Has anyone really prepared for surviving in a urban are, rather than a rural one?

[CrimsonWolf]

I have been conviced that trying to have a survival retreat in a rural area is a bit of survivalist fantasy.

I am going to sell my rural retreat and improve my urban retreat. I have Rangar Benson's "Urban Survival" and I am going to use it as a starting point.

What I am looking for is what are some things that people have done to prepare for a urban survival event? What have you done about water? Animals?Security? Medical? Sewage?

What I have is a 5 acres,2 story farm house,2 story Barn, a pole barn and my own well. Any ideas would be helpful.




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THANK GOD AHEAD OF TIME!
DEATH TO TYRANTS

[TP]

Your "urban" retreat sounds a lot less than what many of us consider urban. Consider yourself lucky!

You may want to check out "The Secure Home" by Joel Skousen. It is a wealth of info for all sorts of settings and designs.

[CrimsonWolf]

I live in a area that was rural, I am getting
$250,000 to $500,000 homes built around me now.

Also the township will allow only 2 acre plots for houses to be built on.

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THANK GOD AHEAD OF TIME!
DEATH TO TYRANTS

[USA-1]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CrimsonWolf:
I live in a area that was rural, I am getting
$250,000 to $500,000 homes built around me now.

Also the township will allow only 2 acre plots for houses to be built on.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That will change,they used to do that around here.Money talks.

Anyways sounds like you have a nice setup,what is your rural place like?Is it in MI also?

[CrimsonWolf]

My retreat was in the thumb of Michigan.

The building going on here has been going on for 10 years now. It's still consider one of the biggest growth area's in Michigan.

As for the size of the plots changing it was 5 acres. But it will not go lower than 2. That's because we have a bunch of Nazis running our township. They have set up some very strict rules for land use. For example, if you had 40 acres to sell for a subdivison, half must stay in a "wild state".

Our great leaders will not allow city water or sewage, even though the water table has dropped.

They say they want to keep the area "rural" which is a joke. Because our township is being slowly surround by subdivisions.

------------------
THANK GOD AHEAD OF TIME!
DEATH TO TYRANTS

[This message has been edited by CrimsonWolf (edited 10 April 2002).]

[Wodan]

Your best bet for survival in a true TSHTF scenario is staying rural IMHO but we all make choices in life. (there, I feel better now)

OK, I have lived in urban areas and here's what I recommend in regards to "what have you done about water? Animals?Security? Medical? Sewage?"

Water: Store it in 55 gallon plastic barrels you can get for cheap to free from cola bottling plants (yellow pages). You can also use 2liter soda bottles. Identify streams, ponds etc in your area (parks) and buy filters, water purification tablets, and have a means to purify by boiling - stove/fuel, wood, etc.

Animals: Rabbits can be raised very quietly and discretely. Some places allow chickens - we let them run around our back yard - lots of eggs. Squirrels are abundant in many areas and can be taken with 1,000fps pellet guns - so can doves/pidgeons (seed will bring them in closer).

Security: Good deadbolt locks, alarm systems, get to know your neighbors, neighborhood watch, pre-cut plywood window covers to screw on in times of domestic unrest. Dogs. Trim the bushes under windows, infrared activated search lights.

Medical: Learn and practice skills now, stock the supplies. Make those routine doctor visits - stay healthy.

Sewage: Portapotties, learn how to make an outhouse in the back yard (hide it in the shed or with tarps).

[Professor Fate]

The ultimate water system I've seen was a pumpjack that worked an eccentric through a windmill-not direct sucker rod/casing. It also had an electric motor to drive the wheel by belt, if needed. Finally, it had a deep-well hand pump. There was also a 1,500 gallon tank with 15' of elevation for storage and gravity feed. A small solar water heater for showers and some cooking, too. Look into rain cisterns, and solar water pumps, too.

You ought to be able to have chickens, anyway. Maybe a couple of milking-breed goats wouldn't be objectionable there. TP's suggestion of Joel Skousen's site for security is excellent. Sewage? Well, dig an outhouse in the pole barn if you can't legally do it in plain site. If you have anything besides a gravity septic system, you'll need it. Reasonable Rascal could help with the medical.

