How to survive the apocalypse in eight easy steps. Is it really that easy? Well, no, of course it’s not really that simple. There are, however, some very important steps that you can take to really increase your chances of being able to survive the apocalypse.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 1: Have A Plan
It might seem obvious, but the first step to surviving the apocalypse is knowing that there might be an apocalypse. If you only start planning for the apocalypse when it becomes obvious that it’s happening, you won’t survive.
It’s not possible to know what form the apocalypse will take. It may be a decline in society over months or years, or it might be a sudden, catastrophic event. As such, it’s impossible to plan for a single apocalyptic scenario. Instead consider what you would do in a variety of disasters. The ukprepper.life disaster scenarios section has plans for many different disasters, from minor to apocalyptic.
In many cases, planning for the smaller and more likely scenarios will cover most of the major disasters too.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 2: Have A Safe Place To Wait Out The Aftermath
A safe place to wait out the aftermath of the apocalypse is vital for survival. This could be your home, or a bug out location. Wherever it is, it needs to be somewhere that you can safely live for a long time.
Your safe location will depend on what form the apocalypse takes. Surviving a solar flare destroying the power grid will be very different to surviving a nuclear explosion.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 3: Have A Store Of Everything You Will Need
Water, food, hygiene and medical supplies. After the apocalypse, none of these things will be easily available. You will have to rely on what you have stored. If you plan to live somewhere away from home after the apocalypse, your stores should all be easily accessible from there.
Short Term: Bug Out Bag / 72 Hour Survival Kit
Have a bug out bag with everything you will need for three days. Always keep it where you can access it easily. If the apocalypse is a sudden catastrophic event, you might have to move quickly. Your bug out bag will help you get through the first 72 hours. This gives you time to revise your plans based on whatever has happened. The extra time gives you a chance to plan how to get back to your longer term stores if you had to leave quickly.
Longer Term: Water, Food And Other Supplies
Everything over and above the food, water and other supplies you have in your bug out bag depends on budget and space available for storage.
Bottled water can be stored for reasonably long periods of time. It is, however, very bulky so difficult to find space to store a large amount. A few weeks supply of water gives you a good amount of time to wait out the initial aftermath of the apocalypse.
Ideally you should aim to have at least 6 months worth of food, and even more if possible. A six month supply of food allows time to begin foraging and growing more food, even if you have to wait out the winter.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 4: Be Able To Find And Purify Water
Clean water for drinking is one of the most important things that you will have to find after the apocalypse. It’s a great idea to have some water stored, but this will soon run out. For long term survival after the apocalypse, you’ll soon need to start finding other water sources. In fact, the location of water sources is one of the five most important things we think you should know about your local area.
Any water should be purified to make it safe to drink. Knowing how to purify the water you obtain is just as important as knowing where to find it.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 5: Don’t Get Ill or Injured
“Don’t get ill” might seem much easier said than done. It will, however, be one of the most important things you can do to survive. In a post-apocalyptic world, medicines and medical help will be virtually impossible to find. Illnesses that might seem relatively minor now could easily become fatal after the apocalypse. So how do I avoid getting ill?
Hygiene
Washing your hands well with soap and water is an effective way to prevent many illnesses. You can make soap with a mixture of fat and lye, which is made by boiling ashes from burnt hardwood. Check out our article about how to make soap. Always wash your hands with soap before eating or drinking to avoid ingesting anything that could cause illness.
Clean Water and Cooked Food
In developing countries, the majority of illnesses are thought to be linked to drinking dirty water. As mentioned in step 4, clean water is one of the most important things you need to survive. Waterborne bacteria can cause very serious illnesses, so make sure you know and use water purification techniques.
Make sure that when you cook food, particularly meat, you cook it properly to kill any bacteria. Wash vegetables and fruit in clean water before eating. Washing food in dirty water just exposes you to more risk of illness.
Don’t Take Risks
Protect your health, don’t take risks that could make you ill or cause injury. Don’t drink water that you haven’t purified because you’re in a rush. Don’t skip washing your hands.
Be really careful about avoiding injuries. Even minor injuries such as small cuts could become dangerous with poor hygiene and no medical facilities. Cuts are a way for bacteria and viruses to enter the body. Major injuries that would normally require hospital treatment are much more likely to be fatal after the apocalypse. It may be impossible to totally remove any risk of injury, but always think carefully about safety.
Avoid Other People Who Are Ill
As we’ve recently seen with the Covid-19 pandemic, illnesses can spread rapidly between people. Try to avoid coming in to close contact with others who are ill.
If the apocalypse is a worldwide pandemic of far greater proportions than Covid-19, this will become incredibly important for survival.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 6: Know Your Survival Skills
Surviving after the apocalypse is going to require many different skills. Learn and practice bushcraft and survival skills. You will have to find water, food, shelter and rely on yourself to be able to survive.
Make sure that you know how to use any survival equipment that you own. Practicing survival skills gives you a much better chance of being able to survive the apocalypse.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 7: Grow Food
No matter how much food you have stored, it’s going to run out eventually. The survivors will have to be able to grow their own food for long term future survival. A store of seeds to be able to grow food is just as important as having a store of food.
It’s not easy growing enough food to be totally self sufficient. Growing food is a very useful skill to practice, and as a bonus it will cut down your grocery bill. If you have a garden, start growing food now to start learning how to become self-sufficient. Grow heirloom varieties so that you can save the seeds for the next year instead of having to buy more.
How To Survive The Apocalypse Step 8: Rebuild Society
Simple, right? Just rebuild society after everything has collapsed. Well really if you’ve managed steps 1 to 7 of how to survive the apocalypse, then you’re a survivor.
What happens next depends on so many factors that it’s very hard to predict. The apocalypse itself may have wiped out a large proportion of the population. Many more may have perished in the months and years after because they weren’t prepared for survival.
The survivors may have started to form communities, farming and working together. Or like in so many movies, there may be small groups determined to fight with each other.
Rebuilding some form of society will take many years. Long term survival of the human race depends on the development of communities. Working together will make the future much easier. Eventually a society will develop, but it will be very different to the modern society that we know now.
What do you think life will be like in the years after the apocalypse? Do you have any other thoughts on what will be important for survival? Leave a comment below to let us know.
The ukprepper.life family are UK preppers who love to be prepared for everything, from the minor day to day emergencies, all the way to major disasters and more. Between us we have many years of experience prepping, and we’d love to share our experiences with you.
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