Urban Survival Preparation - Chris Martenson's Blog

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com recently found a new and good site to visit. www.chrismartenson.com

It seems it is becoming more and more mainstream to have some type of preparation in place for, what we call "the pending collapse" and what others call "possible disruptions in society or the economy".

Chris Martenson does not bill himself as an economist. He tells people that he's a trained research scientist, and a former Fortune 300 VP. Most importantly, though he notes,....he's a concerned citizen.

Chris says that the next twenty years are going to look very different from the last twenty years. It is a worth a look at his site, http://www.chrismartenson.com/

Martenson talks about "Self Resilience". About having good water sources,...about being able to grow your own food.....about making our lives easier and just plain simple.

I like what I read on this site especially when he talks about for preparing for societal or economic disruptions,....that there is night and day difference between "being zero percent self-reliant and 3 percent".

This rings true to me since I field alot of questions from people on "Survival Preparation" and many of them decide not to get prepared in any form or fashion believing that they are either too late to get started, or whatever they do won't be enough,....so why bother?. Yeah, I know a defeatist attitude when I see it, but as I learned in my business, "You can't want it more than they do".

I posted pieces of what Chris writes below:

"What should I do?"

It can feel pretty personally overwhelming to learn about all the economic, environmental, and energy challenges in store for us for the rest of this century. There's plenty of work to be done by governments and businesses, sure—but what about preparing yourself and your family for this quickly changing world? The choices seem overwhelming. Where does one begin?

Six years ago, I began to address these questions for myself and my family. I'll be honest; my first motivation came from a place of fear and worry. I worried that I could not predict when and where an economic collapse might begin. I fretted that the pace of the change would overwhelm the ability of our key social institutions and support systems to adapt and provide. I darkly imagined what might happen if a Katrina-sized financial storm swept through the banking system. I was caught up in fear.

But I am no longer in that frame of mind. Here, six years later, I am in a state of acceptance about what the future might bring (although I am concerned), and I have made it my life's work to help others achieve a similar measure of peace. While I am quite uncertain about what might unfold and when, I am positive that anyone can undertake some basic preparations relatively cheaply and will feel better for having done so.

I am passionately interested in helping others to gracefully adapt their lifestyles and adjust their expectations to a very different-looking sort of future. I have no interest in scaring you further, or having you approach the future with trepidation, anxiety, or fear. Quite the opposite. I want to let you know that adjusting and adapting can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling journeys you could undertake. It has been so for our family.

Just so you have a sense of the scope and the pace of these changes in our lives, I should mention that in 2003 I was a VP at a Fortune 300 company, forty-two years of age with three young children (the oldest was nine), living in a six-bedroom waterfront house, and by every conventional measure I had it all. Today I no longer have that house, that job, or that life. My "standard of living" is a fraction of what it formerly was, but my quality of life has never been higher. We live in a house less than half the size of our former house, my beloved boat is gone, and we have a garden and chickens in the backyard.

Peering in from the outside, someone might conclude that our family had fallen off the back of the American-dream truck with a thud. But from the inside they would observe a tight, comfortable, confident, and grounded family. We owe much of our current state of unity to the fact that we embarked on a journey of becoming more self-sufficient and discovered the importance of resilience and community along the way.

Anyone can do the same. But first, we must lay some groundwork and address the question, "Why prepare?" After that, we can delve into the details.

The Basics of Preparing
Becoming Resilient

In the interests of space, I am not reproducing all of Chris article, Part I - The Basic of Resilience",....please to go his web site and read both Part I and Part II.

Urban Surival Preparation - Emergency Planning by Yahoo

One of my Urban Survival Planning and Preparation considerations is how to handle my neighbors (and friends) who come to me after the collapse seeking help. Many of them would undoubtedly be burdens on me and my family due to their Survival unpreparedness. Most of them, even when facing the undeniable indicators of a pending collapse, won’t prepare either. This Yahoo News article may serve to help some of the those people, who will not be readers of this site, to have enough Survival food stocks to endure more than a couple days which would also serve to allow more time so better decisions can be made,...which hopefully would be to get out of Dodge and eliminate the chances of them being a burden on me, and I say that only partially in jest. I am going to re-produce this article, with my comments (in Italicized print) and place them on their house doors in hopes of giving them a moderate and comfortable education in the beginning of Emergency Preparation. Have you ever noticed how the connotation of Emergency Preparation and Survival Preparation are different?

The top foods you should keep in case of an emergency – An article from Yahoo News. By: Vanessa DiMaggio

Natural disasters--such as a flood, hurricane, or blizzard--often come without warning. Stocking non-perishable food items ahead of time (and choosing wisely what you include) will help you weather the storm with less stress.

