4 Big Preps for Urban Survival
Survival and preparedness in general can seem like an overwhelming topic to the novice. After all it is indeed a huge subject. I am going to attempt to show you a good starting point as well as how we use a barbell graph to expand the subjects in the most useful way possible. Below I will describe those prep categories I believe to be the top 4 and how we can start building them up in our lives.
Water Preparedness
Water preparedness begins with the understanding that water is not only for drinking but also for cleaning and hygine. Which is where we get the “one gallon per person, per day” idea from. After all you’ll also be using that water to brush your teeth and wash your back side as well.
Understanding how to filter and disinfect water and the difference between the two is an important start. Filtering water is a good first step since it traps many of the particles that lead to turbidity in the water. In doing so you also trap many of the larger microorganisms as well as, the ones who shelter in those particles provided the pore size of said filter is small enough.
Most commercially available filters will filter anywhere from .1 to 10 microns. Protozoans and amoebas are commonly found in most natural water sources. They tend to be 10 microns or larger in size. Bacteria are also commonly found in natural water sources particularly those which are stagnant and tend to be .2 microns or bigger. Viruses are the smallest microorganisms we know of, and they can be anywhere from .02 microns or larger. They often make it past most commercially available filters making disinfection a necessary second step when processing water for drinking.
Disinfection is usually done either through chemical treatments, boiling, UV treatment, or a combination of them. While in most wilderness survival scenarios in the back woods of North America viruses aren’t a concern, they are a big concern as you get closer to humanity. Logically as you come into closer contact with more people human transmissible diseases become a bigger threat and must be accounted for since they will often find themselves into the water supply.
The third concern in your water supply should be chemicals. So it is important to note that most filter mediums that can filter down to .1 micron can help with most microorganisms, only carbon based ones can deal with chemicals. The processes through which carbon helps clear chemicals from our water is called adsorption (not to be confused with absorption). It essentially binds with those chemicals hanging on to them while the water goes through the filtering element. You see many chemicals are molecularly the same size as water. This is important to note when choosing our water supply. Clear sources are better than turbid sources. Running water sources are better that stagnant water sources. More isolated water sources are better than common watering holes, and make it a point to know whats up stream from you! Petro chemicals, heavy metals, and micro plastics are huge concerns along with all the waterborne pathogens we previously mentioned.
If you’re interested in a filter/purifier that handles all three here’s the best on we’ve found:
Now that we have an understanding of how we should select our water source and how we can process it lets see how we can apply our barbell strategy. If on one side of the graph we have worst case scenario and on the other side we have most probable scenario we should theoretically be covered in most but the strangest black swan events.
Look at it this way, the most probable scenario is a temporary hick up in the municipal water supply mechanisms. The typical boil water order we’ve all experienced at some point. A more dangerous scenario would be a complete shut off of that water supply. In Florida that becomes more of a container problem since water sources are all around us, but if you were living in the Southwest you may wish pre-identify usable water sources. If the scenario is driven by a drought having cisterns and other similar water storage devices pre filled may be critical.
So in practical terms we should have a means of acquiring, processing, and storing water while sheltering in place, the so called “bugging in” scenario and a smaller more portable way of accomplishing that for a go bag to be used while “bugging out” or getting home. Having previously identified usable water sources gives us another redundancy and well as having previously stored water when times were still good.
Food Preparedness
While the rule of three’s gives us three days without water and three weeks without food it really is a lot more nuanced than that. For example going for days without food but drinking lots of water may lead to a potentially deadly electrolyte imbalance commonly known as hyponutremia. Working hard after a disaster without replacing lost nutrients will quickly render you useless as lack of energy leads to lethargy. I could go on but I think you get the point. Three weeks with out food refers to biological survival not necessary active survival.
Looking at the barbell graph again lets say the worst case scenario is a long term (maybe permanent) supply chain disruption such as what is theorized to happen after an EMP event. The more probable event is a short term supply disruption such as a hurricane or civil unrest. The hurricane will be more localized allowing supplies to be brought in from unaffected areas so relief can be expected anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, but in the case of the EMP the whole country may be effected meaning a much longer term scenario.
