The following guide was originally compiled by Tess Pennington at ReadyNutrition.com. Tess is the author of the widely popular and highly rated The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster
Collectively speaking, there are many of us who have been preparing for emergencies and have read our fair share of prepper fiction and watched enough apocalyptic thrillers to know that the higher the population density, the more dangerous it can be in a disaster. As well, when resources like food and fuel have to be transported from outside the city limits, then your survivability rate lessens. So what about those who have to live in the city? Should they just stop prepping all together? Would they stand a fighting chance at surviving?
According to the last census, 80.7 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas. In fact, many choose to live the higher populated areas because of better paying jobs and better school systems, so the probability of a SHTF event happening while you are in the city is likely. As well, because many commuters spend a large majority of their time away from their homes, I recommend having these 20 items on hand to get you back home.
In an interview by Rory from The Daily Coin, he asked if it is possible to live out a SHTF scenario in an urban setting. The answer is yes, but for a majority of us, we must ask ourselves if we are up to the challenge. Because while I do believe someone could get by in an urban setting, it could prove to be more challenging for the Average Joe.
If you are forced to stay in the city after a disaster occurs, all is not lost. I do believe urban survival is possible, but you may need to get creative. Ultimately, being able to survive in an urban setting during a major ordeal depends on multiple factors: specifically, the type of disaster, if basic infrastructure is still up, where you are located, what you have with you and your skill sets. Moreover, I believe that whether you are surviving in an urban setting or a rural one, you need the same things for survival: food, water, shelter, protection (sound familiar?). The difference is you will need to rely more on your skills and ingenuity in finding opportunities to use to your advantage in a post-disaster city. In both scenarios, rural and urban survivors will also have to find a way to carry on for long durations. That is, when your short-term reserves are tapped out, what’s your long-term plan?
Above all, the population density will be your greatest threat and your resources will quickly be depleted. If you are not familiar with Selco’s story from SHTFSchool.com, he survived in an urban setting and tells his story and shares ways that he and others survived on his website. Some of the critical needs he outlines are:
Food – No city can feed it’s people on its own and when the supply trucks stop running, supplies will quickly be depleted. It is wise to have food on hand. I outlined 25 must-have versatile foods for your pantry.
As well, I highly recommend storing a variety of heirloom seeds. These can be to grow sprouts for emergency nutrition and for gardens for long-term food sources. You could also plant edible flowers. Not only will they be lovely to look at, but they will provide sustenance when you need it the most. Alternatively, if you can locate food packing plants or warehouses in your city, that may be a good place to allocate additional food reserves if yours runs out. This article can provide information on foraging for weeds.
Water – Municipal water sources can become tainted and it will be up to you to locate water sources. Water could look crystal clear and still contain very dangerous contaminants. – so avoid this all together and make sure you have some water stored away. Your skills will come in handy here if you are actively practicing how to survive. Here are five different ways to find water when there is none to be had. As well, consider having a map on hand of water sources in close proximity to you.
Fuel – Due to so many who are getting out of dodge and leaving the city, the fuel stores will quickly be depleted. As well, this could be problematic for running your generators. Many preppers prefer to have some alternative fuel on hand, or even biomass briquettes. Make sure you follow the proper safety guidelines for storing fuel, especially those who live in apartments.
Many suggest solar panels as a good power alternative. While I like this idea, I think it can also draw unwanted attention, so further security measures should be put in place to hide the solar panels from view.
Power – The failure of the power grid will prevent things from getting back to normal. When the majority of the population realize things aren’t going to change any time soon, and the above listed items aren’t available, there will be breakdowns to the level of social collapse. Many feel this very reason is why it’s important to be ready to bug out on a moment’s notice. If you are caught in this, it could be very dangerous.
