Thoughts on Urban Survival

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SophiaGrace

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I think people focus too much on self defense measures because they assume people will be hostile towards them, but maybe this wouldn't be true? who knows. (buying guns and knives).

I've watched many videos on survivalism and this is what I think people should know how to do and do, if the end of the world comes (not like a temporary disaster like a hurricane) and they are in an urban environment. This list assumes you have decided to not join any rogue groups of people to build a commune but have set out on your own.

Feel free to add your own lists, urban or rural, commune or individual, end of the world or disaster. :3

Useful Skills for Urban Survival on your own:

-Knowledge of Electronics (comes in useful for creating electricity, and communications such as radio)
- Knowledge of how to obtain (and purify) water
- First Aid Knowledge
- How to pick locks
- how to conserve food and water
- Home Security knowledge (in case you are holing up in your apartment)
- know how to cook without electricity
- Grow edible plants on your balcony
- Know how to defend yourself (any moron can buy a gun, but where are you going to get a continuous supply of bullets once the world ends?)



 
If close enough, bite. you can really hurt someone with a good bite. anyone can do it!

thats my personal advice... :p
 
This is all pretty interesting. I've watched a lot of survival type programs and while in my head I think *ok if I found myself there I can remember this*. I know in reality I am crap in a crisis of any kind so if anything like this happened I would be dead and soon. That's a fact.
 
Urban survival will be very hard. Since they have a higher population, everyone will be killing each other for food, water and medicine. Chances of survival are minimal, so it's important to be stockpiled BEFORE the apocalypse and be friendly with everyone in your apartment building...You'll need an "army" to survive.

My prediction is that gangs will eventually control everything in a city. They will have their own "turfs" and "control zones". Gang wars will be the only thing going on. Apartment buildings will be raided for anything they can salvage. And even if there is no gangs, people will be in mass hysteria and will start looting and killing others off. Expect local pharmacies and groceries to go first.

Best bet is that you stockpile on everything and form an "alliance" with your neighbors (your entire apartment building). That way you'll have friends and food/water/meds. Be also prepared mentally to kill people you know and strangers, they'll attempt to steal your supplies. A strong mind, a knowledge of hot-wiring things, making a fire, growing your own food, purifying water, and medicine is also needed.

Seriously I just got a huge epiphany of details and ideas about apocalyptic survival. I should write a book!
 
You WILL need knives or guns in a post-apoc survival situation.

Because there WILL be people who will kill you for the jug of water you are carrying. Period.
 
Felix said:
If close enough, bite. you can really hurt someone with a good bite. anyone can do it!

thats my personal advice... :p

Did you know that a if you really break the skin that your bite can kill? It could get infected and kill if untreated. Maybe you look forward to eating people? ick.


There are only a few things that could end the world and in those cases survivalism would be about worthless. A large asteroid could end it all. Knock the earth off it's orbit into space. If you survive the asteroid you would burn or freeze. Chances are a large rock could not be stopped like in the movies.

Peoples only chance would be to work as a community and produce food. Would need to be prepaired for several situations that could happen. The only reason we don't do this today is oil. Cheap transport has allowed us to totally redesign the way food reaches places. It used to be hard to really transport it long distances. So many places are totally not designed to produce their own crops.

It is more likely that life could just get alot harder then today. As a result of several problems we are going to have to face. Everywhere that there are glaciers people are sitting and watching them vanish. There is a really scary book about pollution called "Your Stolen Future". It explains that DDT is now known to have affected humans by causing premature births. It also explains other problems we are seeing with pollution and concerns scientists have. There are other problems as well such as ever increasing population. Decreasing fertility of crop lands. Vanishing top soil. Decreased genetic variation of crops. The excessive use of monoculture crops. Desertification that slowly advances. Decreasing rainforests. Increasing rates of extinction of species. The more humans there are the more likely that a virus or bacteria evolves into a the perfect killer that causes mass extinction. Fun fun.