Fueling your body during an emergency is very different from your everyday diet. Because you’ll probably expend more energy than you normally would, you should eat high-energy, high-protein foods. And because you have a limited supply, the higher-quality foods you eat--and the less of them--the better. "In a disaster or an emergency you want those calories," says Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington State University . "You want some nutrients and some fiber—something to keep your diet normal."

UrbanMan’s comments: High Protein foods are not necessary. Foods high in caloric value, and fats are generally a better choice for a survival situation.

But that doesn’t mean you have to eat like a pauper. "In an emergency, generally you tend to think of meeting more basic needs than preferences and flavors," says Elizabeth Andress, professor and food safety specialist at the University of Georgia . "But if you plan right, you can have a great variety of foods and nutrients." Here, Andress and Swanson weigh in on what items you should include.

What to Always Keep in Your Pantry
These items have lengthy expiration dates, so you can stash them away for long periods of time. Make a list of everything in your stockpile and check expiration dates every 6 to 12 months to keep things fresh. And don’t forget to have a can opener on hand at all times--all that food won’t be of any use if you can’t open it.

Peanut butter. A great source of energy, peanut butter is chock-full of healthful fats and protein. Unless the jar indicates otherwise, you don’t have to refrigerate after opening.

Whole-wheat crackers. Crackers are a good replacement for bread and make a fine substitute in sandwiches. Due to their higher fat content, whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers have a shorter shelf life than their plain counterparts (check the box for expiration dates), but the extra fiber pays off when you’re particularly hungry. Consider vacuum-packing your crackers to prolong their freshness.

Nuts and trail mixes. Stock up on these high-energy foods—they’re convenient for snacking and healthful. Look for vacuum-packed containers, which prevent the nuts from oxidizing and losing their freshness.

UrbanMan’s comments: Peanut Butter, crackers, and nuts are all great things to have plenty of on hand. Consider a mix of nuts, however peanuts are particular cost efficient. Almonds are a great source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids which will help maintain your health.

Cereal. Choose multigrain cereals that are individually packaged so they don’t become stale after opening.

Granola bars and power bars. Healthy and filling, these portable snacks usually stay fresh for at least six months. Plus, they’re an excellent source of carbohydrates. "You can get more energy from carbohydrates without [eating] tons of food," Andress says.

Dried fruits. Such as apricots and raisins In the absence of fresh fruit, these healthy snacks offer potassium and dietary fiber. "Dried fruits provide you with a significant amount of nutrients and calories," Swanson says.

UrbanMan’s comments: Would suggest buying some #10 cans of dehydrated fruit from EarthWaveLiving, click here. Fruit will be at a premium during a collapse. I am basing my daily Survival diet around rice and/or beans,..maybe some pasta instead, with a vegetable (fresh, canned or dehydrated) and one serving of dehydrated fruit each day.

Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or turkey. Generally lasting at least two years in the pantry, canned meats provide essential protein. Vacuum-packed pouches have a shorter shelf life but will last at least six months, says Diane Van, manager of the USDA meat and poultry hotline.

Canned vegetables. Such as green beans, carrots, and peas when the real deal isn’t an option, canned varieties can provide you with essential nutrients.

Canned soups and chili. Soups and chili can be eaten straight out of the can and provide a variety of nutrients. Look for low-sodium options.

Bottled water. Try to stock at least a three-day supply--you need at least one gallon per person per day. A normally active person should drink at least a half gallon of water each day. The other half gallon is for adding to food and washing.

UrbanMan’s comments: Bottled water is always good to have on hand, better yet have lots of storage containers so you can fill up when the collapse indicators are getting due. Have a plan and the items needed to conduct a "water less life" – meaning conserving water for drinking and only drinking. You simply cannot live without water.. You can use water-less hand soap to clean; use a field expedient "porta-potty".


Sports drinks. Such as Gatorade or Powerade. The electrolytes and carbohydrates in these drinks will help you rehydrate and replenish fluid when water is scarce.

Powdered milk Almost all dairy products require refrigeration, so stock this substitute for an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D when fresh milk isn’t an option.

Sugar, salt, and pepper If you have access to a propane or charcoal stove, you may be doing some cooking. A basic supply of seasonings and sweeteners will improve the flavor of your food, both fresh and packaged.

UrbanMan’s comments: I would add rice and beans, about 10-20 lbs per person at a minimum. Beef and Chicken bullion cubes can be stored with the rice and beans to provide flavor. Powdered mash potatoes, boxes of macaroni and cheese, bags of 16 bean soup and mix are all good food stuffs to stock.

Multivitamins Supplements will help replace the nutrients you would have consumed on a normal diet.