While it is entirely possible to survive in the city, you need to know what you will be up against. I realize that I am painting a very bleak picture, but those who stay behind and choose not to bug out are either under prepared, trapped in the city or have enough skills and know-how to make it on very little stored resources. The latter will not be the majority. Therefore, be prepared for roaming gangs, thugs and desperate individuals who have resorted to a more primal version of themselves. They will do what they need to in order for their needs to be met. If they haven’t eaten in days, they will smell your food from miles away, so you need to know how to mask the smells of your food or you could be welcoming unwanted visitors whose primary focus is to take what you have.
Security will be crucial in surviving in an urban setting and having a group you can depend on will make it all the more secure. Many neighbors and friends living in close proximity will band together and help to fortify the homes or find a suitable location in a higher location so you can get a bird’s-eye view of the scenery.  One aspect that the city offers is a plethora of building materials to use for fortifying a home. If you start looking for fortifying plans now, you will have a better idea on what materials you will need. I also cannot stress how important it is to have a means of protecting yourself. If someone kicks in your door, they aren’t only looking for a cup of sugar. Having a firearm and knowing how to use it could make all the difference in the world.
As well, having a keen grasp on communication skills with your group to ensure your perimeter is safe and make sure you will have alerts to possible threats. Communication is key and you should have multiple forms of communication, especially if a family or group member ends up being separated. One of the greatest threats we all face in cities are terrorist attacks. They target highly populated cities with dirty bombs and chemical weapons, and what we saw in Brussels that is can happen in peaceful cities, as well. Today it was Brussels. Where will it be the next time they hit America? Protecting yourself is the only option to ensuring your family has what it needs, including gas masks to gauge against chemical and biological attacks.
Start Finding Ways to Think Outside of the Box:
As I mentioned previously, to survive in a post-disaster urban setting, you will need to get creative in the way you work problems. Nothing should be wasted and everything could be used. Trash lying around can be repurposed and fashioned into something more useful. As well, start reading resources that can help you in your future preparations. The following books have great information on this type of survival.
The human species has always found way to survive and times aren’t all that different. In order to thrive in an urban environment, you need to be aware of what’s stacked against you: the lack of resources, possible threats, roaming gangs and violence. If you can change your line of thinking, utilize key skill sets and become more fluid with the problem, your odds improve.
Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.
Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.Â
Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.
Also From Tess Pennington:
Free Web Series:Â 52 Weeks to Preparedness: An Emergency Preparedness Plan For Surviving Virtually Any Disaster
Going Rogue: 15 Ways to Detach From the System
When the Trucks Stop Delivering, ‘The System’ Will Collapse
It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point
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Tess has great ideas. Edible flowers are hiding in plain sight.
B of CA
Redd trees have edible beans. They are very common in cities. Wild violets are a common lawn weed and very tasty and nutricious. Rose of Sharon leaves are edible. I live on 5 acres and have many unknown edible plants. I think it is an important addition to a standard garden.
Redbud trees have edible beans.
B from CA
I have about 50 daylilies… edible.
Being in a city will be a fatal flaw and more serious suffering than is necessary, at a minimum. This woman has zero experience in such matters and is just writing from the hip or her imagination, not hands on experience ? But most so-called prepper writers and sites are more or less full of beans, no pun intended ! Most prepper types have never even been in a fist fight much less actually defending for their lives in a real emergency and most are not even close to being in physical shape for such an event ! Beans and bullets alone are not any only answer at all. The only thing she said that makes any sense or is useful at all is that martial law is a serious issue ! Just more of the same repeated scenarios with zero experience to back it up.
Right on.
Anonymous and Down to Earth Thinking
How many Americans have any first hand experience in these things? No one has been through an EMP event, for example, but it would have no effect on an African village and a massive effect in a huge city. I am prepping 1800s, and chose to leave my city career to get out of the death trap. Imagination only, not direct experience. I listen to all speakers but chose my own way. Imagination is the most powerful tool human beings have.
The reality is, shit happens, and it could affect any of us at any time,
Rather be prepared for just in case than be left flailing and SOL
Amen Kula.
I like the Boy Scouts motto.