Preparedness in this case should be layered into short, medium, and long term plans. Short term refers to maximizing what you currently have in the refrigerators and pantries. Given enough warning you could pack your refrigerator to minimize any open spaces which lead to faster warming. You could also freeze, freezable perishables so they may keep longer.
A strategy I use during hurricane threats is to freeze all drinks in smaller plastic containers and use them to fill up the previously mentioned open areas. Any extras also get frozen and put into coolers. This helps avoid needlessly opening the refrigerator. Two other strategies I use is to take a picture of the contents in the fridge, as well as having a battery powered thermometer I can read from outside the refrigerator. Maximizing your fridge and using coolers may give you a few extra days of supplies that didn’t go bad. Stocking up the pantry with shelf stable foods is a good practice. During the good times it allows you to take advantage of sales, “twofers”, and BOGOS, creating a hedge for leaner times. During rougher times it may give you a couple or more weeks beyond the time afforded you by maximizing your fridge.
Experienced preppers often get much more out of their pantries. Some even boasting years of available food. Two useful strategies are I like to practice are “copy canning” and the yearly menu strategy. Please note the preppers maxim “eat what you store, and store what you eat” becomes very important here. You don’t want to store food you may not like or worse food that may give you gastric distress.
Copy canning is a term coined by Survival Expert Karen Hood describing a practice I first learned from my mom. Simply double up on things you commonly eat. So if you like canned ravioli ( a childhood favorite of mine ) rather than just buying one with your weekly groceries buy two. After six weeks you’ll have another six weeks in reserve. Here’s where buy one get one deals really shine! The yearly menu strategy is when you purchase a large quantity of a staple items. For example: if you eat pasta every week why not go to your local wholesale food club (or better yet restaurant supplier) and buy several months worth of assorted pasta and spaghetti sauce. Buying in bulk like that can save you a lot of money. If the load is spread out through several families it becomes even more affordable!
Long term food preparations for scenarios lasting beyond what can be handled by the above mentioned techniques would include long term shelf stable foods packaged in oxygen free containers. Some of these often lasting twenty plus years if stored properly. Things like dry uncooked rice, dry beans, and freeze dried meats, fruits, and vegetables packed in mylar with oxygen absorbers is what I’m talking about here.
There are many survival food companies selling these. The only down side being they’re expensive. Buying mylar and oxygen absorbers isn’t terribly expensive however, so packaging some of your own isn’t a big reach. Rice, beans, freeze dried coffee, and other shelf stable foods are good starters. Meats, vegetables, and fruits are more problematic since they’ll need to be freeze dried. Not to be confused with dehydration which is another useful method of preservation but it only yields a few weeks rather than the 20 plus years with freeze dried foods.
A smaller freeze drier could be had for a few thousand dollars. For many its unaffordable but here is where splitting it among a group of people may make it affordable. Dehydrating however is a option most could afford. Having a dehydrator is a great thing but know there are many ways to dehydrate food including in your stove, in the sun, or even your air frier. Look into it and you’ll have a way to increase the shelf life of your food in an emergency.
Beyond the methods I’ve discussed above would be growing your own food something worthy of its own article at a minimum, so I hope you’ll understand when I say its beyond the scope of this work. Still, I’d like to at least give you a peek into that arena. A small herb garden or some micro greens (think chia pet) can be had by anyone, even apartment dwellers. These could increase the nutritional quality of your long term stored foods through teas and salads and during the good times help keep your regular meals exciting!
Security and Personal Defense
The worst case scenario here would be some sort of civil unrest or mob violence such as what we saw during the summer of 2020. The more common scenario is a mugging or random act of violence something we may have forgotten about since the media gets more views with the more sensational yet dramatically less common events such as active shooters or political violence. Still having the means and skills for managing both are of vital to our survival as we move forward into the 21st century.
Any conversation of security and personal defense must start with a commitment to awareness, avoidance, and de-escalation. Keeping your alertness up by being mindful of your environment and keeping up with current events is a good start here. Keeping your head out of social media while out and about is another good admonishment!