UrbanMan’s comments: Vitamins from an off the shelf are virtually worthless. You are literally wasting your money. I would save your money for something else. If you are buying quality supplements, then consider stocking a 6 to 9 month supply; start taking them now to build your body’s immune system; rotating extra stocks out but keep track of expiration dates.

UrbanMan’s final comments: Vacuum packing dry food stuffs can preserve these foods for two years or more. An investment into a food saver would allow you to vacuum pack things like rice, spices, crackers, granola bars, dried fruits, etc., for a longer shelf life. However, I’m afraid you may be forced to use these stocked supplies before the expiration date. If you are not in the full Survival prep mode, then at least put some vegetable seed packets (non-hybrid type) into a #10 can and put into your pantry. You may be very glad you did this at some point.

Urban Survival Preparation - More on Home Defense

I received another question on face book (see Urban Man on Facebook) regarding my previous post on Home Defense Preparation (view it by clicking here). The question was concerning enhancing interior wall protection, especially around the windows which would be your home’s observation and firing ports, what would be some materials other than sand bags, sheet steel and heavy layers of plywood to enhance this protection.


The diagram I placed on the aforementioned Home Defense Preparation post showed protection on both sides of the window. I failed to note that protection underneath the window is a good idea also. But primarily outside the window frames as people in your survival group assigned to this window should be observing (and firing if need be) from outside the frames of the window. This is actually a concept derived from the Vietnam War called the DePuy fighting position (replaced the old foxhole), providing interlocking fields of observation and/or direct fire with small arms, with protection from frontal fire. The DePuy fighting position diagram is shown below.

The below diagram shows how multiple DePuy fighting positions provide multiple interlocking fields of observation and fire, and being mutually supporting, while providing frontal protection.

So basically, we are just applying the DePuy fighting position concept to your home. We also believe in a Defense in Depth concept. Fences, barriers, cleared fields of observation and fire in order to interdict attackers at the earliest opportunity and to slow any assault on your home. Cut down telephone poles, large rocks, T-posts, etc., driven into the ground at a sufficient distance from your house will help prevent vehicles being driven up to or into your home. This is like the large concrete, dirt filled planters that the government positions in front of their facilities – to deter car bombs.

Anyway, back to what you can do to harden or enhance protection for your interior walls. Sand Bags, are available from multiple sources on the internet, urbansurvivalskills.com recommends the burlap bags as opposed to the newer nylon bags with rapidly degrade. In any case line these bags with plastic 13 gallon garbage bags to help reduce sand spillage. When filled each sand bag weight about 50 lbs. The advantage of sand bags is the contained and compressed sand provide good protection from small arms fire and are easily used to customize to your needs. The disadvantage is they are hard to stack high and remain stable.

Cut down rail road ties are easily stackable and provide great protection from small arms fire. A thin sheet of plywood can be added in order to nail or screw the railroad ties to to form a stable wall. You would cut down rail road ties to workable lengths. These are available at most landscaping places and some major home improvement stores.

Sheet steel is great, doesn’t take up much room, but is heavy. One quarter (1/4) inch sheet steel is common and easy to move in small packages, say 3 foot by 2 foot pieces, but hard to integrate into your interior protection unless you lean them up against the wall (not a bad idea). However, 5,56x45mm NATO rounds (or .223 Remington) even in the 55 gain ball configuration will penetrate ¼ inch steel. The idea is for the exterior wall of the house to slow the round allowing the sheet steel to stop the round.

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com mentioned plywood because it is an easily available material. Many homeowners in Florida (Hurricane country) has pre-cut sections of ¾ inch plywood ready to be placed over their windows when hurricanes are heading their way. Plywood can be cut to configure around windows frames and can be nailed or screwed together in layers to provide better protection. However wood will just not have the bullet penetrating stopping power that the others materials do.

Even buckets filled with dirt or water and placed on the interior wall will provide some protection. With round buckets you’ll have several weak points where the buckets abut each other. I guess you do what you can do. The whole idea here is to harden your house for an asault from gangs or mobs. A successful defense may make these groups go elsewhere in search for an easier target.

Survival Chronicles of Jim – Chapter 8

This morning I woke up to a text message from Neomi to call her when I could.
I called Neomi 45 minutes later. She wanted to stop by and show me something on her way to work. So I frantically shaved my sand paper rough face, got dressed and awaited her arrival.

Neomi pulls up, parks her car, which is Mazda Miata – hardly suited for bugging out of the city on dirt roads nor packing a lot of gear. Anyway, Neomi comes into the house toting this big sports gym type shoulder bag. She was excited and wants to show me her Survival Bug Out bag. I was happy to see her dressed in her business attire as I did not need to see the hot looking and scantily dressed Neomi this early in the morning. But I digress,…….