Because we know not what the future will bring…
a lot of americans could benefit from volunteering for boy scouts. i use scouts knowledge EVERY day of my life…and the scout manual is a treasure trove of information on survival….make DAMN SURE your teenager goes through it.
Even better are older Boy Scout Manuals. They have more survival information. I have one from about 60 years ago.
Actually we do know what the future will bring ? we simply do not know exactly how it will play out or exactly when ? it is not a matter of if , but when and most of it is already in motion, but few see it for what it is ?
Great article….keep up this kind of info.
Like Eppe said. “always be prepared!!!!
Prepare for what you think will happen, and then multiply it by 10.
Remember. “Everything changes after the first shot”. Gen. Patton. I believe.
All I can say is Thank God I’m a Country Boy!
A.S.M.S.
Sgt.
Keep a couple of Go bags handy. One in each vehicle and a larger one for long distance. food, water and weapon.
Practice running with your go pack. You need to be able to go 10 miles at least without getting winded. You also need to be strong enough to scale walls, go up steps and stairs, with your go pack.
As a former special forces physical education instructor, I need to raise practicalities. People underestimate injury as a factor. If you are not in good shape, you will pull your back, you will twist your ankle – try getting anywhere with severe back pain.
Not very practical advice; what are the other 99.5% of us going to do?? I don’t intend to run 10 miles.
Im with you, am in decent shape but i dont know anyone who can run 10 miles with a pack,
Some stuff just isnt practical nor realistic.
Not much past your 20’s for most people anyway.
But after that you’re supposed to be relying on experience and skill more than sheer physical prowess for survival anyway.
I maybe can’t run ten miles with a pack, but I can certainly do twenty miles on a mountain bike faster than a well trained person can run ten with the same pack.
People invented the wheel for good reason. My largest bug out bag is a suitcase that has huge wheels.
After an EMP or CME renders trains useless, rail lines could be used to great advantage. A light weight peddle powered cart could literally fly down the rails, and grades are always small to nonexistent on rail lines. Rail lines lead right out of the city. How fast could you MacGyver a rail cart, or an all terrain pack cart. Little old ladies in the cities using those personal fold up grocery carts with the 8 inch wheels know what they are doing.
Have good shoes/boots, clothing in layers.
ChuckinBama, don’t worry about being able to run 10 miles, frank can’t do it either. I highly doubt he was ever ANY type of physical instructor, much less for special forces.
Karl – my thoughts entirely (see my reply to Frank Thoughts below).
Frankie boy is a fantasist. He’s told too many conflicting stories to be credible.
By his own accounts he’s lived just about everywhere in the world, made and lost fortunes, now he’s an ex Special Forces instructor! What a guy! What a bullshitter!
Depends on terrain and weight of your pack. The pace with a Pack would be time and a half, otherwise it would beat you, make noise, and tire even the best of us quickly.
unless you carry it on a jogging stroller….think about it, a jogging stroller can go just about anywhere…and you could carry even MORE weight with it than if you had it on yer back.
If you are on roads and trails, a cart would work fine. When you get into the woods, its backpack and walking stick only. Frank’s comment made me re evaluate my health. I have aged 5 more years since I was dabbling in bodybuilding, weight training, adventure racing and hiking. Due to having to build a house and hobby farm, I have given up on the body building, adventure racing, and heavy weight lifting. Now I just back pack hike and weight train with lighter weights under 250lbs depending on exercise. Your health and brain is the most important part of surviving. They go together. I would be curious to see pics of some of the preppers here that are “commandos”. We seem to avoid a long discussion on this topic for obvious reasons. I know that hard workers such as Kula, would have no problem evading trouble through the rough terrain.
Absolutely. Run with a pack? Not unless being chased. Walk a good steady pace. I now have a 37 mile hike home with my new job. Pack may be a bit on the heavy side, but I’ll worry about that when the time comes.
Riding a bike is an idea, but I don’t have one. You can cover way more ground using just about the same energy as walking. Thing is riding a bike with a pack can be tricky if you have never done it. Putting the pack on a bike and walking beside it may be more efficient. Me I don’t have any water, I have life straw, plus I would drink/scam water from work before I left.
