Urban Survival Scenario Guidelines

Are you ready for urban survival? Can you live through a disaster? Do you know what gear can increase your survival chances? What skills should a serious survivalist have? In this article, we have gathered the most relevant tios on surviving in the urban environment. You will find out about essential tools and tricks that will help you survive in any scenario. The knowledge will be beneficial to you in wilderness survival, too. To find out about situational awareness and the proper contents of your bug-out bag, read the following.

The prospect of the End of the World scenario terrifies many people. However, if you live in a big city and a disaster can catch you in a densely populated metropolis, you’d better think of a backup plan for such a case. Note that you will have to survive amid a huge crowd of distraught people in conditions where the usual laws and rules do not have any force. It makes sense to make some preparations beforehand, doesn’t it?

Everyone understands the term “urban survival” differently. Many people imagine the standard self-defense and every-day survival skills needed to stay alive in a dangerous situation (e.g., when a robber attacks you in a dark alley or an intruder is trying to get inside your home) and in a big city in general. That is, the ability to avoid troubles and protect your loved ones as well as your property from urban threats. However, urban survival is not only about various self-defense techniques.

This term implies a scenario of a global catastrophe of natural or human-made origins, which would radically change the habitual life of humanity. In such conditions, you need to have specific skills and knowledge to stay alive in the city and not become a victim of the crowd.

To adapt to new post-apocalyptic realities and protect your life, you will need to change the way you think first. Besides, you will need some specific tools and knowledge to solve new problems related to urban survival. The development of the self-defense plan will be helpful as well.

Even if you are not a megalopolis resident and you actually live in a small village located far from civilization, there is a high probability that this article will be informative and useful for you. After all, millions of people prefer a big city lifestyle. And there is a probability that some of your friends or close relatives are among them. In this case, every time you visit your loved ones in areas of cities with a high population level, you are exposed to the same danger of being stuck in this place during a disaster situation as the locals.

So, think about whether you are prepared enough for the SHTF scenario or not? Will you be able to survive in the megalopolis, at least for the first few days after the disaster happens?

You can be an experienced prepper, but wilderness survival tactics are quite different from the urban ones. In fact, you need to know how to handle both of these situations. Urban survival topics and techniques involve a wide range of skills.

Get Home Bag

Home is the place where you most often store all your things. Food, weapons, survival gear-all this probably lies in a specially designated part of your home (or even in a bunker). However, no one knows when disaster strikes will hit the city. There is a high probability that you will be out of your house somewhere in the center when it happens. Therefore, you will find yourself unarmed in the face of a terrifying threat. In such a situation, the first thing you need to do is get home as soon as possible and find your bug out bag with all the necessary supplies. The best scenario is if the disaster caught you in your home. In this case, the bag will already be at hand, ready for your emergency evacuation.

However, if you are away or your house is already destroyed, then your business is worse. You need to search for other solutions. An already completed get home bag is one of them. It is light and compact, so you can always store one of them in your auto to make sure that you are prepared for any state of emergency. It would be even better if you get several bags to keep them in different places. This is an effective way to strengthen your survival gear collection.

So, such a popular among wilderness survivalists and bushcrafters, BOB is not an ideal urban survival option. In fact, it is quite heavy and bulky. So the probability that you will always carry it with you or keep it in your car tends to zero.

If we managed to convince you of the need to purchase the Get Home Bag, it is time for some ideas for what you should fill it with.

First of all, you need to fill it with some necessities like food in the form of small protein bars, water bottles, and a special water filter that you need to replenish your water supply. Besides, you should always have pocket money with you. If they are still valuable in a post-apocalyptic world, you will definitely need them. Do not forget about the first aid kit too. During and after the disaster, you will probably need it more than once. Next, the necessary basic tools: a compact knife for self-defense and everyday tasks, a simple compass and a map of the area to determine your location and develop a strategy, a tactical flashlight, a lockpicking set, and a hand-crank radio to find out the news.

