In the developed world, food, water and shelter are readily available — for a fee, of course. But what do you do if these necessities vanish? If your only survival skills come from the “Call of Duty” and “Walking Dead” franchises, you might be in for a nasty surprise.
What do you need to know, and what supplies should you have on hand, to be ready for the most common survival situations? Here’s where to start.
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters kill upwards of 60,000 people around the globe every single year. While the natural disasters you experience will certainly vary depending on where you live, they all have a few things in common:
- They are natural occurrences, which means they are a certainty. Everything from earthquakes and hurricanes to volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and tsunamis have happened before your existence and they will continue long after you’re gone. Accept this fact and choose to be prepared unlike the masses who pretend like nothing bad ever happens.
- Most are difficult or even impossible to predict. Some, like tornadoes, only provide a few minutes of warning before they strike, but if you do have more warning (like with a hurricane) do not take the warnings lightly. Act quickly, appropriately, and you’ll be far more likely to survive.
- There is nothing we can do to prevent any disaster on a massive scale, but you can do a lot in your personal life to minimize the damage and recover that much sooner.
But the skills, knowledge and supplies you need to survive one of these events will vary, so we’ll spend a little time touching on each one. Wildfires are also a natural disaster, but they’ve become such a prolific threat in recent years that we’ll be talking about them more in-depth in a moment.
Hurricanes and Typhoons
These massive storms can form in any large body of water, especially if it’s warm. In the Atlantic Ocean, they are hurricanes. In the Pacific, they are typhoons. These enormous storms can generate wind speeds of up to 215 miles per hour and dump a lot of rain in a short period of time. In fact, wind and rain are the two primary threats from these storms, though most people underestimate the power and destruction floodwaters bring.
To prepare, you first need to understand whether you’re in a flood zone; this map is a good place to start. Next, with hurricanes, you hide from wind — by hunkering down in your home or shelter — and run from water. If you’re not in a designated flood zone, collect food and water and other supplies that you’ll need to ride out the storm.
If you are, then grab a bug out bag, organize your important belongings and either head to a nearby shelter or get out of the path of the storm ASAP. Fortunately, hurricanes move reasonably slowly, and you usually have some time to prepare before the storm makes landfall if you’re paying attention to the news; an NOAA weather radio is good to have on hand to keep you abreast of concerns.
Tornadoes
Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes don’t provide much warning at all. Severe thunderstorms spawn these violent cyclones. At most, you’ll have 13 minutes of warning time to take shelter and hide from the strong winds while it passes, but don’t expect that much leeway most of the time.
The only thing you can do to survive a tornado is to hunker down and wait for it to pass. If you find yourself in the path–especially if tornado sirens are going off–take shelter immediately. Homes in places prone to tornadoes usually have basements or storm shelters to protect you from the violent winds, but if your home lacks protection, hunker down in the center of your home as far away from any windows as possible.
Earthquakes
No one wants to feel the earth shifting under their feet, but earthquakes are a part of life. We live on an active planet, though some places are a bit wobblier than others, such as around the Pacific Rim and areas close to the edges of the tectonic plates.
Hunkering down is the best thing you can do to survive an earthquake. Old wisdom used to state that a doorway was the safest place to be during a quake. Today, however, the best thing you can do is find cover, such as under a strong table or another piece of sturdy furniture, while waiting for the world to stop shaking.
[Editor’s note: And don’t go running outside either! You’re more likely to injure yourself doing so than not. Remember: drop, cover, and hold on, especially covering your head.]
Volcanic Eruptions
If you live in an area that’s prone to volcanic activity, the plan is simple — run! Well, if you’re in the path of an eruption or a lava flow, that is. Because the only thing you can do is grab your bug out bag and get out of the way as quickly as possible.
If, however, you’re only prone to the ashfall from a volcanic eruption then you should make plans to stay indoors until the threat passes, which could be weeks. Why? Because the volcanic ash is more like broken glass which can be irritating to the eyes, lungs, and skin. A good HEPA filter for your HVAC is wise to use to keep the ash from further contaminating your home.
Tsunamis
Tsunamis are massive waves generated by undersea earthquakes. These waves don’t often climb higher than 10 feet, but they can grow to 100 feet or even higher depending on the severity of the quake. The most massive tsunami on record was 1,720 feet, which struck Lituya Bay in Alaska in 1958.
Tsunamis are another disaster where you can only rush to get out of the way and hope for the best. It doesn’t matter how sturdy your house is. If you’re in the path of one of these massive waves, don’t try to ride it out. Run for higher ground if you notice, for example, dogs and cats hightailing it together away from the ocean…there’s probably something to that. 🙂
Blizzards
Whereas hurricanes thrive in warm climates, blizzards are their polar opposite — they only occur in colder regions. Massive snowstorms can knock out power and cause entire counties to grind to a halt while you wait for the snow to melt.
In general, surviving blizzard conditions means hunkering down, layering your clothing for warmth and riding it out. There are a few conditions where you might need to evacuate, but as long as you can stay warm, fed and safe in your home, that’s where you’re going to want to be. But you CAN’T do that if you haven’t bothered to gather the supplies (e.g., food, water, wood,) to make that happen.
Landslides
Rain and snow can both cause mountainsides to slide unexpectedly, often wiping out everything in their path. The best way to survive one of these disasters is to not be there when it happens.