The big thing that I will do is get my alcohol wipes out of the pack and clean my feet. Cut my moleskin to cover my heel and front ball of my feet and patches on the toes. Put on my Merino wool socks and my combat boots that have seen many miles in Iraq, with my special inserts in them. Prevention of blisters will be very important. I have never had one, and ironically never have used moleskin, but in this situation I will NOT take chances.
All the while I will be drinking liters of water. (Lifestraw is for when I run out of bottles scammed from work) Hydration, hydration, hydration. The next thing I will be doing is keeping my energy up. Power bars or whatever you like eat one while drinking and walking. I do have a couple of MRE’s, but those will be for dinner later and breakfast the next day if I don’t keep moving all night.
Note on keeping up energy. It’s been a few years since I left the Army and the pounds have crept on. Just because I have several extra pound of fat on me that contain 3600 calories each, doesn’t mean that my glucose levels will stay good. Your brain needs glucose as a fuel in order for your thinking to be clear as it can be. EAT! I actually have a bottle of glucose tablets you can get in the pharmacy section. The diabetic area has them. They are cheap and taste good too. Once again eat a couple and drink lots of water. Helps with hunger too. The other thing I have is Meclizine. It’s generic Dramamine. It can be used to calm yourself down. Take two to keep the pucker factor down. Doesn’t mean you won’t be scared or apprehensive, but it helps take off the edge. I remember first combat patrol. I was scared shitless. Threw up behind the Stryker. Did research on pregame jitters after that and this stuff helped me a lot, or maybe I just stopped giving a shit, or I got used to it, I don’t know.
at age 70 i can walk 300 yards then rest my weary bones,,,damm dificult at best, i will bug in with my prepps, if im stuck 10 miles away with a auto that will not run,,,because of an EMP, out comes a folding bicycle.. ta-da ….
SGT USMC 1966-72
I’m not running anywhere.
A wise decision!
Look up Dutch Hungerwinter in Wikipedia.
I experienced that.
Those people who want to go outside the cities are in for a shock.
They will not be welcomed by farmers or communities.
There won’t be enough wildlife for everybody.
Do not expect that you can trade for food with any stuff.
During this Hungerwinter people went to farmers with sheets and other linen and household goods.
That was fine but after a week the farmers were flooded with that stuff and they only took gold or silver.
A few took rare coins or stamps.
Many will have a big shock coming.
better keep an open mind about “not running anywhere”….i can think of a dozen or so things that would make ME run…..nuclear event upwind,….earthquake destroys vast parts of so cal, leveling most buildings,…volcanic eruption upwind dumping tons of dust….invasion by china of the west coast…..there’s a volcano of gas they finally sealed off about 100 miles from me, and now that they sealed it off, i’m not sick most days anymore…i shoulda got out of doge 6 months ago, but wasn’t SURE that was causing it…now i’m pretty sure tthat’s what happened….there’s a shitload of people within 20 miles that have been evacuated for months now….no, i’m not gonna say i’ll NEVER leave.
Something to consider: I’m a disabled vet, and running is out of the question for me. So is any sort of heavy backpack. After 7 back operations and 30 years of severe nerve pain, a heavy backpack would require me to crawl those 10 miles. Nope; knowing the countryside, forest areas, caves or whatever in your area – maybe within half an hour at most I would think – is what could save someone like me. I hope. I’m an ex-medic, was an outdoorsman who loved to camp, amateur mycologist (I was a volunteer resource for hospitals in the central part of the state in cases of mushroom poisoning).