If people are in small groups it is likely they would get attacked by those who are starving and desperate. If society collapses, canibalism is one thing that has happened in past historical disasters. Most would probably starve first, but some people in a real disaster with no end in site would probably choose to live off of what food there was, humans. I would rather eat dirt and starve.

We hit peak oil a few years back. That means that the amount produced is now moving towards decreasing while demand is increasing. Many smart people predict that in about 20 to 30 years the global economy will begin to really collapse since almost everything requires oil to be the way it is. The oil industry has a long history of destroying things that really threaten it's income. So they will likely force every drop out before letting go of their grip. Some things will probably find alternatives while others will not. I saw some new energy technology that some oil company was starting to invest in to prepare, but it still won't stop them from forcing people to use oil as much as they can. Around 20 to 30 years we are likely to see radical change or mass death. Maybe both. It is possible that nothing will do all the things oil does.

Part of the problems around the world right now are because the price of a barrel of oil is starting to rise faster. http://www.google.com/search?q=year...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a I believe Obama and congress started paying for oil with taxes to reduce the price at the pump for most people. It is only a short term fix though.

It is likely that the prices of things will start going up faster and faster. Production will decrease. Eventually technology will start to go backwards. Many people believe that it is all fueled by oil.

We need to start using trains more here in the US. Most industrialized countries are more then 10 years ahead of us in terms of using alternative energy sources.

Oh ya, and if you live in a large city, chances are you will just starve or meet a bad end. People have more chances in less populated area's.
 
Skorian said:
Did you know that a if you really break the skin that your bite can kill? It could get infected and kill if untreated. Maybe you look forward to eating people? ick.


There are only a few things that could end the world and in those cases survivalism would be about worthless. A large asteroid could end it all. Knock the earth off it's orbit into space. If you survive the asteroid you would burn or freeze. Chances are a large rock could not be stopped like in the movies.

Peoples only chance would be to work as a community and produce food. Would need to be prepaired for several situations that could happen. The only reason we don't do this today is oil. Cheap transport has allowed us to totally redesign the way food reaches places. It used to be hard to really transport it long distances. So many places are totally not designed to produce their own crops.

It is more likely that life could just get alot harder then today. As a result of several problems we are going to have to face. Everywhere that there are glaciers people are sitting and watching them vanish. There is a really scary book about pollution called "Your Stolen Future". It explains that DDT is now known to have affected humans by causing premature births. It also explains other problems we are seeing with pollution and concerns scientists have. There are other problems as well such as ever increasing population. Decreasing fertility of crop lands. Vanishing top soil. Decreased genetic variation of crops. The excessive use of monoculture crops. Desertification that slowly advances. Decreasing rainforests. Increasing rates of extinction of species. The more humans there are the more likely that a virus or bacteria evolves into a the perfect killer that causes mass extinction. Fun fun.

If people are in small groups it is likely they would get attacked by those who are starving and desperate. If society collapses, canibalism is one thing that has happened in past historical disasters. Most would probably starve first, but some people in a real disaster with no end in site would probably choose to live off of what food there was, humans. I would rather eat dirt and starve.

We hit peak oil a few years back. That means that the amount produced is now moving towards decreasing while demand is increasing. Many smart people predict that in about 20 to 30 years the global economy will begin to really collapse since almost everything requires oil to be the way it is. The oil industry has a long history of destroying things that really threaten it's income. So they will likely force every drop out before letting go of their grip. Some things will probably find alternatives while others will not. I saw some new energy technology that some oil company was starting to invest in to prepare, but it still won't stop them from forcing people to use oil as much as they can. Around 20 to 30 years we are likely to see radical change or mass death. Maybe both. It is possible that nothing will do all the things oil does.

Part of the problems around the world right now are because the price of a barrel of oil is starting to rise faster. http://www.google.com/search?q=year...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a I believe Obama and congress started paying for oil with taxes to reduce the price at the pump for most people. It is only a short term fix though.