With that in mind, don’t purchase a home or business in a known landslide risk area. If you do find yourself in a landslide’s path, the best thing you can do is run…don’t even bother with the bug out bag this time. But, instead, get out of the way of the landslide by moving perpendicular to its direction if possible. Of course, I’m sure this is easier said than done, as your first instinct will probably be to run away from the mountain of debris.
Wildfires
Wildfires are more common and more dangerous than ever. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways you can approach this survival situation.
First, take steps to reduce the fire risk on your property. You need to remove any dry or ignitable underbrush, reduce the number of trees on your property and even plant fire-resistant grasses to keep flames from spreading.
You will also want to harden your house by installing ember-resistant materials to prevent flying embers from igniting the structure. Even if you’re not directly in the path of a wildfire, embers can travel for more than a mile by riding the winds.
Finally, keep a close eye on the fire’s path and pay attention to orders from firefighters and first responders. If they tell you to evacuate because you’re in the course of the blaze, don’t argue. As with many other survival situations on this list, your best bet is to grab your bug out bag and hit the pavement.
Car Accidents
Car accidents can happen to anyone at any time on the roadways. Still, the basics of surviving a car accident are almost always the same.
Start by assessing the damage, both to your car and yourself and your passengers. If you’re severely injured, don’t try to get out of your vehicle unless it’s not safe to remain. If the car is on fire, however, getting out should be your priority.
Next, call emergency services and let them know there’s been an accident. Give them as much information as you can about the location, number of cars, potential number of victims and any other relevant information. Wait for them to arrive and follow their instructions.
The next steps will depend on the severity of the accident and the number of injuries. You may need to go to the hospital. If this isn’t the case, you’ll still want to seek out medical attention. You’ll also want to contact your insurance company, and maybe even consider contacting an attorney, especially if you received an injury in the accident.
Avoiding accidents is the best option, but just knowing how to respond can make surviving this situation a little bit easier when that isn’t possible.
Lost in the Woods
Whether you took a wrong turn on your hike and ended up in the middle of nowhere, or you’re on a small plane that crashes in the wilderness, there are plenty of situations where you could find yourself lost in the woods. Survival might seem impossible, but with a few skills and a couple of items to keep in your pocket, you can survive just about anywhere.
First, create an “everyday carry” (EDC) collection. These are items you keep on your person at all times when you’re not in the house. Just having a pocket knife can make a huge difference. The exact items you choose will vary depending on your skill level, but you should always have a knife, a lighter and a small flashlight with you.
You can also create EDC kits that hold everything from matches and fishing hooks to signal mirrors and carry them on you.
Next, assess your essentials and figure out what you need. Remember the rule of threes. You can survive three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. You need shelter, water, fire and food to survive. Figure out which one is the most important at that exact moment and work on that first. Slowly get the rest together.
Now you can determine whether you’re going to sit still and wait for rescue or if you’re going to try to get yourself out of it. If you decide to move, keep your eyes and ears open for signs of civilization. Don’t move at night — you’re more likely to get lost once the sun sets, especially if you don’t have a compass or GPS to guide you.
Finally, don’t panic. Panic doesn’t serve anyone, and you’ll find that everything is more challenging if you see the world through panic-colored glasses.
Human-Made Threats
There are a variety of different human-made threats that we may have to contend with within our lifetimes. Even if they never happen, it’s essential to know how to survive them. We’ll touch on each of them briefly here.
Nuclear Strike
Surviving a nuclear strike depends mainly on your proximity to the detonation. Inside a certain radius, no amount of preparation will help you. If you are outside the initial blast radius, shelter and good practices are crucial to survival.
You will need to have a sufficient supply of food and water because much of what you find out in the world will likely suffer from radioactive fallout contamination. You will also need shelter from said fallout and disaster-specific supplies like iodine tablets to protect yourself from radiation exposure.
Civil Unrest
Civil unrest might sound like something from a bygone era, but it’s becoming more common as people take to the streets in protests and riots. We could write an entire book on how to stay safe through civil unrest, but it all depends on whether you’re planning to participate in the turmoil or take shelter from it. Whatever your plan, make sure you’re staying informed and making intelligent decisions to stay safe. Usually, however, the best choice is to avoid the mayhem as much as possible, which means staying home.
Viral or Biological Warfare
Biological warfare is every prepper’s worst nightmare, at least initially. We’re living amid a viral pandemic right now, and it’s becoming obvious that a significant portion of the population will not do what is necessary for the greater good, even if it means their survival as well. All we have to do is look at the anti-mask protests and the growing number of viral cases to prove that a viral or biological attack is all that might be necessary to wipe us out as a species.
In the event of a viral or biological attack, as with many other options on this list, the best thing to do is hunker down. Stay in your bubble, avoid contact with other people and avoid going outside as much as possible in the event of an airborne contagious disease. In fact, being able to hunker down for weeks or, more likely, months is the best plan here.
Famine
Famine isn’t something that is going to sneak up on you. It’s a survival situation that can take years to develop, yet strike quickly. But you’ll need to have everything ready if it does happen.
You need to hone two skills to prepare for a famine — gardening and quality food storage. You’ll need to learn how to grow food and, if possible, raise and process your own livestock. You’ll also need to know how to can and store your food so you have plenty of food during off-season needs.
Be Ready for Anything
It might seem like we have all the answers and that this is an exhaustive list, but it doesn’t include every single survival situation you might find yourself in. Regardless of the details, being prepared for anything is the best thing you can do to improve your survival chances.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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