You never know when disaster will strike. You’re not always safe in the comfort of your own home. Sometimes, you’re in the city for business – or maybe your home is in the city.
Being in a survival event in an urban setting is very different from that of someone on a homestead out in the country away from the chaos. When preppers start making plans, it’s usually viewed as something where they’ll live rurally or bug out to the wilderness.
But if something happened when you were downtown, how would you survive and navigate that emergency? In September of 2001, many were caught in New York City conducting business when it felt as if the world was under attack.
Phone lines went down, transportation was difficult trying to escape the area, and people didn’t have supplies with them that might be needed in this type of scenario. Urban settings have unique challenges you have to prepare for, but knowing what to do ahead of time can empower you when and if the SHTF.
The Big Risks for Urban Areas in a Survival Event
Before you start making plans, you need to understand the risks. Every area has its own unique set of challenges. Crime is going to be a big one in the city. Even in minor disruptions, when something happens, people start looting and stealing as well as committing in violent assaults.
This is often a hive mentality when it starts from a small group of individuals and grows out of control like a wildfire into an angry mob with more and more people joining. It quickly develops its own dynamics and vicious, feral behavior boils to the surface which turns this into a potentially life-threatening event. Make every effort to avoid areas where this occurs or carry some sort of protection, this will keep you safe from opportunistic criminals.
Don’t rely on law enforcement because in these mob-rule situations, police are often overwhelmed and unable to assist you. If you live in the city, fortify your home to make entry more difficult for criminals who want to prey on you.
Urban settings are going to be far more crowded than rural ones. And when you have a dense population, you’ll also be much more susceptible to viral outbreaks, a shortage of supplies and your evacuation route might be clogged.
Another risk you have to consider is not being able to evacuate at all. Transportation might be down, roads blocked. In addition, vital infrastructure can be at risk – like your trash services, water and plumbing, and communication systems might completely fail, too.
Don’t forget that urban centers are often a targets for politically motivated criminals of the world. Terrorists like to do as much damage as possible, so they prefer highly populated areas like inner cities – that might put a target on your back. Be aware and alert at all times and remove yourself as soon as you detect a threat or anything that looks of feels “off”.
Every Prepper Needs to Master These Essential Urban Survival Skills
To prepare for a survival event in an urban situation, there are different skills you will have to learn and master ahead of time. The first one, as mentioned above, is awareness and alertness.
Situational awareness is more than just spotting a potential human threat, but also knowing whereto you will escape and being able to adjust your plans whenever there is any type of disastrous event, such as an outbreak of a disease or a catastrophic weather event.
Every time you enter somewhere new that you are not familiar with, look for your exits and make a plan in your mind immediately of how you would go about escaping quickly if a threat occurred.
This does not mean that you become a paranoid “Doomsday Prepper” who sees danger, foul play or conspiracy around every corner and in every situation. This means developing the mindset to be cautious about your surroundings and always consider the possibility of an emergency developing.
One good skill to know is how to become a Grey Man. Wether you’re a man or a woman – the Grey Man concept means you blend in so well with your surroundings that you don’t draw any attention to yourself. This is highly useful in chaotic civil unrest situations, where you don’t want to stand out and become a target. (Check out Part 19 – How to Become a Grey Man for more information!)
Even in long term survival events in an urban setting, you want to make sure that you are capable of navigating around the city without being detected. You can do this by dressing in neutral clothing and not displaying anything that shows you have supplies or money.
You want to be discreet, yet protected when you go out and about. First aid is another skill that you need to learn for a survival situation in an urban setting. You may have different types of injuries than you would in a wilderness situation.
In the wilderness you might be dealing with insect bites, cuts and scrapes, or sprained ankles due to being in an outdoor setting. In an urban situation you may be dealing with burns, cuts, and illnesses that are spreading easily in a dense population.
One skill you could also learn to help you in a survival event is how to pick a lock. In an urban survival event, you might need access to buildings and resources and this could come in handy, especially if it’s a dire, global event that lasts.
Of course, self defense is an vital skill to have as well. Even if you are armed, knowing some martial arts moves can help diffuse a situation and keep you safe if you’re ever caught unprotected.
And another skills you’ll want to know ahead of time is small space gardening. Whether it’s on a balcony or indoors, having a food supply in an urban setting can keep your family fed.
Supplies You Need to Have in Urban Settings for Survival
The supplies you’ll need in an urban survival event are both similar to and different from what you’d need if you were bugging out. You may not be carrying around a large machete to chop down the brush, but a good multitool can come in handy.
You need a compact tool that can cut, file and repair things. You’ll need clean water, and in an urban environment, you may not have an abundance of natural water sources. So have a portable water filter like the straws or tabs to clean contaminants.
Emergency food is often bulky, and in an urban setting, you might be strapped for space. You may want to have dense, high calorie foods on hand that are compact and shelf stable.
You can pack these in a bug out bag that you keep at work or in your urban living quarters, along with all of the other supplies you need for this type of situation. Make sure you also have some sort of solar gear to charge up your phone and other gadgets such as lanterns because you don’t want to be in a situation with no electricity where you are surrounded by threats.
Creating an Urban Emergency Survival Plan
The last thing you need to do to prepare for an urban survival situation is make a plan for what you want to do and have your family do in the event of an emergency. Supplies and skills are not enough to help you weather a storm.
Make sure you have a designated safe space for the family to go to, along with a backup place in case the original one is compromised in some way. You want to make sure that place is stocked with basic supplies that will help you and your loved ones survive.
This may not be a home that you own. It could be some sort of community center or public building that will provide relief in a disaster. Another aspect of your plan should be evacuation measures.
In 2001, people had to escape via boat, so you need to have all options on the table and know alternate routes for when you can’t take main highways and roads due to unsafe situations.
Have a detailed map for every person so that they know every inch of the area and how to properly navigate it to safety. Remember, you may not have a car or public transportation – you might be on foot or using a scooter or bike instead.
Have communication methods and ways to signal for help, too. Two-way radios, whistles and even silent hand signals are important to have on hand and know in urban survival events.Now you understand better how to prepare for urban survival it is time to move onto the next report: Part 25 Begin Learning Proper Foraging Techniques
Just in case you missed the previous report on How to Scout out a Homestead you can study it here: Part 23 – Survival Prepping 101 Series Part 23: Scout Out a Homestead for Your Long-Term Preparations