It is likely that the prices of things will start going up faster and faster. Production will decrease. Eventually technology will start to go backwards. Many people believe that it is all fueled by oil.

We need to start using trains more here in the US. Most industrialized countries are more then 10 years ahead of us in terms of using alternative energy sources.

Oh ya, and if you live in a large city, chances are you will just starve or meet a bad end. People have more chances in less populated area's.

I know it can kill that way, but it wouldn't be that effective during battle (it takes time for the infection to develope), if you are in serious danger you should try to go for an artery so the person can't keep attacking you...

Are you sure you wouldn't eat a human? not even if the persons lying dead and you've been starving for days? On this kind of extreme situations, we do things we think we wouldn't be able to do in real life, like one of my tachers said "the masks fall off in extreme situations". The real YOU is exposed. We are all nice and politically correct (in most cases anyway) in life or online, but in that moment, when a decision can mean life or death... one's person perspective can change.

Also I'm aware of peak oil and the problems this would bring, I've seen some documentaries about it (I recommend Blind Spot). People in power, "the elite", they don't want us to find out, they want us to keep consuming and supporting this unsustainable system...
 
Not much of a survivor. As far as I've gone is to get a bit of pails and whatnot for water and a supply of tins and dry foods. If disaster struck, I'd most likely be on a cannibal's menu in no time. At least I know to get the hell out of cities, since there's no influx of food, and people can get pretty nasty in an anarchy & riot situation.

Felix said:
If close enough, bite. you can really hurt someone with a good bite. anyone can do it!

thats my personal advice... :p

Ach, zombie! *Points shotgun at Felix*
 
This is something that I've actually put a lot of effort into. There's no need to believe that the world will end in order to prepare yourself, as Katrina showed just how thin the veneer of humanity really is whenever order is disrupted.

Brief, overall thoughts:

1) Method of self-defense, of course. You'll want a gun if at all possible, anything fairly small but comfortable. This rules out most combat rifles such as automatics, as the last thing you'll want to do is a weapon loud enough to draw attention to yourself. You can't really go wrong with a shotgun and a pistol. Ammunition will be more valuable than food, money or water (you can use ammunition to acquire any of those things) so stock up on that.

2) Some form of a sharp cutting instrument. A knife can double well as a weapon if pressed, but you will want one for utilitarian reasons anyway. A small axe is actually pretty ideal if not for considerations of weight.

3) A bug-out location. Anyone who thinks he can just make his/her domecile a fortress and wait out a siege is going to become a target, and targets die. Instead, have a place somewhere rural or open away from the center of action and have a method of reaching it. Expect that most of the major highways will be out of action, so plan for that in your exfil.

4) Water purification tablets - while water is nice to have, large jugs cannot be moved with you and in a crisis situation, you want to be mobile.

5) Knowledge, which is invaluable and should be trained for yesterday, as acquiring it has longer lead times than anything else. You will need at least some knowledge of trauma care, food preparation, and other forms of fieldcraft.

6) Physical fitness and mental preparation. None of the equipment or planning you have will matter squat diddly if you cannot execute your plan. Don't be a mall ninja.

Draw out a plan today, know how much you can manage, and be ready for it.
 
Does anyone else find it odd how these tips are the exact same ones you'd use during a zombie invasion?
 
Limlim said:
Does anyone else find it odd how these tips are the exact same ones you'd use during a zombie invasion?

Well, the gangbangers, too, lack working brains but are inordinarily violent.
 
Limlim said:
Does anyone else find it odd how these tips are the exact same ones you'd use during a zombie invasion?

Except for the rules of going for the head and double-tapping. And steering clear of anyone with open wounds, especially bite marks. :)
 
Presumably there'd be some kind of warning that society was going to snap before it happened.

In that case I'd stock up not just on immediate supplies (water, food, durable and warm clothing, heavy blunt objects) but also books. A book on surgery, basic medicine and first aid, anything I could get on living off the land, texts on machine maintenance and repair and so on.