I told Neomi that a backpack style pack or Camel-Bak type unit, such as Camel-Bak BFM or Mother Lode style packs, or, the Spec Ops Brand T.H.E. PACK, would work much better as a Survival Bug Out Bag, but was glad to see she has taking Urban Survival and the Bug Out preparation seriously. Note: As you may remember I bought a Camel Bak Talon pack for my Bug Out Bag. Anyway, she said she would look around and buy one soon.

She shows me the contents of her Bug Out Bag which include:

Rollup Gortex jogging style tan colored rain suit;

Extra socks, underwear, t-shirts, a sweat shirt and a pair of jeans;

Two Nalgene bottles which she tells me are her “canteens”;

Two boxes of granola bars;

3 packs of 4 each “AA” batteries – but the non-rechargeable type;

Garmin Etrex GPS;

One twenty round box of .30-06 ammunition and one box (50 rounds) of .38 Special;

Plastic zip lock bag containing a box of wooden matches and a couple fistfuls of dyer lint which she tells me her ex-boyfriend taught her are good for fire starting;

First aid kit with 3x3 inch gauze pads, anti-biotic cream, medical tape, band aids, an eye patch and three small bottles, one each of , Aspirin, Tylenol and Motrin;

AA Battery powered Flashlight;

Seeing her First Aid made me remember that I did not plan for a first aid kit for my Survival caches near the cabin, so I quickly jotted down a list: Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide, 3x3 inch gauze pads, self adhesive ace bandage type wraps, medical tape, assorted bandages, Neosporin anti-biotic ointment, and some bottles of Aspirin, Tylenol and Motrin. Which I’ll buy and put into the ammunition boxes I plan on caching this weekend.

I suggested that she buy a lightweight earth tone color tarp, maybe 5 feet x 7 feet, as well as a Survival Water Filter. She also needs a decent knife – so I directed her to the Urban Survival Skills posts on folding knives.

Although Neomi wasn’t interested in doing the Survival Bug Out route rehearsal, she did say she would look to start stocking some long shelf food at her house. And she would think about the Survival Cache thing.

We talked for a few minutes of the different ways for us to linkup if we had to get out of the city then promised to have dinner within the week to discuss further.

Moving forward. Jim

Survival Chronicles of Jim – Chapter 7

Boy it seems like I just posted an update on my Urban Survival preparation, but it has actually been 13 days, so I am pretty proud of myself and what I have accomplished since my last post.

Using the US Geological Survey maps I bought at the local Bureau of Land Management Office (BLM) I have planned three routes from my house in the city to my family’s cabin. I am planning a route reconnaissance in the next few days, maybe this weekend, primarily looking at my primary route and the problem areas of my planned Alternate and Contingency routes. That will settle the PAC portion of PACE. My emergency route will overland on foot - this provides the E in PACE.

This reminds me to say that I also bought a Silva magnetic compass and was looking at buying a GPS units. During my route recon I also plan on doing some short routes on foot, plotting an azimuth and using my new compass and skills that I am trying to learn from the previous Urban Surival Skills posts on Map Reading - just to get a taste for land navigating. When TSHTF I may be taking Neomi with me therefore may have use of her GPS unit, I need to buy my own and be proficient at using it.

On this route recon I will also be emplacing a couple of caches around the cabin. I have bought an extra Aqua Mira Bottle Water filter unit, Frontier Pro Water Filter Straw, some extra water purification tabs, a pack of three butane lighters, six of the Three Day Main Stay bars, two small green ponchos on which I used sand and brown vinyl spray paint to sort of camouflage it.

I also bought a small camp hatchet, a 100 foot roll of green parachute line (small diameter rope). I will include a set of long underwear, four pair of extra socks, 25 rounds of 12 gauge buckshot and 450 rounds of .22 LR ammunition. This will fit into two military surplus ammunition cans which I’ll try and bury or otherwise hide above ground like the previously Urban Survival Skills on Caching when they talked about above ground concealment caches.

I am also going to cache two additional ammunition cans containing canned meat, Ramen noodles, beef jerky and some freeze dried items. I think this would give two people about one meal a day for 30 days. I know this is a not a long term storage solution nor a complete Survival Caches for hard times, but it will give me a interim solution until I can prepare some longer storage life food caches and get them emplaced near the cabin.

I have tentatively identified the back side of a small hill about 500 yards SOUTH of the cabin to emplace these caches. Just in case when I get to the cabin it is occupied by people maybe hostile to me, I can still retrieve my caches.

Have not talked to Neomi lately, after her initially expressed interest in a TSHTF Survival Bug Out Plan. If she wants to have a part in this Urban Survival contingency plan she was got to produce,……no, not in the way you are thinking,…… but in Survival Preparation, Survival Equipment and Gear acquisition. Until next time. This is Jim – OUT.