Just keep in mind when offering advice that not ALL of us are hale and whole – physically, at least. Among other things though, I’m sincerely STUBBORN, I learn fast, and if I can’t get there one way I’ll do it another way. Keep in mind too that “disabled” often – usually I’d say – means POOR. Physical limitations, especially here in “the Land of the Fee” almost always translates into poverty or very near to it! It’s hard to build supplies 1)when you can’t afford a down payment on a free meal, and 2)when you live in a place you CANNOT watch all of, and the area is full of drug addicts and plain old thieves who KNOW one pair of eyes can’t watch four buildings 24/7 (I inherited a property I can’t take care of anymore when my wife died of COPD some years ago).
Imagination, an early start at finding places to go, even missing some meals to get a few things that utter necessities, but also a willingness to abandon ship EARLY, especially when you’re slowed down like me are all good things, or so I believe. Hopefully I’ll confirm this for you a year or three down the road! Personally I’ve found about the most useful attitude – for me at least – has been pure D STUBBORN! I can certainly change my mind, adapt as NECESSARY (making THAT determination is a good skill as well), but when there’s just one way from here to there, one way or another I get there… Hang in there, folks, and meanwhile, to quote General “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell with a little pseudo-Latin with loads of ‘tude: “Illegitimis non carborundum!”
I NEVER go anywhere without it – severe back pain, that is. Sounds like you’re saying to anyone over 45 or 50, nevermind someone with real damage “Cut your throat now – you’re screwed.” And that “severe back pain” is no exaggeration either: I’m post SEVEN low back surgeries with a Dx of “massive nerve damage, severe, debilitating chronic intractable pain”. The two adjectives basically note the fact that without SOME SORT of mitigation, my BP will almost certainly eventually spike, ability to rest goes to Hell in a handcart with appetite and I can look forward to a stroke or heart attack or other stress-related pathological event. (I’ve had this damage a bit over 30 years now). Like I said: I’m stubborn…
I’ve considered a custom gravestone (or maybe a grave PLANK – stone’s expensive) that reads, “Don’t stand on my grave; subject to cave-in when I finally dig and chew my way out…”
Agree on all points and do the same as well ! anybody can get super fit and strong , just gotta want to. I am almost 68 and stronger and more fit than I was in RVN in 1968. excuses don’t fly !
http://www.downtoearththinking.com/fitness-over-60-a-mindset-of-health.html
@ Down to Earth…pretty impressive for a 68 year old. You will soon find out that quite a few people here avoid talking (and most likely avoid) about physical fitness as a major part of being prepared. If you can’t order it on the net, or buy it at a gun store, they don’t need it. The last pic I had of myself was when I was 55 years old. Its on Bodybuilding.com. My membership name was Bryantone. I like your diet and am about ready to use it as a guideline, although I have been half way there for some time.
In total agreement with you there. I put my kits together with one thought in mind: my EDC is what is going to get me to my primary bug-out kit, which will be stashed at a location on my way out of the red zone. I want them to be as identical as possible in terms of basic parts even though the MOLLE parts may be a little different. The fire kit, IFAK, quick-and-dirty shelter, and small hand tools are going to be identical. These are the things you should never need to think about as to whether or not you have them in your kit.
PF
Do you use ALICE.
sounds like he’s using molle…it’s a great system, in MY opinion.
No, I don’t. Prefer the Molle system. I can cobble together a kit pretty quickly out of parts from at least five different manufacturers.
I am working on a concept for my bugout bag that allows it to quickly adapt to the situation. My current whole kit is in a wheeled backpack but weighs too much for me to reasonably carry, so my plan is to take things out and leave them in the car if I go on foot. Ideally, I would pack it as three kits going down to bare essentials at the smallest/lightest option. I know I don’t absolutely need things like a shortwave radio and a small socket set or a change of clothes, so those things would be left in the car if I had to abandon it.
