Even though many people in America are living snugly inside their suburban home, when disaster strikes, there will be a lack of many things. This includes food shortages, where normal people are left like hungry schoolchildren to fend for ourselves. However, as funny as it sounds, we can avoid excessive hunger in all this by undergoing training for survivalist techniques. This solution trains us to live off the land anywhere, much so like the Native Americans.
Thus, even when earthquakes strike, you should still know how to gather emergency food supplies from the land, forage, and have supplies to evacuate if necessary. Here are some tips to help you begin training, and it could be as simple as merely planting the correct things in your garden. We touch on foraging and techniques for collecting water, such as food survival kits collecting rainwater and dew off of the land.
Earthquake scenario
Assume that there is an emergency in your state, such as earthquakes and mudslides and no help can get in. There is no rescue helicopter in sight because this was “the big one” and the earthquake devastated a 5 state area. Help may not come for weeks and depending on where you are and what condition your shelter is in, you will need to act fast. Gather your family, devise a plan, and set rules for safety. Count your food supplies and budget it to last for at least two weeks. All humans need food, shelter, water, and safety, no matter where you are. In an earthquake, animals sense something is wrong and flee with all their might, but humans are left behind. However, even though we cannot sense earthquakes coming, we can better prepare for the aftermath. This includes having an emergency food supply list, supplies stashed away in an accessible area, and previous disaster planning to help facilitate the quick evacuation or restoration to normalcy. Ensuring safety is one of the major steps you need to take for an earthquake scenario. You will need to avoid broken things, glass, debris, or even ruptured gas lines. Even if you have emergency supplies buried under the debris of your house, do not enter to retrieve it unless you know the area is secure and no gas leaks are apparent.
Emergency Survival food is meant to last for only a short time, and depending on what you have packed away, it may last for a couple days to a couple weeks or even longer. Survivalists recommend at least a two week supply of food and drink. In an emergency, you will need to learn to live off the land and collect water. One method to collect safe potable water is to use a tarp to collect condensation from the air. It will collect condensation in the air as you stretch a piece of plastic over a hole in the ground, and the setup is exposed to sunlight. Water from the ground and air will condense on it, and if you put something to catch the water underneath, you will have some safe water to drink. Another easier way is if you have a water filter in your supply kit. You can use it to filter water, but make sure to boil first because many filters aren’t rated for biological contaminants. For more information on collecting water, Damian Campbell, a survival expert, also has other methods for collecting potable water in his survival manuals. His tips are not only about surviving disasters, but you can also apply some of his techniques for emergencies, such as during camping trips, hiking etc.
How to Forage
You should also learn to forage. For example, did you know that dandelions are an edible flower? Dandelions have grown in popularity because of their excellent edible qualities, and their hardiness. Not only are the young green leaves delicious raw or cooked, but they’re easily cultivated and found everywhere. Harvest dandelion greens before they flower, or after first flower, but dandelion greens will become more bitter as they grow. For people who’ve been so conditioned to not appreciate bitterness, they can be a real shock to the palette. However, to know what to forage for, you should learn tips for foraging in the right areas. Suburban lawns are treated with lots of chemicals, so you may need to think twice before plucking them up there. Don’t forage near highways or other polluted areas, since the plants will not be safe to eat.
You’re going to need to know what wild foods around you are edible and worthwhile to seek out and harvest. If you’re going to be foraging for emergency survival food, it’s best to spend the least amount of energy finding the most food, in an ideal situation. For now, it may be worthwhile to look up more information on foraging, because every environment is different. Or consider contacting a local foraging expert and asking them how to forage properly. But, for convenience’s sake, there are some basic foraging crops and skills you should know.