I live in a reasonably rural area (not miles from civilisation, but it's a small village) which I think would be good at the start of such a situation. People would be less likely to become violent immediately and if they did, less people to have to fight with.

If I were to live in a large city, the first thing I'd do was get out and move to an isolated position far out in the country - probably easier to do in the US than in a small country like the UK. Less people would mean less vulnerability.

Will post again later, out of time now :(
 
IgnoredOne said:
This is something that I've actually put a lot of effort into. There's no need to believe that the world will end in order to prepare yourself, as Katrina showed just how thin the veneer of humanity really is whenever order is disrupted.

Brief, overall thoughts:

1) Method of self-defense, of course. You'll want a gun if at all possible, anything fairly small but comfortable. This rules out most combat rifles such as automatics, as the last thing you'll want to do is a weapon loud enough to draw attention to yourself. You can't really go wrong with a shotgun and a pistol. Ammunition will be more valuable than food, money or water (you can use ammunition to acquire any of those things) so stock up on that.

If ammo stops being produced it would run out pretty quick. As will the means to make bullets. I recommend a sword, spear, or some other older type of weapon that has more reuse value. Gun will only keep you going maybe a few years. Maybe. I don't own a gun myself and don't want one.


2) Some form of a sharp cutting instrument. A knife can double well as a weapon if pressed, but you will want one for utilitarian reasons anyway. A small axe is actually pretty ideal if not for considerations of weight.

You will want sharpening stones and oil. Actually cutting tools are very important, but you should also want like rakes, hoes, shovels, and other tools.

3) A bug-out location. Anyone who thinks he can just make his/her domecile a fortress and wait out a siege is going to become a target, and targets die. Instead, have a place somewhere rural or open away from the center of action and have a method of reaching it. Expect that most of the major highways will be out of action, so plan for that in your exfil.

Alone a person won't last. It really depends on the nature of the reason for it all. If civilization collapses though you want to be with a community. Otherwise any injury can be the death of you. Do you have any idea what it is like to be eaten by swarms of bugs?

4) Water purification tablets - while water is nice to have, large jugs cannot be moved with you and in a crisis situation, you want to be mobile.

Iodine tablets only kill bacteria and paracites. A great deal of surface water is not really safe to go drinking. Not these days. I used to be a boy scout and we used these. They taste, ick. And this was from area's where people couldn't pollute for hundreds of miles.

5) Knowledge, which is invaluable and should be trained for yesterday, as acquiring it has longer lead times than anything else. You will need at least some knowledge of trauma care, food preparation, and other forms of fieldcraft.

A person alone is toast. You can die in simply rain at like 40 to 50 degree's if you don't have a warm place to go and or the right clothing. Your blood pools in vital organs (not the brain) and you get stupid and die. Happens to hikers out in large camping area's all the time. Most single people won't have the skills, it has to be a group. That is why our ancestors lived in tribes.

6) Physical fitness and mental preparation. None of the equipment or planning you have will matter squat diddly if you cannot execute your plan. Don't be a mall ninja.

I would probably go ask the nearby Amish town if I could join them. They are the ones with the skills. Beyond that, I would just die. I am not going to go shooting anyone.

Draw out a plan today, know how much you can manage, and be ready for it.

What is scary is some scientists believe there are millions of asteroids floating all around the planets in space. You can't see them if they don't reflect light. Hell we could get wacked by a drifting planet, a moon, or somehow cross an asteroid belt. Something could hit our moon and ram it into us. Or hit our moon and our moon would move us in our orbit in some bad way. The sun could give off an enormous flare that burns part of the planet. Ok, going to stop trying to freak people out... lol

SophiaGrace said:
Useful Skills for Urban Survival on your own:

-Knowledge of Electronics (comes in useful for creating electricity, and communications such as radio)

This depends if there is any power. There could come a day where power turns off for years, or forever. People didn't used to have power. It is hard to even grasp.

- Knowledge of how to obtain (and purify) water

You really need access to a well. Or a way to store rain water.

