Survival Retreat
Having a survival retreat provides you with a safety plan in the event of an emergency. It offers you peace of mind, reassurance and may even double as a weekend destination to get away from the chaos of everyday life. It is also a good idea to visit your shelter frequently so you are familiar with the area, land and natural surroundings.
Location
Photo courtesy of tuchodi
Choosing the location for your retreat is one of the most important factors to consider, because it ensures your safety and increases your chances for survival. For instance, if you live in an area prone to floods or hurricanes, you probably should not choose a location close to a waterway or surrounded by trees.
Criteria for Choosing a Retreat Locale
- Plentiful water–preferably spring fed or an artesian well.
- Good exposure for gardening and photovoltaics.
- Not on a flood plain and in aregion with minimal natural disaster risks.
- Southern exposure
- “Panoramic views.” This usually means a hilltop location with open fields of fire and defendable terrain.
- A diverse and healthy local economy.
- Minimal noxious weeds. (Russian Thistle, Teasel, Russian Knapweed, Yellow Star Thistle, etc.)
- Not in the path of real estate developers.
- If it has an existing house, a house with fireproof/ballistically-protected (e.g. masonry) construction. Note: If it is also in an earthquake prone area, you might weigh the odds in this regard and opt instead for more earthquake safe timber-frame construction.
- Low housing costs.
- An active, growing farmer’s market. The presence of farmer’s markets is a good indicator for towns with retreat potential. Furthermore, in a post-collapse America, it will likely be the farmer’s markets that will be the genesis of a revived economy.
- Not near any nuclear power plants.
Some believe that the best area for a survival shelter is out in an open field, away from power lines, tall structures and anything else that could fall, cave or crumble, like a large mountain.
One possibility is to purchase land with no structure so that you can build whatever you like on top or dig below to create survival bunkers. When using survival acres, you do not have to maintain anything or do repairs; simply pay the property tax, which should not be much, and when needed, set up your RV or tents. Just make sure that you can survive by camping under all possible circumstances, or your survival retreat is likely to be more of a disaster.
If you live in an area that gets cold or is home to many wild and dangerous animals, you might not want to pitch a tent because it would not be very safe. Additionally, neither a tent nor an RV provides safety in the event of a tornado, hurricane or nor'easter.
Supplies
Depending on where you live, the location of your survival retreat and how prepared you are determines the supplies you need. If you want to prepare to survive in any situation, your best bet is to create an underground bunker and stock it with years' worth of supplies; but if you simply want to prepare for the next hurricane or earthquake, you can afford to stock your shelter with a lot less.
No matter for what you decide to prepare, you still need certain items, like:
- Light - flashlights, lighter fluid, matches
- Food - canned, dehydrated and freeze-dried food
- Power - generator
- Fuel - You might also want to have a few tanks of automobile fuel in case the gas stations run out or you do not have time to fill up before leaving due to the nature of the emergency.
- Having a barbecue, coal or wood is another must.
- Cooking and eating supplies
Storing plenty of clean, bottled water should be in the top ten items on your list as well as hygiene products like shampoo and toilet paper. Other extras include:
- Safety kits
- Extra batteries
- Sunscreen
- Bug repellant
- Extra blankets
- Gloves
- Plastic bags
In the event of an emergency, you probably cannot shop for these items, and it is likely for an evacuation to take place immediately, which means you need to prepare ahead.
The perfect survival location is a very rare and wonderful thing. Depending on the hardships you will face and the area you live in, it’s likely that you’ll just have to make do with what you can find. Even the best laid plans can be derailed by circumstances beyond your control. Your property could be destroyed by wildfires, crushed by landslides, or looted by vandals before you can reach it.
Don’t depend entirely on a remote retreat as your only survival plan. Have alternative locations where you can go in emergencies. Keep survival gear at home and in your survival bunker. Learn as many survival techniques as possible, from identifying wild edibles and medicinal herbs, to defense and hunting skills. Knowledge will be with you wherever you go.
Having a survival property could very well be a lifesaver in desperate times, but don’t let it lull you into a false sense of security.
The best thing to do is to bring everything to your survival retreat and store it, including the long-term storage food, which generally has a shelf life of 25 to 30 years depending on the temperature in which it is stored.
The amount of supplies you bring to your survival retreat is completely up to you, but the recommendation is to never have less than a week to ten days' worth of supplies. This ensures your survival for just about any local emergency or natural disaster, but not in the event of a nuclear bomb or other catastrophic event.
If you even think you could possibly have to use your survival retreat for long-term survival, then you will need to have enough supplies and tools to literally start over without the benefit of modern technology and society.
Help Locating a Survival Retreat
- We can help you find your ideal survival retreat in the American Redoubt, throughout the US, in Canada, or overseas! SurvivalRealty.com
- We have assembled all the experts under one roof.Start your Strategic Relocation with one simple call to us. Survival Retreat Counseling
- A Survival Retreat at this web site means a shelter prepared in advance where you and
those you care about can survive a natural or man-made disturbance until it is resolved or has passed. Survival Retreat Plans
More Bug-in or Bug-out Locations
|
Location |
Shelters |
Return from Survival Retreat to Index
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.