Complete guide to surviving disasters in your home. Covers fortification, supplies, security measures, and when to bug out vs. shelter in place.
Understanding the Shelter in Place Decision
For most emergencies, sheltering in place, also known as bugging in, is the safest and most practical option. Your home contains your supplies, provides familiar shelter, and keeps you off dangerous roads. Urban survival during a crisis requires a different mindset than wilderness survival, but the principles of preparation remain the same. The decision to shelter in place versus evacuate depends on the specific threat. Chemical spills, nuclear incidents, and severe weather often require sheltering in place. Wildfires, flooding, and structural damage may require evacuation. Having plans for both scenarios is essential disaster preparedness. This guide focuses on maximizing your home's effectiveness as a survival shelter during extended emergencies lasting days to weeks.
Essential Supplies for Bugging In
Your shelter in place supply cache should sustain your household for a minimum of two weeks without outside assistance. Water is your top priority: store at least one gallon per person per day, plus extra for cooking and sanitation. A family of four needs a minimum of 56 gallons for two weeks. Food should require minimal preparation and no refrigeration. Stock canned goods, dried foods, energy bars, and comfort foods. A camp stove with fuel provides cooking capability when power is out. Lighting includes flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, and a large supply of batteries. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio keeps you informed. First aid supplies, prescription medications for 30 days, sanitation supplies including trash bags and a portable toilet, and basic tools round out your essential bugging in supplies.
Home Fortification and Security
During a crisis, your home security becomes paramount. Reinforce entry points by installing deadbolts, door reinforcement kits, and window security film. Security film prevents windows from shattering into easy entry points and also protects against storm debris. Keep a low profile by avoiding displays of wealth or preparedness that might attract desperate people. Use blackout curtains to prevent light from advertising your presence and resources at night. Establish a safe room, an interior room with reinforced doors where your family can retreat if the home is breached. Stock the safe room with communications equipment, water, food, first aid supplies, and self-defense tools. Develop a neighborhood watch system with trusted neighbors for mutual security during extended urban survival situations.
Managing Power and Communications
Extended power outages are common during major disasters. Prepare with multiple backup power sources. A portable generator provides significant power but requires fuel storage and produces noise that advertises your resources. Solar panels with a battery bank offer silent, renewable power for charging devices and running essential electronics. At minimum, have a solar charger for phones and radios. Maintain communications capability with a battery-powered AM/FM radio for emergency broadcasts, a hand-crank radio as backup, and a set of FRS/GMRS two-way radios for communicating with neighbors and family members. Keep phones charged and have a written list of emergency contacts, as you may not be able to access digital contacts during a disaster preparedness scenario.
Sanitation Without Running Water
When water and sewer systems fail, sanitation becomes a critical health concern. A portable camping toilet or a 5-gallon bucket with a snap-on toilet seat provides a functional toilet alternative. Line the bucket with heavy-duty trash bags and add kitty litter or sawdust after each use to control odor and absorb moisture. Seal and dispose of waste bags in a designated outdoor area away from water sources. Stock up on hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and bleach for cleaning surfaces. Baby wipes serve as an effective substitute for showers when water is limited. Maintain strict hygiene protocols to prevent disease, which historically kills more people during disasters than the disasters themselves. Proper sanitation is an often-overlooked but essential component of shelter in place planning.
When to Abandon Shelter in Place
Despite your preparations, some situations require evacuation. Know the triggers that should prompt you to leave. Structural damage that compromises your home's integrity, approaching wildfires, rising floodwaters, and chemical or radiological contamination that your home cannot adequately filter are all valid reasons to bug out. Have a pre-packed bug out bag for each family member ready at all times. Plan multiple evacuation routes and practice driving them. Identify rally points where family members can meet if separated. The decision to leave your fortified home is difficult but sometimes necessary. The key to successful urban survival is having both shelter in place and evacuation plans fully developed, practiced, and ready to execute at a moment's notice. Flexibility and situational awareness are your greatest assets in any disaster preparedness scenario.
Lisa Park
Lisa is a former FEMA emergency management specialist who now teaches urban preparedness courses to civilians and community organizations.