Such a bag is designed to help you get to the meeting place with your family members, base, or home, where you could replenish your supplies or take a full-fledged bug out bag. Of course, the resources from the Get Home Bag will not be enough for a long time. But when there is chaos outside, any help will be beneficial.

Meeting Point

Now when you have a bag with the necessary gear, you can think about going home. However, what if your home is destroyed? Or under attack? Where should you go then?

The city is a very unpredictable place. You can’t be sure that you will be able to contact your family members and close friends. They can all be in different parts of the city during the catastrophe. And there is no guarantee that you will manage to connect with someone through your phone. It means you have to discuss a common meeting point with your loved ones in advance.

The process of selection of the options can be quite difficult. While you are choosing the point of the meeting, you better focus on the most memorable locations. It can be a house of your friends, a park or attraction which your family often visit, an outstanding monument, and so on. Remember that there is a high probability that you all will forget about this point in a stressful situation at all. Therefore, this location should not only be memorable, but you should also organize several test rendezvous at this point in advance. While the words can fly out of your head, the muscle memory usually works flawlessly, and your legs will lead you straight to the agreed point.

Urban Survival Skill: Site Choosing

Your first impulse in a prolonged disaster will probably be to run as far away from the city as possible. Do not take rash actions and find all possible information about the situation around. If you can connect with people you know, then talk to them, get the latest news, and only then start developing a strategy. Pay close attention to some tips that will help you to come up with your plans.

First of all, estimate how much food and water you have in stock. If you have enough, it makes sense to stay put and wait out the danger in your home. If your emergency food stock is almost empty, then you better evacuate yourself from the city. In short, always choose the option that will help you extend your life as much as possible.

Secondly, when you are listening to the news, you should also notice forecasts about the current situation’s danger and duration. So, if it is dangerous and its duration is not clear, it is better to get as far away from the megalopolis as possible. Fortunately, with your ultimate BOB, you will not die so easily outside. On the contrary, if you find yourself in the middle of a short-term but dangerous catastrophe, then going out on the street means to risk your life in vain. You can bring your death closer to such a situation because you decided to leave the urban territory.

Thirdly, find out if the rescue services, doctors, and police forces are still functioning or not. If the answer is no, keep in mind that no specialists will come to your aid if something happens to you. For example, if there are no firefighters, you can easily die from a fire in your home. What is more, without the police, the area is likely to begin arbitrariness soon. If you do not want to find yourself in the middle of this hell, it is best to run as far as possible.

Finally, know that no one is immune to unforeseen circumstances. You must be vigilant and carefully analyze the situation to develop a line of behavior and decide what is best for you to bug in or bug out. If it is too dangerous to stay in the city, leave your apartment or house and try to find a safer arena. On the contrary, if an attempt to escape will make your death closer, it is better to stay at home until you run out of food resources.

Strategy Development

Since this article’s information is intended for urban survivalists, we will consider hiding inside a house scenario. The main problem that you will certainly face is a lack of vital resources. In a densely populated location, the war for food and water will be fought to the death. Therefore, your fundamental goal is to avoid other people, especially those you do not know. Your second purpose is to learn how to scavenge essential resources. In combination, these two rules can noticeably increase your chances to stay alive.

Hiding Scenario Tactics

Since there are so many people around, avoiding them will not be an easy thing. The simplest option is to lie low in your own home and not leave it. However, this is relevant exactly as long as you have enough food, water, and survival medical supplies. This is the reason why it is so important to stock up food and prepare for SHTF in advance. You will be able to delay your going out for a while.

Remember that you are not supposed to tell others (including your friends) that you have resources unless you are ready to share with them and survive together.

In general, this avoiding-others approach is ideal for short-term disasters. However, if it looks like the danger will not pass you for a long time, then you should be prepared to go outside for replenishment. Obviously, this outing will likely be very insecure for you.