Now presuming you’ve done everything to avoid confrontation and it still comes to bear having hand to hand skills and good physical fitness is a good bare minimum, and a great start to build on. Can you knock out or choke out a bad guy? Great! Now can you do it after sprinting a full city block? Food for thought.
Because of our second amendment guns are often considered and rightfully so after all “god made men, but Sam Colt made them equal.” A smaller weaker person can successfully mitigate that disparity with firearms-provided they have the requisite skill. Therein lays the crux, it isn’t enough to just have the device. You need not only to be capable, but also willing to use it. Not to mention it isn’t so cut and dry since the aftermath may bring its own problems the least of which may be a guilty conscience. Legal problems, social stigma, and even psychological problems may follow a successful self defense shooting.
It is for those reasons many opt to use other types of weapons for self defense. Non-firearm weapons are also worth understanding, not only because you may be averse to using firearms, but because they may be illegal or unavailable. Impact and edged weapons are part of our evolutionary heritage since god didn’t give us fangs, claws, or scales, but big brains and hands that can grip things.
What about non lethal devices? Some are good some are not. For example tasers work well in most cases as evidenced by countless police uses to date. Of course provided you don’t miss. Stun guns on the other hand don’t work, and neither do cattle prods for that matter. They simply don’t have enough power to be both effective and non lethal. At best they may be a deterrent to a cowardly attacker, certainly not one determined to hurt hurt you.
Pepper gas is another one worth mentioning. While the effectiveness can vary, the one thing it does pretty well is temporarily blinding the assailant. With that in mind having what self defense guru Craig Douglas calls an “eye poke in a can” might be a useful tool for a “stun and run” strategy.
While all of the tools and techniques mentioned will work in varying degrees for the scenarios mentioned it must be said that the tactics applied will be the decisive factor. For example a small can of pepper gas palmed and deployed as a surprise tactic may very well help you escape a mugging. The same tactic used to break contact with a mob may help you get to a more fortified position while you draw your gun, and may be useful in this scenario as well.
This is indeed another huge subject that can be expanded in volumes so hopefully this will hold you over for now.
First Aid and Medical Preparedness
I can often be heard saying “the second half of self defense is first aid”, but the reality is that first aid can cross all the elements of survival. For example you may need to patch yourself up after a violent encounter, or perhaps you tripped while out hiking and impaled yourself on a sharp object, or maybe it was a car accident, or you got injured while clearing the yard after a storm. The scenarios are infinite, but consider the whole survival scenario may be precipitated by a medical emergency.
Worst case scenario here may be a bleeding emergency one of the more survivable
injuries provided you have the skills and tools to solve it. Time is of the essence though since a large arterial bleed can kill you in seconds and EMS typically take minutes to arrive. Having trauma management skills and CPR skills are a great place to start. Not to mention basic first aid. For those looking for something more comprehensive after that consider a wilderness or hikers first aid course since these take austere settings and improvisational skills into account.
For the more probable things consider your current state. Do you need certain medications to survive? Having redundancies and alternatives are an important start. Something as simple as an epi-pen for someone with a dangerous allergy is a critical prep. How about things like headache medications, stomach medications, eye washes, etc. Not needing to run out and get any of those is a great comfort during the good times, and a godsend during the bad times.
Once both sides of the barbell have been addressed in the short term consider the long term. Is there anything looming in the horizon? Here’s where staying up with current events is important. What supplies may become scarce during future threats? If talk of nuclear war becomes a thing might potassium iodide tablets (KI) become scarce? If there’s talk of a zoonotic bird flu might flu medications become scarce? Do we know of any alternatives just in case? Can they be used for barter? What about bandaging? When dealing with large wounds or burns you’ll go through a lot more bandaging that you think.
If the situation is long lasting enough what are the bigger causes of death? The big three following big events, and in developing countries are respiratory infections, topical infections, and diarrhea diseases. Are you equipped to deal with them? Did you know hygiene, sanitation, and effective garbage disposal are the key to preventing the big three. What about insect or rodent infestations? Can you manage those?
Hopefully I’ve given you guys some food for thought. My goal with all of these treatments is not only to give you something to consider but to give you actionable advice. In future writings I will expand upon the ideas discussed here. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please feel free to reach out. Who knows you may inspire a future article.
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