Urban Survival Checklist – 6 Tips to Survive in the City

Even though disasters can happen at any time and in any place, I know that there are many people who don’t give their survival a second thought. If you live in a city, then it is imperative that you understand the urban survival steps that you can take to ensure that you will be able to survive a disaster without any problems.

Survival Tip #1 Be Prepared to Leave Quickly

One of the most important things that you can do to ensure your survival if you live in an urban area and are experiencing a disaster is to be prepared to move as quickly as possible. As soon as other people begin to realize that there is a problem, they are very likely to start trying to leave as well, and the roads leading out of a city aren’t going to be designed to handle that much traffic without becoming clogged and shutting down. If you are unable to exit the city before the rush of other people who are trying to leave, then you are very likely to get stuck and be unable to leave for a long time.
Not every emergency will require you to leave your city, but if it is unsafe, then you need not only to be able to make that decision quickly but also to follow through with it. This means that that you need to be able to quickly grab your stocked bug out bag and get out of the city. Understanding how you can collect the family members that need to go with you, what belongings you need to take, and where you keep your bug out bag so that you can easily reach it in an emergency are all very important and will play a huge role in whether or not you are able to beat the crowds. Knowing what you are going to do when you need to leave your home is the best way to get out of the city as quickly as possible.

#2 Get Ready to Stay Put

It is completely normal to want to leave town as quickly as possible when you are experiencing a major emergency in your city, but that is not always the best course of action, and it is important that you are able to determine when you need to go and when you need to stay. Packing a bug out bag and having a plan for your family to get together so that you can leave when you need to is important, but just as important is knowing when you need to stay at your home and be prepared to do so for a long time without help from the professionals.
You will want to make sure that you are able to avoid other people as much as possible if you decide to stay put in your home, because interacting with others can be very dangerous, especially if they realize that you are prepared for an emergency and are supplied with what you need to keep your family safe and healthy. You will need to take steps to stockpile medical supplies, water, food, and other items and then make sure that you do not tell others about the supplies that you have stockpiled unless you are willing to share when things get bad. Being able to stay put in your home for as long as possible will help you and your family to stay safe, no matter how long the emergency lasts.

#3 Know How to Protect Yourself

One of the most important skills that you need to master for urban survival when you are dealing with a disaster is knowing how to protect and defend yourself. While it is best to stay holed up in your home with your supplies for as long as possible, at some point you will need to leave your home and go outside, and this means that you will end up running into other people. There are going to be some good people who are left behind trying to survive, but it is just as likely that you will run into someone who will be willing to take advantage of you, so you need to understand how to defend yourself.
It is amazing how quickly cities will become uncivilized when they are faced with a disaster, and this means that you may become a target, either when you have left your home, or when people realize that you have a stockpile that could be beneficial to them. Remember that you need to know how to move quietly, blend in, and protect yourself with whatever weapons necessary. It is not going to help you if you have a weapon, such as a knife or a gun, and don’t know how to actually use them in a fight, so don’t show them to others in an attempt to dissuade them from attacking you unless you actually know how to protect yourself and are prepared to do so. Taking some classes beforehand will ensure that you have the skills that you need to be safe when you are faced with a disaster.

#4 Avoid Certain Places

There are some places in your city that you will want to avoid at all costs, as going to them will likely put you in a very dangerous situation. There are areas in a city that are going to be naturally more populated with people and locations where they will go to meet their family or friends when in danger. This means that you need to take steps to ensure that you do not visit these locations and that you have meeting places planned out that is as far as possible from these dangerous areas. Trying to go to these populated areas will likely put you in danger and can cause you to get swept up in a large crowd, unable to meet your family.
Some of the top trouble locations to avoid when there is a disaster include grocery stores, government offices, hospitals, transport locations, gas stations, sporting stores, and public squares. Understanding what locations in a city people will be naturally drawn towards and then doing everything that you can to avoid those locations is important. This is a huge step that you can take towards protecting yourself and your family. Obviously, if you have a medical emergency and need care, then I suggest that you go to the hospital, but you will also want to leave as quickly as possible and then do everything that you can do to avoid going back so that you miss the crowds.

#5 Be Prepared for Any Environmental Hazards

It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the only real dangers that you are going to experience after a disaster are going to be people, but when you live in a city, you need to broaden your view of urbansurvival and what you need to be wary of in order to survive. Cities are full of environmental hazards that can become quite dangerous after there has been a disaster, and the best way to make sure that you can avoid them is to understand what they are and be prepared for them. There are many problems that you can run into, such as asbestos in the air from damaged buildings, broken glass and concrete dust, and other materials that can hurt you.
Your bug out bag needs to contain the right gear to deal with materials in your area that can quickly become safety hazards. Some of the most obvious items that you need include long pants and sturdy shoes, but these will not be a huge help if the air is polluted and dangerous for you to breathe. I recommend that you bring eye, hearing, hand, and lung protection so that you can breathe, see, hear, and move freely and without any danger. Use a checklist to help you plan for all problems.

#6 Know Where to Scavenge

At some point, you will likely have to scavenge to help supplement the supplies that you have set aside for the disaster. No matter how well you have stockpiled food, water, and other supplies, you will need to leave the house to get more. It’s important that you not only avoid the most dangerous areas in the city, as I have mentioned but also where is safe to scavenge. Not already having in mind safe locations for you to scavenge when necessary will mean that you are putting yourself and your family at risk when you do leave the home.
There are some locations that I think are safer than others for when you need to leave the home. Check out junkyards, abandoned offices, trucking centers, marinas, abandoned homes, and personal storage facilities. The abandoned homes and storage facilities may still have some people lingering around, so you need to be very careful when approaching them and perform surveillance beforehand to make sure that they are really abandoned. By planning out where you are going to scavenge and then moving quickly and quietly, you can generally find the supplies you need.
Do you think that this list helped you plan for an urban disaster? I think that it’s incredibly important to know what you will do in case of an urban disaster and to have a plan in place so that you don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment, and please share the article with someone who will enjoy it, if you like it.