Transportation Methods

Almost everyone in the United States owns a car, so this is the most obvious transport you will probably want to use. Of course, this method, theoretically, will attract unwanted attention to your actions. However, in practice, many will likely decide to use their cars or bug-out trucks, and therefore there will be congestion on the roads. Also, thousands of abandoned cars will likely remain on the roads because no one could evacuate them to clear the road. Therefore, for greater efficiency, you should choose a different vehicle.

A nice alternative is motorbikes and scooters. They both are more suited to the maneuvers and can easily drive through the narrow streets and between different obstacles. Another good option is bicycles. They are quite fast and convenient because they do not require electricity, gasoline, or complex repairs. Besides, they are convenient in the case of an EMP. The main drawback of the bikes is that they absolutely do not protect you from intruders attacks. And they are often stolen.

Walking is the most discreet method of transportation. You should only move on foot when you need to be as inconspicuous as possible and not create unnecessary noise. It can take a lot of time and energy. You will have to overcome dozens or even hundreds of miles to achieve your goal. Be prepared that such a trip may take several days. Moving around dark alleys and basements makes sense if you know the area well. Make sure you are knowledgeable enough to avoid getting lost and not accidentally fall victim to some villains.

Since you are among a large number of people, always be on the alert. If bad guys notice you and decide to attack, then you will not last long without self-defense skills and weapons at hand. You need to have a plan for such a scenario.

As for protection measures, I advise you to carry both firearms and melee weapons. Depending on the situation, each of them can be a very effective means of self-defense for you. Even though knives and batons are much less deadly than a gun, do not underestimate their power in situations where you need to eliminate the enemy silently. Using them is the ideal solution. There is no point in describing the advantages of firearms – you already know them all. The only advice is to use a gun silencer to reduce the noise of gunfire.

Investigate Your Territory

Another invaluable skill of urban survival is the ability to move around the neighborhood inconspicuously. To do this, you need to know your area perfectly to orient even in complete darkness. As a preparation, buy some maps with a detailed description of your area before the SHTF scenario occurs. You need to learn these maps by heart to know all the nooks and crannies. Besides, try to travel to work or the local shops by using different routes. This is a way to help you learn more about shorter paths and other territory features.

Train to move on roofs and sewers – this will help you a lot in a survival situation. And it will give you an extra advantage over those who are very poorly oriented on the terrain.

Watch this useful video to get new ideas and tips for urban survival.

Scavenging Skill For Useful Resources

After figuring out the techniques and ways to move around the city, you need to understand what you are looking for? Your goal is to find everything that can be used as a resource for survival. Given the huge number of supermarkets on the shelves of which you can find anything, to visit the nearest of them will come to your mind first. And this will be your mistake (not fatal, I hope ). Such places are too visible and obvious. The probability that they will be either empty and plundered or, on the contrary, filled with dangerous guys who have organized their base, there is very high. You need to think outside the box.

Focus on distribution centers, schools, or other buildings instead. The idea is to visit such places before the crowd gets to them.

Look for everything that can save your life: canned food and clear water, first aid kits. Besides, search for the survival equipment, gear, and useful tools (e.g., flashlight or lockpicking) that are absent in your bug-out bag.

If you have some bushcraft or wilderness survival knowledge, you know how to create improvised tools and even weapons. In this case, while scavenging, take a closer look at all the things that you can remake and use for this purpose.

The next videos contain extra ideas for scavenging locations and buildings.

Great Situational Awareness

The significance of situational awareness is hard to overestimate. Always scan the environment for resource availability, hidden enemies, useful for survival purposes, and potential threats. Keep in mind that your life is in your own hands. More precisely, it depends on every decision you make. Listen to your instincts and always keep your eyes open to avoid troubles. In fact, it doesn’t matter how physically strong or armed you are. If you make the wrong decisions, you’re finished.

The following video includes information about the importance of situational awareness. Without this skill, you will not stay alive for long, so learn the details.

Interaction With Others

Think about how you would like to survive – in cooperation with someone or alone.