If you don't have a fireplace, get a wood heater. Put up a clothesline-it works fair for an antenna, too. Rabbits for food and pelts. Plant fruit & nut trees. Garden. Trash burn pit (if allowed).

[FreightTrain]

I use to think that urban survival was obtainable. Then I read the Marine Corps' manual on urban warfare (MOUT).

The manual does not paint a rosey picture for us poor suckers stuck in the urban AO.

Stay rural as possible and make some very close friends.

[RonnieB]

As has been said, make very close friends of your immediate neighbors if possible. Since i've decided that i'm not going to leave my family ( they refuse to " bug out " in a natural disaster or anything ) i've started trying to know what the guys next door have planned.
I'm looking at getting set up better in the propane powered stuff for cooking and light as it's a cheap fuel source and I have a large repository of it just blocks from my home. A house with a generator blaring and electric lights on in a blackout might draw unneeded attention. But a colman lantern glowing in the living room should'nt be to noticable. I wouldn't want to look like i've got alot of extra resources on hand regardless of what I do with my neighbors as far as community effort after the fact. If they want to pitch in before hand, fine. If not, keep your buisiness yours.

[Doktor_Jeep]

As far as tactics are concerned, training in CQB and MOUT are in order.

On the survivalist side of things, you will need shelter and food - and the food will need shelter too.

Depending on how urban you are, you might need a very strong shelter. The type with steel-reinforced concrete.

Tell your neigbors it's a hot-house or tornado shelter.

[LawrenceW]

Try to keep a low profile. If your neighbors
are preparing it could be a good situation.
Trying to get people to prepare is an uphill
battle even with family. I got some of my
family(parants and sister) to do some prepar-
ations for y2k but when it didn't happen they
went back to sleap.
As for the 2 acre thing and the zoning.
Don't count on it. There is a township near
me on the outskirts of Dallas TX that had the
same thing for years. Developers broke it.
Courts ruled that it was unfare to require
the 2 acre plot to biuld a house. Plus it
kept out apartments and low income housing so it must be racist.

[CZ]

Yup I did (still am) prepare.

Can't imagine you live in a urban area with so much land around you. Come visit my place and you see what "urban" means..

CZ

[LAWCOP]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CrimsonWolf:
I have been conviced that trying to have a survival retreat in a rural area is a bit of survivalist fantasy.

I am going to sell my rural retreat and improve my urban retreat. I have Rangar Benson's "Urban Survival" and I am going to use it as a starting point.

What I am looking for is what are some things that people have done to prepare for a urban survival event? What have you done about water? Animals?Security? Medical? Sewage?

What I have is a 5 acres,2 story farm house,2 story Barn, a pole barn and my own well. Any ideas would be helpful.


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

ONE thing about the thumb, if you stand on a 3 step stool you have taken the high ground.

In any survival true SHTF situation security is based on one of 2 concepts. Either you are too far away from things for people to bother with you
OR
your "place" looks to hard and too dangerous to try and take anything.

2 story home with open areas around it provide a wide "kill zone" that exposes folks and they won't like that.

if it is open enough you can go on about your life fairly well without someone sneaking up on you.
otherwise remoteness is the only protection against predation attempts by the desparate.

IF put in that situation of keeping the family safe and protecting what you have, massive suppressive firepower and leave the bodies out for others to see what happens to those who make the "wrong" decision.

[eurotrash]

my first thought was, what is considered urban? actual inner city with high rise apartments and a million people? or maybe suburban developments and residential areas.

i imagine the inner city would be almost impossible to pull off. suburban developments probably could work...if you had friends. but the level of **** hitting the fan is importnat too. is it total mayhem or jsut major disruption?

[100 Round Drum]

Since I am single and live in suburbia, I plan to grab a few essentials and bail if things get too bad. Have become friends with some Amish folks and was joking about what would happen if TSHTF because we have become so dependent on city water, sewer, gas, groceries etc. They will help provide me with food, clothing, shelter etc. if I help protect the perimeter of their farm from bandits and hoodlums. Sounds fair and potentially fun.