Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
In cities, the number one problem after the SHTF will be a lack of food and water. Too many people don't store more than a few days worth of food, and grocery stores almost never have more than a week's worth of food. If the transportation system is non-functional, there's no telling how long it will be until new supplies arrive.
Fortunately, there are more places to find food and water around the city than you think… and they’re all within a few miles of your home. I'm not talking about grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations. Those will all be ransacked and crawling with dangerous people. I'm talking about less obvious places.
Your job is to take note of these places around town. That way when disaster strikes, you’ll know where to go instead of just wandering around like everyone else.
Where to Find Food
You can probably think of even more places to find food, but let’s start with these:
- Inside vending machines.
- Around town.
- Inside gyms.
- Inside hotels and motels.
- At airports.
- Inside restaurants.
- Local ponds (fish, ducks, pigeons).
- Retirement homes.
- Inside dumpsters.
- In nearby woods (squirrels anyone?).
- And at the mall (although this could prove somewhat dangerous).
Where to Find Water
You can find water in all of the places above plus:
- From the local swimming pools.
- From swimming pools inside gyms.
- Inside abandoned vehicles.
- By collecting rainwater.
- Inside car water tanks.
- Inside water heaters and pumps.
- From garden hoses.
- From rooftops.
- And even from golf courses.
Now What?
Well, it might be a good idea to mark these places on a map, along with routes that connect you to them. This way, when disaster strikes and everyone’s stepping on each other to get the last loaf of bread from the local supermarket, you’ll know exactly where to go.
In fact, it would be really nice if you could establish an itinerary so you can visit most of these places in one trip (and minimize the risk). The only problem is, if there are any riots you might have to change your route.
A Few Safety Precautions
I can’t really end this piece without talking about the very important aspect of personal safety. You see, each quest to find food is a gamble. You don’t really know what’s going on outside, and you don’t know who’s going to get you.
This is why it’s important to protect yourself in a post-collapse world. Several layers of self-defense are even better. At the very least, you should have a gun, a folding pocket knife and know a few basic self-defense moves.
When the time comes, I strongly suggest you don’t go out alone. With angry mobs ruling the streets, venturing out alone will surely make you a target.
The Alternative?
You’ll be much better off if you can find ways to make your own food and harvest your own water than to risk your life again and again. No matter how tiny your home is, you can always find room to grow a small survival garden, to collect rainwater, or to install a few solar panels that will give you the much needed light and warmth.
Of course, these are just a few of the urban survival tips you should know. The fact of the matter is, survival in the city is going to be tough. Every human being is a problem and there are going to be lots of problems when the SHTF. So ideally, you want to already have plenty of food on hand. But if you don't, now you know where to look.