In the first case, there are several obvious advantages. For instance, you will be able to share responsibilities, which will greatly simplify your life. Besides, you will know that a person (or people) will cover your back in case of danger. This is a dry calculation – it is easier for a group of people to win a battle, build a temporary home, make sorties, etc. Also, you will not feel so lonely in the new reality. After all, a human is a social creature by nature, so communication is necessary for each of us. To find a companion, share your food, ammunition, or use any other way to show him that it is in his best interest to join your team.

But when choosing a partner for urban survival, act wisely and choose people who are adequate, sympathetic to you, and have useful skills and qualities. In other words, drug addicts and the first freaks that get in your way are a bad option.

However, do not lose your vigilance and do not be too trusting to everyone but your close people. Hide your valuables in safe or other secluded places, and never tell anyone (even your friend) where you keep your survival stock. Even if you have known this person for many years, no one can give you any guarantee that he will not put his life above yours and rob your vaults. By revealing your ammunition’s location to somebody, you run the risk of suffering from your own weapon.

At the same time, it is not necessary to look for a company. If you are more comfortable doing everything yourself or trust other people, or you just could not find the right teammates, there is no problem yet. This approach’s main advantage is that no one will stab you in the back and run away with your equipment at the first signs of danger.

Physical Activity & Wilderness Survival Skills Training

Making sorties for replenishment, you will have to pass (and possibly run) huge distances, overcome obstacles in the form of destroyed buildings, barricades, clusters of cars, and so on. Besides, you will most likely have to fight with intruders. To keep your body prepared for such workloads and ensure that it will not let you down during the fight, you need constant training.

First of all, you need to develop your stamina. This is great for running long distances and hiking. Then, your muscles should be strong and in good shape. Try yourself in rock climbing or free-running to make your core stronger. A strong and hardy body will help you move unnoticed on buildings’ roofs and run away from armed gangs.

Martial arts skills are most effective for urban survival aims. This is not only a great workout for your muscles but also a guarantee that you will be able to protect yourself during violent riots. Remember that it is not always possible to avoid conflicts, so knowing at least a couple of proven combat techniques is a handy skill.

Future Perspectives

After the disaster, you will have to face many difficulties in your fight for survival path. Such a large-scale event will change society radically, and you will have to accept it and adapt to the new reality as soon as you can.

The lack of familiar services and products is only part of the problem. Soon, a full-scale struggle for resources will begin. After that, social norms will radically change, and murders, violent attacks, and robberies will become a usual part of human life. In such circumstances, having a plan of action for any scenario is priceless.

Carefully prepare for any SHTF in advance, and you will be able to survive. What is more, with proper luck, you will even save your loved ones.

FAQ

How to Build a Micro Survival Kit

Remember that its main advantage is compactness and lightness. Thanks to these qualities, you can store such a set of survival gear in the car, at home, and even in the office. Collect there the smallest and at the same time universal tools, such as a knife, matches, a medical kit, a flashlight, etc. Don’t forget the protein bars and water cleaner. Besides, you would probably need a few lock picks, a rescue whistle, a needle and thread, and some cash.

Are You Ready for a Post-Antibiotic World?

Check how prepared you are for disaster situations. Do you have a bag in which you store the necessary items and resources for urban survival? If not, you better purchase a few. Do you have the ammo to defend against enemies in chaos? Not everyone likes to carry a gun or even just keep it in their house, but you will not survive for long without it. Also, make sure you know your area perfectly and exercise regularly to keep your body in good shape.

How To Make Roman Concrete

This is the most durable type of concrete that exists on earth since ancient days. The good news is that you can make it yourself at home. All you have to do is take water and mix it with limestone powder to a paste in a special container. Then add the volcanic ash to the mixture and mix all the ingredients once again. Pour the resulting substance into the mold, tamp it, and leave for a few days until completely solidified. That’s it! Your Roman Concrete is ready.