Suburban Survival and the Suburban Prepper
You’ve probably heard it said that if you don’t have a lot of property or a homestead to distance yourself from others, you will not survive an SHTF situation. How anyone can say that is a mystery to those currently preparing for suburban survival. Most of us have not had to experience such a situation and don’t have any real data to validate that statement.
Should I Bug Out if I Live in the Suburbs?
Most catastrophes are very much survivable in the suburbs. It all comes down to how you prepare for the circumstance you may face in your area. Don’t let the cynics discourage you from prepping to keep your family safe wherever you are.
The fact is, there are pros and cons to prepping no matter where you live. In this article, I am going to discuss some things that can help you if you are a suburban prepper.
A vast majority of American citizens live in the suburbs or within a few miles of a large suburban area. There are many reasons why relocating might not be an option for you but here is a list of a few that affect many.
- Job/Career
- Children in school
- Health concerns
- Mortgages/Underwater
- Elderly family members that can’t relocate
Relocating is a big deal and if it is not an option for you, there is no reason why you can’t make the best of where you are. Let’s cover some of the pros and some of the cons of living and prepping in the suburbs.
First, there are no “perfect” places for prepping or surviving all catastrophes. Every region has its forms of bad weather, possible natural disasters, and civil unrest. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t think it can be done where you live.
The Pros of Suburban Prepping
- Easy access to supplies with little to no travel time
- Response time for first responders is much less
- If the SHTF you will have more opportunities to scavenge for food, water and shelter
- Smaller properties and shelters are easier to defend
- Help from neighbors is closer than in the country, this is a great reason to get out and meet your neighbors and get a feel for where they stand on prepping
The Cons of Suburban Prepping
- You could easily be stuck there. In an emergency, travel can sometimes be limited therefore, the powers that be can more easily control the population.
- Higher population areas also mean more competition for resources.
- Mobs are far more likely in a suburban/urban area, in this situation, bugging in is the best plan.
- The cost of living is higher in a suburban area sometimes leaving less funds for prepping supplies.
Whether you are in a house, condo or an apartment, you can be a prepper. You may not have ten acres of land to grow your own food or raise chickens, but you do have shelter and a place to store preps for an emergency. Make use of every nook and cranny you have in your home to store food and supplies. Let’s face it, most emergencies you will have to endure will be localized and short-lived such as ice and snowstorms, power outages, and occasional civil unrest. You can prepare yourself for most of the situations you may be facing with just a minimal stash of preps.
In a worst-case scenario such as power outages due to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or nuclear power plant failure, you will want to bug out or you may be forced out anyway. Even those in rural areas will have their hands full in these situations. Do the best you can with what you have now and remember, information and skills are some of your most important preps!
Get Started Prepping Today
Finally, what I really want you to get from this article and all the articles on The Village Prepper, is to just get started, the time to prep is now. It’s unfortunate that there is a bias even in the prepper community that may push some away from getting prepared. Those that have land and live on their homestead believe that is the only way to be a true prepper, but it’s not. Don’t put it off until you find the perfect bug-out location (BOL) or that homestead you’ve been saving for, prepping is not an all or nothing game, for all we know the SHTF will hit tomorrow.