What to do when you just cant leave. (city Survival)

This is a very interesting old thread about urban survival; bumping it to see if anyone has new input.

I don't have too much to add personally except to say that you should know the problems your particular city might face during whatever timeframe you plan on being there. For example, to take Manhattan as an example, it is mostly bedrock, so lots of the buildings have the potential to stand for decades if not longer. However, under at least two of the major avenues (I forget which ones), there are massive water runoff trenches that need constant attention during the spring rains. Without such efforts, it is likely these two long, straight streets would cave in pretty quickly, turning into gushing river-like vallies and perhaps pulling down the buildings. But only one or two streets over, you'd be fine.

Meanwhile, a city like Las Vegas or Mexico City, on the other hand, a major problem would be running out of water fast; somehting that wouldn't be as big of an issue in London, New York or Tokyo. Wildfires would be more likely to start in a dryer climate. Would Amsterdam survive long without upkeep of its famous dykes? How about earthquake and typoon issues in pac-rim cities? Also, know the types of materials used for building: Big heavy brick and masonry structures, as in a typical European city, flimsy wallboarding like Capetown, or crumbly old concrete like Taipei? Know the paticularities of your environment.



[edit on 8/15/10 by silent thunder]

reply to post by angryamerican


Starred.

Thank you for sharing good stuff to know.

Another thing many people haven't thought about and might find distasteful.

Our pets here in America eat better than a lot of the world.

A big bag of dog or cat food has a good shelf life and will do in a pinch.

Granted crunching down on Rover / Kitty bits may not sound like much but again, a bag of dry pet food has a hell of a shelf life and will maintain life.

The canned stuff would also be good and would have the added benefit of moisture.



[edit on 15-8-2010 by ofhumandescent]

Harry Cooper had it right all along. I've said it once, I'll say it again- "The basement is the safest place!" (in the event of a global zombie apocalypse, that is...)

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/96b0d2b3f53b.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 8/15/2010 by this_is_who_we_are]

Does you city have av park with a lake or pond.
Are there ducks or geese

Fishing for ducks and geese is easy.

Take a treble hook and bait it with dough and attach just enough line to a heavy weight to hold the dough ball under water.

Run a line from the weight to shore and when you see a duck or goose with its a** in the air and not coming up to breath you have duck or goose for dinner.

You may find catfish/fish on this same rig if the park pond or lake is stocked with them.

This is a old hobo trick for fishing.

Another trick is to take tiny trout fishing hooks and put them in corn with a long line on them.

Pigeons eating the corn will be hooked and you will be able to reel them in.

where to begin? here's my deal- at 55 and having had a string of problems
like shingles that left me with nerve damage and fibromyalgia -
I aint goin very far very fast.
If i dont have the situational awareness to be able to see it coming-
and grab my bags (which are always ready and has 10 gold coins in the lining.) and head for my hideout in the remote hills of costa rica-or several other out of the way places- then i'll be stuck in phoenix az. at a girlpal's home.
the home is brick, built in 47- nothing elaborate-
across from a city park- good fields of vision for a city hq-
it's near two big grocery stores and a goodwill store.
naturally i visit the thrift store everyday and have
accumulated all the gear i could imagine needing .
-so thats the basic set up.
with 2 dogs - queensland healer mutts.
girlpal is a farmer, works at greenhouse operation and local farmers market.
good sort of pal to have. with my food stamp money i store away rice, beans, dried peas, lentils, oats, raisins ,nuts, honey, pasta ,canned fish
and other goods. water.
I have a 12ga double barrel shotgun, 100 rds of assorted shells, mostly
00 buckshot and #4 buckshot, a makarov auto pistol and a couple boxes of
hollowpoints. i can easily silence it. theres a compliment of hand tools here, here's a good city tool-heavy duty boltcutters. a hand cranked pump with some hose.
heavy pry bar. i have some sets of handcuffs left over from a wild girlfriend-
but thats a whole nother thread..sigh..
OK- (which by the way is a WWll term for 0 killed.) what else can i add that hasnt been covered? watch the road - it could be that bad. glad my sons are grown and resourceful lads. i tuck away a bottles of bleach,alcohol,lamp oil,
cooking oil, otc meds etc. i'm in full packrat mode as the world goes to
hell in a handbasket..
if you arent a survivalist , you will be soon.

reply to post by ofhumandescent
that is advice i would not take, get a sack of rice and beans
or oats , if i'm eating dog food in a dark basement -i'm likely to suck
on the end of my shotgun for dessert..but the point is taken-
you may have to do things to stay alive..if you are not mentally
or emotionally prepared, you could have problems. (a side note-
you'll notice that alot of canned pet food no longer has an animal
pasted on the label-alot of poor old people are already eating it.)
welcome to the new world order.
anyway.. mindset-morale-awareness..ever shoot or stab anybody-
butcher an animal -ever been in a tooth and nail fight for your life?
an emp event would change our world so hard so fast you
may well go into shock or lose your mind. it will get ugly within 48 hrs.
and all bets would be off. and look at all the events popping off-
mega volcanoes rumbling- wars and narco terror- oil companies
poisoning us. you are already on your own..
and really- i go to the store and make my way around
these 300 pound piles of goo and wonder what will become
of these people when hardship comes?
..and there's no cigarettes and soda pop or coffee.
video games or tv. no drug supply.- shudder to think.
but i do think..and i think i will enjoy a hot shower-
have a frosty beer, lay back and savor the moments i can.
-because something wicked this way comes.