I am also working on things in the opposite direction too and am building a small electronics repair and service kit that should allow me to fix a variety of devices and weigh less than a pound (hopefully around 8 ounces). It will include a custom built 800 milliamp solar charger, 1600 mah backup battery and charge controller, spudgers, cell phone repair screwdriver, small swiss army knife (keychain size with tweezers, scissors and nail file, etc.), a volt meter with test leads made from bobby pins, and a laminated card with common math formulas written on it as a reference (This will be the bottom and also serve to protect the LiPo battery from damage). (I may also try to fit a portable USB soldering iron in it as well, but can’t find one that will fit within the 4.25 in max length I can fit, so I may have to mod one that comes close.) This will all fit within a waterproof container I found at a dollar store that is large enough to fit a bar of soap. It’s part of how my bag is planned in that it also has to provide utility for situations that can arise during normal life as well as some kind of disaster. The other thing I am trying is adapting my other electronics to run off of or charge off of the micro USB standard so that there is a sustainable fallback point if needed.
” I know I don’t absolutely need things like a shortwave radio and a small socket set or a change of clothes, so those things would be left in the car if I had to abandon it.”
Bury it and make a pocket-sized map. You may be able to go back for it. Especially that short-wave (wrap it in 3 layers of heavy-duty AL foil with a piece of cloth between layers if it’s solid-state). Chatter can give you a good picture of what’s happening without you having to stick your head up! You might also consider a number of solar panels (they’re easy to make and not that hard to hide) and any electrical devices should have rechargeable batteries, one set operant, one set recharging.
My bag has one solar charging battery bank already and this new system will use 4 solar cells, wired in parallel and electrically isolated with schottky diodes. Power from it will come from micro usb, which can then be plugged into one of the two battery banks or my cell phone (which has an expanded battery of over 6,000 mah). The new charger is wired in parallel because the cells give off about 7 volts each at 150 milliamps (I just measured them today). By wiring them in parallel, current adds up but the voltage stays the same (USB is 5 volts, so I will need a step down converter). It also means that one dead cell will not kill the whole pack as the rest of them will still output some charge. All in all, I will be carrying around at least 15,000 mah worth of LiPo batteries and the ability to keep them charged.
As for the cell phone, It serves a few functions even if it can’t be used as a phone. My phone has a barometer, hygrometer and thermometer built in, and I have an app that can read them offline and chart each parameter over time. So, it becomes a weather station in an emergency and would come in handy during a hurricane to monitor how close you are to the eye. All phones also have built in GPS chips which can be accessed offline by GPS apps. I also know how to disable the phone antenna so that it can’t be pinged if that ever became necessary. Lastly, I carry an ELM 327 OBD II reader, which, when paired with the Torque app, lets me read my vehicle’s sensors in real time and pull all of the trouble codes using my phone’s Bluetooth. It’s a handy little device that only weighs a few ounces but lets you troubleshoot in a pinch. Smart phones are amazing little lightweight devices that can be handy tools in a survival situation, if you know how to use them right.
Cell phones are also handy little tracking devices for the gov’t. When you turn it off, even pull the battery (the one that’s easy to spot) other things turn on with NO indications, like the microphone and a “Here I am!” signal. You might want to keep it in mind…
Depends on the event (civil unrest or epic terrorist event or foreign attack). In the case of civil unrest, there is a burn-out phase: smart to go to ground and let it burn itself out. The government will eventually move to re-gain control: look at Katrina, look at London 2011 – eventually the government comes in with over-whelming force and sweeps up the scum.
Something that is foreseeable is which communities will instigate such civil unrest. Don’t live in those areas in the first place. Anywhere where the people are poor and dark or Islamic, will riot (when was the last time Asian people rioted? Like, never).
A terrorist event is a different story: Depending on the scale (multi-shooter or an infrastructure fail), get out of the area where it is taking place. Like in a war, it can be calm just blocks away from the event: violence tends to be very focused and specific to an area. Just move from the area.
Foreign attack: this is a whole different kettle of fish. Definitely leave the city as fast possible. Depending on the attack, you may just have 20 minutes to act. If it is a missile attack, get to the air raid shelter, fast. If it is an invasion, move quickly in the opposite direction and let the military take the hit as they fight back.
