In order to thrive in an urban setting, it is essential to acquaint yourself with a distinct set of abilities and resources. The techniques and goals for surviving in an urban environment vary significantly from those required for wilderness survival.
In this article, we provide comprehensive information about urban survival.
The Reality of Urban Survival
The majority of TV shows center around the topic of wilderness survival. These shows cover a wide range of scenarios, from featuring individuals equipped with ample supplies attempting to reach a designated extraction point within a specific timeframe, to showcasing individuals who are completely naked and armed with only one survival tool as they embark on a mission to endure a predetermined duration.
In their respective survival environments, these competitions typically demonstrate the exceptional skills, challenges, and hardships faced by the participants. I have to acknowledge that the majority of them do an outstanding job of successfully enduring their difficult experience.
The truth is, these shows depict a form of survival that the majority of you will never experience. Therefore, while you may gain knowledge from watching these programs, the abilities showcased on the show will hold very little importance in your everyday surroundings, particularly in urban areas.
Wilderness survival skills, including primitive fire starting, hunting, shelter building, and water purification techniques, are highly valuable skills. However, they are of little to no use in an urban survival setting.
What Is an Urban Bug Out Bag?
An urban bug out bag (BOB) is a survival kit that consists of necessary supplies to endure for a minimum of three days following a city disaster. The essential contents of an urban bug out bag might resemble those of other bug out bags, but they can additionally include specific items suited to both the adverse and beneficial situations that characterize a city during a disaster.
Advantages
They comprise: They consist of:
- Unlike in the wild, where you need many items to increase your survival odds during a disaster, scavenging for survival supplies from abandoned residential buildings and businesses can enhance your survival chances in the city. You can get water, food, clothing, and sleeping gear from these spots. However, don’t loot.
- It is easier to find shelter in a city’s “safe” place or corner. Therefore, you might not need to create a cover. Having sleeping gear might be all you need to rest and recharge.
Disadvantages
Included in the text are various steps to be considered:
- Urban disasters may involve crumbling buildings, breaking glass, and debris buildup. These threats can add extra items to your urban bug out bag list.
- Disasters can trigger uncontrollable movements by people. This scenario complicates escaping to safety.
- Panic can make people act irrationally as they try to stay alive. This situation can cause everyone to put their interests first, even at the expense of others. However, people may also support one another during emergencies and shouldn’t be only regarded as a threat.
Because of the unique factors of the city, your urban bug out bag list may vary from other bug out bags.
Considerations When Planning Your Urban BOB
It is essential to consider the conditions of bugging out in an urban setting when planning your urban BOB. This involves including the necessary items and strategizing how you will access them.
Special Urban Considerations
In an urban setting, there is a higher concentration of individuals residing closely together, necessitating a distinct approach to preparing your urban BOB compared to one designed for a rural environment.
When it comes to evacuating in a city, it is necessary to make arrangements for your safety in case of a catastrophe. This involves carrying weapons of some kind and having a discreet urban BOB to avoid attracting potential security risks.
If the city has a high population, it can be difficult to move in and out due to potential traffic congestion or infrastructure damage. To gain access, it is useful to have tools such as halligan bars and bolt cutters, but it is crucial to abide by legal regulations.
During certain disasters, the air quality in urban areas can also deteriorate. It may be necessary for you to have portable air supply or air filtration equipment to address the presence of dust, smoke, and chemicals in such circumstances. In addition, urban areas may experience falling debris during disasters. Therefore, it is advisable to incorporate the inclusion of protective gear into your BOB planning.
Principles to Urban Survival
Urban survival relies on the implementation and utilization of six unique principles.
- Planning,
- Preparation,
- Training,
- Protection,
- Communication and
- Safe Haven
By having this knowledge, you can get ready for any unfavorable incident that might happen in the urban setting.
Let’s analyze these piece by piece.
Planning
The success of any project relies on the importance of planning. Without a plan, there is an absence of direction, properly-defined objectives, and documented progress.
The importance of setting goals and objectives cannot be overstated, as they are crucial for achieving success. Specifically, in this scenario, the objective is to ensure that one is equipped, trained, and ready for any urban survival scenario.
To enhance the likelihood of survival, it is crucial to include specific components in your urban survival plan: Preparation, Training, Security, Protection, and Safe Haven. Within each of these main categories, there exist essential goals that must be achieved to increase the effectiveness of survival.
Preparation
Preparation holds the utmost importance for achieving success in every facet of your life. In a scenario where your survival is at stake, it can be the determining factor between life and death. This particular aspect of preparing for an urban survival event is exceptionally challenging.
Due to our familiarity with readily available resources such as food, water, electricity, transportation, and security, we often neglect the necessity of preparing ourselves. Nonetheless, in the event of an urban survival situation, these crucial elements might be unavailable for long periods. It is effortless to dismiss the likelihood of such challenges occurring in our vicinity or affecting us personally.
Training and Practice
As part of your urban survival plan, it is important to seriously consider various areas of training. I strongly suggest courses on situational awareness, personal protection techniques like martial arts and firearms training, obtaining a weapon-carrying license, first aid, and physical fitness.
The addition of training in each of these areas enhances your preparedness and capacity to handle various situations that may arise in an urban survival event. It is extremely important to emphasize the significance of training for your survival abilities.
Practice is just as important as receiving training. In order to maintain competency, it is necessary to practice the skills that have been learned in any of the aforementioned areas. The implementation of drills is crucial to ensure that all individuals are acquainted with the established plans. It is imperative to regularly conduct practice drills for various situations such as fire, home invasion, and getting home. I cannot stress enough the significance of practice, as it is the ultimate factor in being skilled and can potentially be life-saving.
Protection
Surviving an adverse urban survival event, whether it be a large scale disaster or a personal event, requires protection as one of the key elements. This protection should be focused on three distinct areas: yourself, your family, and your home or dwelling, followed by your travel needs.
You must remember that protecting yourself is important because if you get hurt or killed, you won’t be able to protect your family anymore. Robberies, carjackings, and home invasions happen unexpectedly, which is why they are successful. The criminals in these situations target individuals who are not vigilant, focused, and ready, as they are more vulnerable.
Communication
One of the primary concerns for family members is always to know the whereabouts of everyone and ensure their safety. It is a frequent occurrence to hear news reports about individuals in a disaster or home fire situation trying to ascertain the location of their family members.
We are incredibly lucky to have cell phones today, as they are mobile devices that allow us to communicate from nearly any location. It is clear that cell phones are essential for enhancing your communication skills and facilitating the process of locating others and seeking assistance.
Safe Haven
Your safe haven, similar to the exit on an airplane, might be located behind you. A safe haven refers to any place that ensures safety for you and your family. Generally, there exist two primary safe-havens.
The initial option is an area, either within a building or at your residence, designed specifically to serve as a secure haven for anyone seeking refuge in moments requiring self-defense against potential dangers. The alternative approach encompasses any place you can enter, granting you the ability to find shelter from the external environment and ensure your safety.
