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If there was even an oxymoron of prepping it would be creating the ultimate city prepper checklist. Yet, an urban environment may very well be where you find yourself when the SHTF and we are here to provide the best information available. An urban environment is the last place you want to find yourself in such a scenario because your biggest long-term threat is not the disaster itself but your fellow man.
That's because the number of those who did prepare in an urban environment will be significantly smaller than the overwhelming majority of those who did not. They will get hungry, desperate, and violent which almost assures you that they will come for your prepper supplies.
This means prepping in an urban environment has two phases. The first is to hold down the fort for as long as necessary and the second is to get the hell out of Dodge. Prepare for both and your plan will be complete.
What Essential Supplies Should Be On Every City Prepper's Checklist?
Image Credits: Mikolaj Niemczewski
As mentioned, we're going to tackle this assignment from the standpoint of sheltering in place and exfiltrating the city. At the advent of a crisis, it is not always apparent whether this is a short-term or long-term survival scenario.
During the first day or two of a blackout, it may not be evident that the power isn't returning for months. As such, it makes sense that even the avid prepper would shelter in place for the time being. However, you also have to trust your instincts. There, the window to safely exit the city will close and you need to be prepared to act.
Water Storage Requirements for City Preppers
Image Credits: Aibek Skakov
You can survive for about a week without water and approximately a month without food. Which means even if a person has not prepared one single bit and was waiting for payday to go grocery shopping, they can likely survive a week with what's in their pantry before desperation sets in. Many take city water supplies for granted, but when the tap runs dry they will take to the streets.
The general rule is to keep one gallon of water per person on hand for each scheduled survival day. Regardless of how much water you stockpile, you can extend this supply by immediately filling your bathtubs when your Spidey senses tell you this isn't the average blackout or disaster. The average bathtub can hold 40 to 50 gallons of water and that is a good lead on the rest of the city.
You can also build your survival water supply over time. If you shop once a week, just pick up a gallon of water each trip which can easily be stored. It adds a couple of bucks to your shopping trip, but over a year you'll have 52 gallons of stored water ready for use.
Store it under beds, in closets and every nook and cranny you can find in your urban abode. Water is more important than food. Just short of air, which you can only live 3 minutes without, it is the most important item to hold in excess.
Essential Prepper Supplies and Food for Survival
In an urban environment, it is likely that the average household that did not prepare will have both perishable and non-perishable foods on hand on day one. The key is to start immediately with the perishable. If it has a short shelf-life or needs refrigeration to remain viable, eat it early and often. Heck, if you think this is the last time your kids will taste ice cream let them have the entire gallon.
This delays your use of the non-perishable and will extend your timeline for survival. Much like water, you can prepare for emergencies by buying one can of vegetables or SPAM each week. Over time this adds up. Food and water at a basic level are truly not that expensive. Prepare overtime rather than one giant trip to Costco. Your preparedness plan can be built over time as any plan is better than no plan.
As for how much food you should have on hand, remember that you can survive almost a month without any food. As such, if you think about how much high calorie foods per person per day that you can store, that is your guide.
Ideally, you wouldn't want to stay a month in an urban environment when society breaks down. Yet, every doomsday doesn't always announce itself as such (even the Doomsday Clock is more rhetorical in nature) . If you can't get out of the urban environment before all hell breaks loose, have enough food to wait it out and let the chaos and violence sort itself out to an equilibrium.
Guns, Guns, Guns for Urban Emergency Preparedness
Image Credits: Mikhail Nilov
Without a doubt, you have to prioritize guns and ammunition for survival in an urban environment. Again, people will soon become your biggest threat to survival. You have to assume they will become desperate and even the father you considered a friend in the house next door will do his worst upon you to save his family.
In an urban environment, it is wise to understand that your AR or AK may not be the best firearm for defending your dwelling space. Blasting a .300 Blackout through your bedroom walls only to have them land in your kid's playroom isn't ideal. So let's think of a tactical shotgun or short barrel rifle with subsonic ammunition, or you may want to consider some of the best handguns for defense.
This is also helpful if you find yourself having to move through the narrow halls of apartment buildings or high rises in an urban setting. How much ammo should you keep handy? Think of the largest number you can fathom and then add one more box on top of that. Things are going to get ugly in an urban setting.
How to Create an Effective Bug Out Bag for Urban Environments?
Now, let's talk about when it is time to bug out. As we mentioned, the city landscape isn't ideal for long-term survival and at some point, you're going to have to decide when it is time to evacuate.