Being nimble is key to urban survival. Ironically, a car is a big burden and will guarantee your fail. You need to be able to run and hike and have your supplies in a backpack. All the cars will be stuck in traffic jams and set upon by the poor people. While everyone is attacking each other in the traffic jams, make your move. 99 per cent of American males will not make it, fact. The quantity of obesity in the population assures they will have heart attacks as they try and move in a crisis. The level of physicality required to bug out in a crisis means you can’t do that with a giant pot belly, or spindly arms, or a double chin.
agree on letting city burnout, stay inside, throw some possessions and broken tv in your yard/street, to look like your house has already been looted.
patience.. if in the suburbs, don’t light candles because “you’re bored” and want to read a book. sit in the dark, quiet. plan, and listen.
Frank Thoughts – and what fantasy land do you inhabit?
You have admitted on this site that the only loyalty you have is to yourself. You have run away from financial disasters and, no doubt, will do so again.
As regards you expecting middle aged, overweight Americans to run 10 miles, with a pack, get real!
The British army has what is known as a battle efficiency test where fit young men are expected to complete a 9 mile forced march (carrying full kit) and then carry someone of their own weight 100 metres and then fire 20 rounds into a 10 inch target. All to be done in 2 hours 30 minutes and without pause.
This test is done yearly for cooks, clerks and bottle washers, ordinary soldiers. You’d pee yourself knowing what test British Special forces do!
I think that you live in a dream world inhabited only by yourself. You as an ex Special Forces instructor…keep on dreaming!
Once the power grid goes down it will only be a matter of time before the starving masses go kicking in every door looking for food. I don’t how one family fights them all off. Or even a group of families in a block of homes.
One good thing is that there are a lot more people with guns than there are preppers. Gangs will have high casualty rates going door to door. Maybe that’s what help you survive.
I live in a small town. I still expect it to be as dangerous as Detroit once the grid goes down and all the stores are closed.
I’m going to disagree with you a little on that starving masses point. When you talk cities and grid down events, I see two things happening. First, you will have a small number of city dwellers who know what the score is and get out of the city ASAP. Using that 81% figure as a benchmark, if these individuals comprise 10% of that 81%, that would be a huge number.
Then there are the apex predators from inner cities and urban slums. They don’t have the functioning intellectual capacity to recognize “grid down, get out of town”. They smell fresh meat and blood. They’re going to stay and prey on the weakest members in the pecking order, until all you have left are the apex predators. Then they’ll pick each other off until a small number remain in what will be an urban wasteland. Only then will they spread out to look for resources. Before they kill start killing each other off, these apex predators comprise less than 5% of that 81%.
In short, you have a small percentage of city dwellers who will have the situational awareness to read “grid down, get out of town”, then do so. You’ll have an even smaller percentage of apex predators left standing after they kill each other off, then make their way out of the city. Even smaller than that would be the percentage of civilized people who somehow survive the onslaught of the apex predators to make their way out of the city.
It’s more likely that you’re going to see the remnants of a mass extinction making its way out of the cities, rather than starving masses.
One caveat on those people with guns: a lot of them spend all their time on the range, shooting pieces of paper that don’t fight back. They’re people who have never even had anyone throw a live punch in the direction of their heads. Guess how they’re going to respond when it’s game-on and they have to use that gun in a real fight against one of those apex predators? They’re going to freeze or panic, then they’ll be killed by the apex predator.
Time at the range should include occasional trips to a paintball range, where you can simulate live fire, get shot and try again. It’s great fun but has a serious side as well.
My first trip to a paintball range was humbling. Poor cover choices, tunnel vision, stress, splat your dead.
Then there were the paintball addicts who had expensive souped up paintball guns with greater range and accuracy, they took great delight playing the sniper from cover in the far back of the field beyond the range of the rented guns, and always being among the last men standing.
Like your point about paintball. That’s why I wish we had SAS “kill-house” training facilities in this country where civilians could train with Simunition; as close to real-world training exercise as you can get.
