By James Smith

There have been various instances in history where people were left with nothing, not even their homes. Wars, plague, earthquakes and what not, the history is filled with stories of people with no food, water or shelter. However, what’s moving and intriguing is the ability of some humans surviving despite all this. When one comes to think of life, your first guess about living without the basics is that you can’t make it through a day — but, you can and people have. When a prepper starts preparing he/she is mentally prepared about the worst case scenarios if SHTF. However, there’s more than just mental preparation which is needed in order to actually survive. Survival isn’t just living a day or two without anything, you have to make the impossible possible and make the conditions suitable enough for you to live with at least the basics again.

Today, people view preppers and survivalism as preparing for a holocaust, war, zombie apocalypse or the worst of all cases, a government collapse. What people don’t realize is that disaster can strike in any form and the catastrophe can affect you and your family on a personal level. Even worse is the fact that your government or any other nation may not be able to help you. Sometimes, a small disaster entirely affects individuals without moving the entire nation. So chances are, you are or a small group of people are the only ones suffering and there’s not much the others can do; what is it that one can do when he/she loses everything?

What can you do?
If you’re a hiker, camper or have lived in the wild for some time then you need to adapt all that hiking/camping wisdom to an urban scenario of being homeless. Prepper or not, one must carry his basic belongings and essentials to survive, in a survival bag. This way, you’ll at least be able to provide for yourself through initial times. If you lose everything which most importantly includes your home then its best considering options like a make shift shelter and whatever food sources that are available at your disposal. People don’t even consider homelessness as an SHTF situation; however, this is from where things start turning out of control.

Shelter:
As we said, this is where other problem sprouts from because being homeless would leave you without food, clothing and water too. So let’s consider a natural disaster situation like Katrina or the Haiti earthquake where huge populations were left homeless in just hours. In a situation like this, you must know how to make shelter for yourself and your family. If there are any restrictions against putting temporary shelters then you need to find a safe place to make it through the night –if this place has some natural food source then this is your best chance to spend your night or even days here. If you’re within an urban setting then look for a wooded area where there are less chances of hygiene risk. If you have your survival or bug out bag with you then you must be carrying a camouflage tent with you, at all times. Find yourself a safe, secluded place where this tent can be set without any bigger problems from arising. If you can’t find a flat surface to put up your tent then just clear the debris and make it as feasible to sleep as possible. It is very important to find spots that are safe from any invasion, both human and animal, because people in an SHTF situation are desperate to loot anything they get their hands on and become extremely violent.

Food and Water:
When in a situation like that of a natural disaster, you don’t have the luxury of buying food and then storing it for days. For one, stores would either be destroyed or left empty before you regain your senses out of the shock. Therefore, carrying your bug out bag is essential as it will at least have some stored food. If your bug out bag doesn’t have any food then it’s best to rely on the options Mother Nature has for you. There are various edible weeds growing around in urban settings like, dollarweed, dock or catbrier. Plants would be your blessing in disguise as they would be the first edible out there that is most likely to be eaten as compared to insects or food from the dumpsters. Do your research on nuts, plants and berries that are found abundantly growing and are safe to ingest in any form (cooked or raw). Try to find containers, out of the debris to store food and wood to start a fire. If you’re good at hunting and fishing then you have more options to prepare yourself a nutritious meal. In fact, eating anything that walks or flies is comparatively safer than trusting every plant you come across. Keep doing your research about what plants and animals are safe to eat in extreme conditions.

As for water, there may or may not be resources but if you have at least some to survive through a day in your survival kit then you’ll stay hydrated till you figure out a way to get yourself something to drink. In most SHTF situations, preppers put their bets on drinking from a fountain or river but if you have created fire then it’s best to purify it through boiling or purifying tablets. If there is a situation like heavy rain then gather containers to collect as much water as you can from this natural resource.

There’s a lot that can be done even if you’re left with nothing. So don’t ever give up without trying your best to survive. Keep prepping!

About the author: James Smith is a survivalist, who loves to write about survival skills and techniques. Currently, he is working for Teotwawki Supplies, offering a complete range of survival and emergency kits.