getting to know your neighbors it's important that you get to know your neighbors and try to find like-minded individuals who will also prep with you building a group or community of Preppers increases your chances of surviving when shtf occurs these are often called mags or mutual assisting groups finding ways to work together try to find ways in which you or your community can work together you can designate roles to each household and that they'll need to do whenever disaster strikes you can also help each other in prepping making a particular household to focus on stocking up on certain items for the community there are a lot of ways that you and your community can work together and the benefits of working together should be reason enough for everyone to pitch in after all everyone's survival chances will increase if you all work together and help each other out having recently experienced wildfires in our neighborhood many people in our community are beginning to recommend people take cert training in addition we're beginning to discuss who has what skills so that we can help each other out in the event we may have a major disaster blend in as I mentioned earlier blending in is important if you don't join in this will make people suspicious of you as they assume you're a have food at home and you're not asking for help the last thing you'll need is people to take notice of you so just blend in with a crowd and do what everyone else is doing the urban or suburban environment is really not the best place to be stuck in when shtf occurs considering the challenges that it poses but this doesn't necessarily mean you should just give up the right preparation and knowledge can ensure that you and your family will still survive in an urban setting during a collapse it can at least help you survive long enough that you can evacuate to a better location if you have some additional tips or suggestions please post those in the comments section below as it's always a pleasure to learn from the community please click the like button and share on social media if you enjoyed the video as always be safe out there you

Channel: City Prepping

Views: 290,094

Rating: 4.9129238 out of 5

Keywords: shtf, post-apocalyspe, prepper, preppers, doomsday

Id: JhXzCe1USJw

Length: 22min 43sec (1363 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 27 2019