[edit on 15-8-2010 by p51mustang]

Water water water everywhere, not a drop to drink(I live in NYC.)

reply to post by Mythic Chris


Read the OP by yours truly it gives a few ways of finding water in a city survival situation.

en.wikipedia.org...

If you wanna know what its like, read about this, watch videos and do some research here.
There is a huge amount of information to be gathered from this back in 1990's...
read about what it was like before and after...aside from during the Siege....you can expand your thinking by leaps and bounds.

reply to post by Mythic Chris


Take a big pot, or dutch oven, put water in it, about 2-4 inches deep. Take the lid and turn it upside down and tie or wire a cup to the handle. boil water, and have lid upside down with cup just above the water.
Steam is made, and drips into the cup...WOW, now you have drinking water.

The most difficult time one would have living in a city after a major catastrophe (assuming it's a survivable event) would be almost immediately afterwards. Once services shut down (food,water,power) panic and desperation will make any movement within the city dangerous. Wherever you are the best option is to hole up and wait for things to (literally) die down. Secured stocks of food & water are vital IMP, especially in a city.

Once the majority of people have left or died, only real survivors will be left and then the process of rebuilding can begin. I'd say the "die-off" could take up to three months depending on the weather...too hot or too cold will speed things up.

reply to post by RedParrotHead


The illnesses you would have could get you to though. I would wait too, but depending on the event, I might wait 3 days, a week or a month...I might not ever leave, again, it depends on what is happening right next to your location, case in point, look at Egypt today.

www.shtfplan.com...

I posted this in a tread a few days ago...it has great info in it. 10 min away, life wasn't crazy like it was at there location, but you never know unless you can get out, but then again, it could be to dangerous to try and get out..food for thought.

Originally posted by RedParrotHead
The most difficult time one would have living in a city after a major catastrophe (assuming it's a survivable event) would be almost immediately afterwards. Once services shut down (food,water,power) panic and desperation will make any movement within the city dangerous. Wherever you are the best option is to hole up and wait for things to (literally) die down. Secured stocks of food & water are vital IMP, especially in a city.

Once the majority of people have left or died, only real survivors will be left and then the process of rebuilding can begin. I'd say the "die-off" could take up to three months depending on the weather...too hot or too cold will speed things up.

edit on 2/3/2012 by RedParrotHead because: typo

Keep in mind that fire can rip through a city if there are no firefighters.

And if a city catches fire, in that way, then smoke inhalation is also a possibility.

You can also get water out of a water main, by opening a hydrant and putting a hose down there and pumping water out. But remember to close the hydrant.
Getting gas, you drive a screw driver into a gas tank, and then plug the hole after you fill your container because most vehicles now have siphon proof gas tank fill hoses.
To get into a locked vehicle, you drive a screw driver into the lock with a mallet, turn the screw driver, drive the screw driver into the console lock, break it, turn the screw driver start the vehicle. Screw driver and mallet.
You should be able to do that as fast as if you had keys.But the car alarm will go off? Good, now you have a siren and people can get the hell out of your way. Just remember to put your four way flashers on and flash your headlights so they think you are a cop.

Infrared spotlight and infrared camera (SONY handycam with night vision) with video goggles and balaclava, if you are unfortunatte enough to have to go out at night. A flashlight is a target.

If it looks real bad. And you have the chance to get out of the city. You might want to do that rather than stay in a war zone. It depends on where you live and what the threat is. And if the military and national guard or other organized forces are still operating. If so, then you really needn't worry in America. Thats not really much of an Armegeddon if they are still working. The Red Cross will soon be making you breakfast.

If you live in the Middle East, well then thats different. Go to the desert and die, go anywhere and die, or stay home and die. Like in Iraq.

reply to post by citizen smith


Okay just to cut to the chase. Dogs, trained or otherwise, wrap your off hand arm with what you got to limit the bite damage. set your self up, crouched and stable with one leg out in front you gonna get hit hard. Face the attack DONT RUN and give the dog the wrapped arm to latch to, once he does you have him. If all you have is a sharp stick, metal ir a knife lift the dog as high as you can and rip open his stomach. If you are weaponized lay the weapon on top of the arm shot it in the head. If you partner takes the attack dont try to take out the dog with your weapon hand it OFF! Your buddy will get really upset if you shoot him the kidneys by mistake.
Things not to do: Try and choke the dog out (too much loose skin protecting the thoat). Try to crush its head with a rock (chances are it will be a glancing blow or youll hit yourself; dogs dont stay still for long). Dont heistate, kill the thing (they wont give you a second chance).
This what we train the soldiers at MARSOC and or lead trainer has been attacked over 100 times (and has the scars to prove it) Dogs are nothing to mess with. If their trained, feral, rabid or in pack mentality you wont be negotiating with them.
The best dog we had was named LOCO and has survived two human fights Dog 2 Humans 0. Last fight he was in he road homewith a piece of meat hanging from his tooth (not steak). It was a 40 pound animal a 200 pound man. Bottom line is a healthy dog has you on speed cunning and instinct so use your brains

When it comes to dogs, take them out hard and fast Alpha or not. Oh and one last thing, dont try to hit one on the run with your 9mm. Youll only waste ammo and not be ready when it knocks you to the ground and if you do get knocked down get up fast or you WILL be the next meal.

There is hollywood and there is real world.....turn off the TV.

PS if you want to see what dogs can do I have a mated pair, female rottie and male wolf mix as part of my security system. They play with the kids during the day and patrol the grounds at night. Because their mated they never fight alone, makes it tough for even a trained individual to survive.