With the pandemic of the Coronavirus in 2020, a new way of life took hold. People isolated in their homes, and masks became commonplace in cities everywhere. One eye-opening part was the panic that took place when it all started. Would having an Emergency Retreat help if all the food and supplies were wiped out in the city? Or would it be better to depend and wait for government support?
This was very apparent at grocery stores because food was scarce and strangely, there was no chance of finding toilet paper. Those of us living in major cities might have had a bit of fear watching that unfold. What if you couldn't find any food at all, or basic supplies? The fact that toilet paper was impossible to find within a week says a lot about this response and especially an outlook on future responses if they are even worse.
Does this mean you should have an emergency retreat?
Here we will take a look at why an emergency retreat would be a smart idea and why it is a huge search term all of a sudden. Given the response over a virus seen in major cities, it's not that far-fetched to have one. We have already seen aisles cleaned out at supermarkets and major hoarding; it gave us a glance into what could happen in the future. The psychology behind hoarding toilet paper was an interesting response; it certainly wouldn't be the first thing you would think about to actually survive. But others are taking it, it's low on stock and now you realize you better get some as well. It's a bit irrational to think this is one of the most important items if things went really bad. But when you live in a major city, you are depending on these supermarkets for food and supplies. The issue is that a lot of other people in a small area do too. Stores could be wiped out in a day because of how populated these neighborhoods and cities are. What is an emergency retreat?Overall, it's a place that allows you to get away from the chaos, a place where it would be easier to cope with what is going on and survive. It should be within the ranges of you to reach by car, yet slightly remote, you may need to store gas to get there but don't depend on planes. It also doesn't need to be fancy, expensive, or something you visit often. While we certainly would never take advantage to sell our land over a crisis, land can be cheap and is an option because it is yours. However, we will cover other options, the point of the article is to outline why you should probably have one. Buying another home isn't always viable for a retreat. Things like RVs and family nearby can also be considered your emergency retreat plan. When it comes to land, a lot of remote land lets you have a trailer on the property or at least a tent. You can easily get a trailer for under $20k to $30k, while not fancy, you can still park it on some land that's under $10k. The important thing is that you prepare it with supplies, even if you park it at home or a nearby storage place. With the technology we have, things like alarms, cameras, and ring doorbells can keep it safe. The goal of an emergency retreat is a place to go for survival should the city be eliminated from food and supplies. A way to sustain you and your family for a period of time.
What supplies would be best to have on Hand?
Water - If you can get a well going this would be best. Otherwise have a lot of gallons on hand.
Vegetable seeds - know your land and climate for what can grow
Canned food, non perishable food and a ton of it.
All kitchen supplies like can openers and lighters.
Soap and hand sanitizers, incase it's another virus pandemic
Learn to burn your trash, like they do in parts of Mexico this is an effective way to keep things clean
Medical supplies, Medicines like Neosporin, aspirin and bandages.
A first aid book - there are natural ways and tips to handle certain emergencies.
Your prescription meds, make sure you have enough on hand and stored.
Flashlight or lamps.
A radio - you can get battery that also has a hand crank.
Batteries if needed
Matches and lighters, plenty of them.
Flares, this could be to alert neighbors or search and rescue.
Gas for the car and possibly generator.
Blankets
Cash
Clothes and ways to wash them.
Rain Jackets, you can get hypothermia in some areas.
Toiletries
Tools, a basic set you can get at any hardware store. Also get things like screws, nail and tape.
A pocket knife and knifes in general, if you are really worried and comfortable, get firearms and fishing poles
Water tablets to purify water
Water filter straws to drink from streams
Setting Up Your Emergency Retreat A home outside of the city, out of town family, raw land, RV's and even camping supplies are all good options. If the first two are not options then owning land is good because you can't be kicked off as you own it. You can start a garden and get established with a sense of security knowing someone else will not show up or kick you to the curb. But realistically, you could also throw up a tent or park an RV somewhere given how much empty space there is with land. Finding a place near a water source and fertile land is a good idea. A good year round climate is also something to look for so you don't have to brave the conditions. To find such areas, look for a place you can drive to within a few gas refills and have that gas on hand in tanks. This can be found by using google earth and a bit of research online. If you are concerned about who owns the land, do a county search, some may be county owned and less risk of another owner kicking you off. You can also find some BLM land, this is government owned public land and usually huge. The chances of getting kicked off there during disastrous times are slim because most are not patrolled, they are simply just large amounts of space the government doesn't parcel to owners. Once you have the space picked out, have all supplies and extra gas in bins ready to throw in the car within 10 minutes. Also directions in your GPS system or a map to go off of. If you have family and friends, put them on to the same plan because the more help the better. Remember if you don't own the land, this would only be something to use when times are critical. Don't just set up something now on land that is not yours or it will probably be hauled off.
Getting supplies and Learning how to Live Off-Grid
Okay, so god forbid this ever happens of course but it is best you are prepared just incase. If you don't ever use the supplies then good! But if you don't have the supplies and things to survive, that can get bad and you will wish you did. Remember, it may not be a virus next time but could be a war, earthquake or civil unrest as examples.There are websites quite useful to learn about living off-grid and get these supplies. Even things that may seem extreme at least learn a little about everything.
The important things are food, water and shelter. Learning to provide these can be learned and all of our ancestors did it at one point. Once such websites is DoomsDayPrep, the good thing about them is they put everything in kits so you don't have to hunt everything down. You can also learn a lot on the site.
Given we specialize in land and have learned about everything to do with raw land for years now, some of our articles may help. Everything from raising chickens to building a shelter is covered in our blog.
I think we can all agree, we hope nothing crazy happens that will require any of the such. But there would be more fear in dealing with a situation and having nothing in your power to do if it happened. It doesn't take much to get the very basics. Meaning supplies, tents and a location. That part is quite simple for peace of mind, you could even print out learning material or buy a survival book. Keep it on hand with your supplies and hope you don't ever have to read it. But a book like this will surprise you, some of the tricks and tactics in these are key and taught in advanced military courses.