They are out there, just hard to find because they cater to LEO and even Military. Simunitions rock. Use real guns, just like you carry. Hurt more than pain ball too 🙂
LOL, i’ll have no problem hanging up APEX PREDATORS from tree limbs in my front yard if it
is a real shtf situation and btw, predators know no gender or age.
For the young athletes, this is not for you. So go to the next comment.
For the aging and physically challenged, don’t give up. Find a doctor who can refer you to a physical therapist. Now a days they work you out like an Olypian. And they know how to get you in shape without hurting you in the process.
Read up on healthy eating strategies. Basically, make food from scratch using nonGMO and whenever possible Organic. That is about it. And limit eating out to upscale on special occasions. That is my take.
As for fat people and heart attacks. There are some fat people who will outlive all the skinny people who teased them since kindergarten. I’ve watched plenty of babes and hot stuff males die and I and many others with a little extra fat are still around. If you are a rail what will you burn when rations are low. I will live off my body fat for a month before I need to worry about foraging. Being healthy is a personal quest. No two people are exactly the same.
Been to physical therapy, but I still have to wear my custom fitted carbon fiber knee brace. Can you spell Osteoarthritis? Ever do Cross country running and foot ball in High school? When I had Arthroscopic surgery done, my surgeon said you are going to have to do this again someday or maybe a new knee. PT doesn’t fix everything.
As for old fat guys, I could play Racquetball for two hours straight, but I could rarely beat their skill with my endurance.
Rellic:
Try adding more fat and cutting back on sugar. Almonds for magnesium, walnuts for Omega3 fat, Brazil nuts for selenium. Shellfish and sea vegtables for iodine. Start the day with a glass of water with sea salt and lemon. Put a table spoon of psyllium in your oatmeal. Drink plenty of water.
And call me in the morning.
“Shellfish and sea vegetables” – Then get a Geiger counter first, especially for the shellfish, all of which are water filters. Lots of sea water – and therefor the inhabitants thereof – these days carry a lot of radioactive particles and the “food” does NOT carry a warning! Even non-GMO and organic food is STILL loaded with chemtrail substances because most of the particulates are nano-sized, meaning that about 99.999% of people can’t afford the $.5 mil air conditioners/filters to keep the stuff out of a small apartment, much less a farm field or even a small indoor farm op.
And cashews for regularity!
Oops did bring up a no no subject?
be prepared sure, but above all be FLEXIBLE.
“No plan survives the battlefield”
Isn’t that, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy”?
When everyone else has starved I’ll have only 10 lbs. left to lose.
Carts made with bicycle wheels. The Mormons used prairie carts to transport thier stuff many hundreds of miles. Kind of like those Rikshaws pulled by skinny barefoot guys…
Just picture yourself and your family ‘on the road’.
Not a very pretty picture, being a refugee.
If you’re in a city when TSHTF, the ODDS are waay against you in making a successful exit.
If you’re serious, the time to exit the city is NOW!
Or else, circle the wagons for a prolonged siege.
Do you have what it takes to weather a siege?
and, you know…and, you know… (sorry, but it was driving me NUTS how often she’d say this over used and non-useful phrase…
ya know… and, you know… yaknow?
I was a scout got badges and stuff to prove it. Went hiking up mountains in New Hampshire. Know how to row a boat use a canoe kayak and sailboat. Got wilderness survival merit badge. Went whitewater canoeing. Camping every weekend as a kid. It used to be good now it’s sucks my kid didn’t do anything and other boys mommys hung around. They had Halloween party and scout master said no toy guns or weapons with costumes. He made it a point to tell me that. I said to my son if you don’t wanna do scouts I understand. He hasn’t been back. It has fallen in line with the politically correct agenda. Don’t waste your time getting your kids involved. Was a really good organization years ago.
consider Trail Life USA & American Heritage Girls for your kids. those were formed as an alternative to the watered-down scouting you describe
Consider what to do if shtf when you are not at home, but still in the city. Do you have kids that need to be located? Do you have enough medicine with you until you get home or can get some more? Carry a daily bag with urgent needs supplies.