Hello everyone and thanks for the welcome. An honor to post amongst such knowledgeable people.
To the point: I'm considering the option to remain "urban" in the event of a [fill blank] catastrophe. Don't get me wrong, I only am one with myself in the outdoors. Being outdoors is what I look forward (save and plan for) at least once a month.
What I'm talking about here is about the options in a MAJOR disaster after the city that you live in becomes chaotic. As long as the city is structurally sound I think me and the ones that would depend on me would be better off if we were to remain urban. I've done my own research among friends and survival forums (yeah... I know) and a very high percentage of them would opt to leave their cities. Never mind how well prepared they are or if they know what it takes to live off nature for a day, weeks or months. Or if they have any idea the humongous amount of fuel (food, water, toilette paper <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />, etc) one (1) person requires for just a month with no fridge or a 24hrs minimarket.
I'd remain urban. And believe me, I am "equipped to survive". My question is: Urban survival or outdoors in this particular scenario? Please let me know your choice.

Proud to share my views on this forum.

PS: To my wife dismay my looong preparations include from solar panels to a vault-like basement and thousands of dollars of gear and supplies in between. All guarded by the fact that only her and myself know about it.

The word survival conjurs up the mental image of a lone man with ragged clothes covered with animal pelts living by his wits and a stone tool he fashioned while braving the wild, teaming with animals, in the wilderness. Keeping warm, watered, and well fed in an apartment in surburbia with no utilities and the roads closed due to local conditions just does not seem as exciting. What would Jerimah Johnson do when the satelitte dish failed to provide international coverage of the sporting event on the far side of the world to his wall sized plasma screen?

Urban or suburban survival is much more likely to happen for most people. Certainly people do travel and enjoy the outdoors but most people are more likely to be at work or home.

My preparedness plans are based on staying in my primary residence in suburbia. There, I said it, out in the open in front of the www. I do not plan on packing up my kids and wife and "living off the fat of the land" as hunter gathers. There is not enough fat left on the land to support that lifestyle. There is not enough wilderness left to run to.

We have stored food and water. We have alternate heating, cooking, and shelter materials. We have hand tools and raw materials to make likely repairs or build anew. We are city folk with hands as soft as a baby bottom with fat waistlines and tender feet. But what sets us apart is we have knowledge and materials. We have made fires using flint and steel, MFS, and vasoline soaked cotton balls in in the backyard before heading to soccer games in the minivan. We have containers, a wagon, and a purifier so we can gather water from the neighborhood pond. We have taken first aid classes so we know how to use those stored medical supplies. The wife looks foward to the new Leatherman Micra that is color coded to match her outfits.

The doves that people hunt in the country are called piegons in the city. Few think about hunting piegons. What would be effective ways of hunting and trapping piegons or squirrels in an urban or surburban setting. Birds can be caught using fishing lines. They swallow the bait and hook. Reel them in and roast a little scwab.

Knowing how to start a fire in the fireplace to keep the house warm is just as important as knowing how to start a fire in the wilderness to keep the debris hut warm. Knowing how to purify water in the drainage ditch beside the road is just as important as knowing how to purify water from the stream in the wilderness.

Many of the skills and techinques are the same and can be used in both locations. If you follow any of the preparedness and survival sites or literature, they are primarily written by men who have made concerted efforts to learn primative skills. They tend to test themselves by going to remote areas. Don't overlook the backyard BBQ as a good place to lay a fire of found sticks and start it with your magneisum striker.

D,

One can argue the rational to stay/ leave scenarios forever.

There is a point that you have to prepare at least to evacuate.

The majority of people will be staying in TO because they don't know any better. I worked in TO for years but commuted from Barrie. I never once felt 100% safe in that city on a good day let alone a real bad situation.

2-3 million people fighting over 1 muffin from Timmy's is not a pretty sight. I question the reason you live there in the first place when there are options as stated above.

I got out of that rat race and am better for it.

To each his own.

Mike

We all agree that getting out of the city would be a problem (traffic, check points, traffic). After thinking about it I decided that in my best intrest would be to stay in the city until situation clears (for good or bad) and than depending on the outcome either leave or stay. If I can go back to work and be productive there is no need for me to leave even if my job would be purly volunteer (EMT work).

Matt

Greetings

For our situation, clearly "bugging in" is first choice in situations where that makes sense and we've had ample practice with that, courtesy of winter storms, wind storm damage, floods, and power outages.

But as they say: "Have a plan and a backup plan"

We also have Bug out plans that have branches and sequels. In many of those, I remain "in town" to discharge various public duties, and in other (highly unlikely) scenarios, I'm part of the "convoy".

Everyone's circumstances vary, so it's not simple to give "stay or go" advice.

Any advice for people who live in high rise apt buildings without fireplaces or back yards? Is it posible to filter water from the East river? <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Although the pidgeons are in abundance <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

There is enough pidgeons, squierls and rats in nyc to last us 10 years... Maybe by drinking East River Water you get mutated therefore immune to all BNC weapons. And now something about East River. I was doing a circumnavigation around the Manhatan in my kayak and wave from the barge fliped me. That was two years ago... My PFD, boat, rescue rope and some othe items still have this smell of gasoline, diesel fuel, chemicals, dead fish and garbage even after washing it over and over again.

This is interesting to me from a kind of "philosophical" perspective...

I always thought of survival as training in "real world" problem-solving. I don't really ever plan on building a snare to catch the rabbits in my front yard (at least not as long as the ammo holds out), but I'm glad that I know I can do it.

I just read all this stuff to get general ideas on how to aquire the things I need, regardless of where I am. Hopefully, so that I have a good idea of what to do, whether I'm in an urban or country environment, or whether I'm in a manmade or natural disaster.

My advice... the survival knowledge base is not that large. Try to learn as much of it as you can. Otherwise, you can be caught in a scenario that you're not prepared for. And always think in terms of adapting the ideas for new settings. Staying cool and being resourceful are gonna help keep you alive whether you're marooned in the jungle or stranded on the space station. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As far as being prepared for the long haul specifically in an urban environment, I only have one piece of advice. Get a reliable sidearm and know how to use it in a defensive situation. <img src="images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Filtering water from the East River? You probably want to make sure that you have a good way to distill water in large quantities. Somehow I don't think the Aqua tablets would help you much on that one! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Distillation means you're going to need fire. Consider ways to rig a chimney in your apartment (stove pipe leading out a window for example). Understanding ventillation will be very important in your situation.

I figure it even simpler.

If I have 4 kids that are starving and I know you have food.

I am comming for you. No question, I will get your food.

Ben is correct, get your gun, learn to use it, stock up on the ammo, sleep with one eye open. A million starving people in a city is a nasty situation no matter how you rationalize it.

As you can tell I am all for bugging out. Not to live off of moss or leaves but to a safer less populated location with many trusted, armed, stocked up and like minded people like me. The water is clean, there are deer in the woods. It may not be perfect but it ain't no mass panic city situation either.

To each his own.

Good luck if and when TSHTF.

Mike