- First Aid Knowledge
- How to pick locks

Need the tools. It is kind of scary how easy it is to pick locks.


- how to conserve food and water
- Home Security knowledge (in case you are holing up in your apartment)

In alot of cases you would have to leave home. If you don't have the land to farm and things are long term. Be ready to farm. I have no idea of the amount of land needed, but I would think like 1/6 of an acre per person. If in a large city where most things are concrete. Your dead. You can live like 3 days without water and maybe a couple weeks without much food. Most stores would be stripped bear really fast


- know how to cook without electricity

You need a grill or surface that can go over coals or wood. Direct fire on pans should be ok, but only with steel or iron. Some pans would be damaged.


- Grow edible plants on your balcony

In a serious situation, no balcony is going to keep a person alive.

- Know how to defend yourself (any moron can buy a gun, but where are you going to get a continuous supply of bullets once the world ends?)

Our whole way of life is designed in such a way that it can't be interupted without total disaster. If it is interupted it has to be only small area's. Everyone is dependent upon stores being stocked. If that ever ends for just a few weeks over a large enough area. It could take years to repair and get things back up and running.

The worst thing someone could do with an atomic weapon is to fire it off one mile above the center states of the US. It would knock out all un em shielded electronics from coast to coast. Only some military hardware is em shielded.
 
I'm thinking bow+arrow over guns if you are worried about ammo lasting. (thank you the walking dead) Also having a bb gun wouldn't be too bad. There a lot of rabbits/squirrels/birds around in the city that can be killed with those. The only way really is to just prepare for it. Have a secure place to go with sustainable energy/food/water. Rabbits are a really sustainable meat source that can be kept and bred quickly indoors. They don't need much more than greens to live. Having an indoor fish hatchery is possible too but then you have to worry about feeding them. Or just use bird feeders to bring da birds to ya. You can't really live off of rabbit meat because they are so lean that you don't get the fats and other nutrients that you need. It is easier than you think to make a garden that will provide for a years worth of food for one person. I probably would be stealing seeds over groceries. There would probably be some bug (thinking roaches/maggots/crickets/grasshoppas) breeding/eating in there as well. Have multiple sources of food in case one isn't as providing all the time. Would definitely learn to get by on a smaller diet.

I would most likely be a loner or just with one or two others at the MAX. I just can't trust others to not fresia things up.

So yeah, I would find (or own) a secure place with a flat roof for gardening, ways of collecting and purifying water, solar panels, and things to occupy myself with until either I'm dead or the disaster is over. I plan building/living in a place like this once I am on my feet anyways so that's a plus.

I think the atomic bomb would have a hard time not getting intercepted before it reached the middle of the country.
 
I /have/ survived in hostile territory more than once, and quite frankly, concerns about ammo running out in three years and drinking water that might have beneze in it is way out of focus. Your primary plans are operational and short-term, as you won't be alive to deal with the long-term consequences otherwise. Any notions of relying on others during the initial chaos is very misplaced, as is the idea that there is much safety in groups(there is less, initially; people slow you down, give away your presence, require more resources, etc).

Refusing to shoot someone will get you shot and killed, or marginalized and later starve to death. Historically, the communities that were most unaffected by violence from riots were those that were the most clearly armed and dangerous. Likewise, the vast majority of victims of violence are done upon the powerless by those who have power. And selfish or not, when push comes to shove, I would rather be among the capable when my life is in the line. and definitely not a victim.

Your choice, of course. I think that's I have to add to this thread.
 
i`d like to think i would just snap and revert to my inner caveman survival instincts.
smash everything and everyone that gets close and eat em if you can :p
but im pretty sure id be the first to go when the time for grosery shopping came and there were no more stores.

what i find funny is how much thought has gone into surviving by people that arn`t to happy being in this world in the first place. (judging by all the happy post on here ;) )
or maybe thats the reason why the world turning into chaos doesn`t seem like such a bad thing.
change is good right ? :p
 

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