Every serious survivalist should have a bag that is ready to go at a moment's notice. The key is knowing when to bug out and when to ride it out. If it's a small disaster like a tornado, life will likely return to normal soon enough. It's an EMP or the complete failure of the electrical grid, it's best to leave before humans become desperate.
Bug Out Bag Essentials When You Need to Leave Your City Home
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When you are sheltering in place in your city home, it's easy to go heavy on the supplies. When it is time to bug out, you have to think about what you and your family can reasonably carry.
Water containers are again a priority, but water is heavy. This makes water filters an excellent addition to the bag. One gallon per person sounds great until you realize that you have a three day trek ahead of you and the weight of three gallons of water bearing down on your back.
Food is another essential and again, you'll want to think about weight and portability. High calorie foods like protein bars can go a long way. Remember, a person can survive about a month without food. It's just hard to move without energy intake. Ration your supplies and assume the journey will take you longer to exit the city than you imagine. Keep cash on hand as you can assume ATMs will be non functional.
Then, it is also to think about the odds and ends of any emergency kit. Beyond just food and water, items like a solar cell phone charger and prescription medications should make the list. A first aid kit and the ability to maintain basic hygiene are also important. It's also a good idea to keep important documents handy. It may turn out that the event will be short lived like your average natural disasters. You'll want to make life as easy as possible when it's over. Then, of course, guns and as much ammunition as you can carry.
Urban Go-Bag vs. Get Home Bag: Understanding the Differences
In a city environment, one should also understand the difference between a Go-Bag and Get Home Bag. It is entirely possible that the crisis will unfold while you are at work or your kids are in school. This means both your stash of supplies and your standard go-to bag will not be in reach. Any urban preparer should have a get home bag in their vehicle so that they can reach loved ones even while most people assume it is just an average power outage. Get on the move first before others start to realize the threat.
The get home bag is less about food or water and more about firearms and communication. City prepping should operate with the assumption that roads will become gridlocked and getting back home in your vehicle is likely not an option. Do you have the ability to defend yourself? Do you have the ability to navigate without the assistance of Google maps using traditional paper maps, compass and sure wit? Do your loved ones know where to go when the SHTF? Once the family has rallied back together you can make the decision whether it is time to get out or bunker down in place.
How Can City Preppers Create a Comprehensive Emergency Prep Plan?
Image Credits: Carolina Grabwoska
Survival skills in an urban or suburban environment should be comprehensive and include all the elements that we have discussed. Can you go home during a major disruption? Can you button down the fort and hold up in defense if exiting the city is not immediately viable?
Finally, can you, at a moment's notice, get the hell out of the city before the rest of the millions of city dwellers realize the pending danger. Most city dwellers operate with the false peace of mind that the city or the government will be there to save the day. You know better.
Establishing Family Meeting Points and Communication During Emergencies
You'll also have to assume that the disaster could strike when your family is spread. Perhaps you're at work, the wife is at the grocery store and the kids are out with friends. Does your family know where to rendezvous and the importance of time as it relates to staying safe? Reaching them on their cell phones may not be an option in such a scenario.
It's a great idea to game out scenarios with your family once they are old enough to process the information without inducing fear. Would your kids recognize when it is time to stop playing with friends and get back home?
Would your wife recognize when it is time to head straight to the school to pick up the kids? Would know when it is time to tell your boss to shove it, you're heading home early to the family. Again, calamities don't always declare themselves as such. Communicate and train with your family often.
Determining Your Family's Specific Needs for Urban Preparedness
There are those who will write about urban homesteading and ideas like creating a vegetable garden on the top of your apartment building in Manhattan. If the streets are filled with zombies and there is no possible way to exit the city, be our guest. However, in general, if you have time to plant and maintain a garden you have time to leave the city. Remember, there are millions of people in the city who will not have prepared and sooner or later, they will be outside your home when disaster strikes.
We can offer you all the prepping tips in the world, but your biggest asset will be your ability to quickly discern when it is time to leave the city. Staying in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles or any other major urban hub is just not a viable option.
Just look at what the LA wildfire did to this cityscape last year? Long before the fire is around your home, you need to be evacuating before the authorities make the call and jam up the roads.
You don't have to scare your kids as you can just tell them you're going for a drive. However, you must make the call for your family. We're here to help, but your family's survival will always be yours. Reach out if we can be of any assistance in that regard and keep preparing for the day that most people dread.
