

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Urban Threat – Why the Need for Urban Survival Skills is intended to address the “common man” survival preparedness. These are reasonable survival skills & tasks, just like personal and family insurance, involving the acquisition of survival gear, knives, kits, skills, equipment, food, training, books, mental preparation and general survival preparedness based on realistic threats.

Most people looking for survival preparedness don’t understand things like Defense in Depth, Cleared Fields of Fire and Withdrawal - Escape Routes. These same people don’t have several M-4 Carbines or Battle Rifles with several thousands rounds stored for each. These people just may be in the middle of “doing nothing and hoping for the best” and “being fully prepared for all contingencies”. The purpose of this site is to bring Urban Survival Skills to those people as well as also address survival issues that may be of use for more advanced urban survivalists.

Surely, firearms and the skilled used of them; a defensive mind set; and, preparations for defense of you, your family and property are all valid first line urban (and suburban) survival skills, however it is just as likely that your initial survival tasks (in a survival situation) may be procuring and conserving food; procuring and treating water; and, living a post electric world.
Certainly in a catastrophic environment where banking has collapsed, commodities such as food has skyrocketed in price and declined in availability, and public utilities are greatly degraded or nonexistent,…, the urban survivor, may have to make decisions regarding moving someplace or joining some organized group to give you the best chance of survival.

Again, the intent of this site to address primarily urban dwellers the void in survival education and preparedness between doing nothing and having a fully defensible military model fire base survival retreat.


  • Everybody needs to employ some level of survival preparedness, be it for the threat of economic collapse, utilities grid failure, anarchy in the streets, natural disasters or whatever.
  • Figure out the threat and prepare accordingly even if it is just to re-locate to a safer location.


  1. Great site with a lot of noteworthy realistic facts. There are only two scenarios in a emergency situation; and they are get busy living or get busy dying.

  2. Great info. Great review of History Channel shows. I always watch the history channel. That's my major, History & Political Science. Except I am from the new school, The realistic school of thought.

  3. I love this site....Please consider a segment for the "spouse." As a male, former PSYOP guy, army brat, this come very naturally to me, but getting my wife to buy in has been a process of PSYOP...drip, drip, drip...article here, emergency there..Consider the rcent Boston water main break, the impact on that..also consider articles like this one...this is an eye opener is used and got 'buy in," as a result..

    good luck..RC

  4. I am SO overwhelmed right now. It is sad because I come from a family of people who have always been somewhat prepared and interested so I'm not completely new to the concept but I've spent my time being lost in depression and complacency. Hoping that things will just 'be okay' as I fought stupid battles with my ex husband and tried to keep my head above water.
    Now, it feels too late. I have joint custody with my ex husband. If two of my four kids are with him when it comes down to hunkering down, bugging out or whatever is on the menu, I won't be able to leave them. He has never cooperated with me on anything, choosing instead to use any moment to extract often oddball methods of revenge...meaning, I can't trust him. My oldest daughter is off living with her bf. I love her but she is a huge flake and cannot be counted on not to talk too much. Do I prepare for her just in case? My stupid dogs bark at everything and I even have a rooster that crows literally all hours of the night and day although the night thing has tapered off since I told my mil that she absolutely had to turn off her bedroom light at night instead of leaving it on all hours...her light faces the coop and was confusing the rooster. >.<
    Don't even get me started on my mil. There is absolutely NO WAY I can even begin to afford to prepare for her in a hunker down situation and when bug out becomes the game, I could not take her. My parents live behind me, they are both in their early 70's but are tough as nails, country folk, armed and proficient.
    My husband is not nearly as serious as I am so it feels as if I carry this alone but I realize it isn't quit that way. He has a daughter, ex wife and her two little boys that he would want to get to. They live a long enough distance that it seriously bothers me as they are NOT the kind you can talk to about this stuff ahead of time, so no preparation on their part, no monetary aid in making food preparations etc and then having to either wait on them or go get them which reduces the efficiency of my planning and my family's strength. Plus again, their health needs run insulin dependent diabetes and morbid obesity.?
    WTH am I supposed to do with stuff like this?
    How do I pick a place to try to go to?
    Oh, did I mention that I have very little money to work with? It's a tiny piece at a time and I hope to god I'm not too late.

    -LostattheEnd (Stephanie)

  5. Great site tons of useful inform.input to last comment take care of yourself first and your folks.THE BEST YOU CAN but get out of large citys or towns over 2,500 hundred. I know for a fact neither is ready nor do they have the resources to deal with whats coming.

  6. To LostatheEnd:

    Just contiue to pick up items you can as you can get them. At least part of that task is underway You will find at first you may not feel like you have help but there are good sites just like this one. We found LDS folks to be very helpful. Seems they have made life practice of being prepared they also are very encouraging even if you are not LDS (we aren't). Talk with your mom and dad it sounds like they have real fiber. They may not have all the answers but they certainly will have info you will find helpful and offer support . Hang in and keep on keeping on! Dollar Tree (ships different items at different stores), and General Dollar Stores offer some deals on extra supplies for your storage. We watch for sales on items (cheap) which I am sure you do too. Once you hookup with other preppers you will find they have extra items they may sell or even give to you. You begin to feel more empowered as you find others of like or similar mindset. Hang in there.