If you live in an apartment and you’re involved in prepping, hopefully you’ve been able to purchase some of the most essential items that can help you when times get rough. Here are few more tips to help you prepare for the worst.
1. Make Use of Every Inch of Space
Space will be at a premium in your apartment, so use every inch of it to maximize what you can store. Use every bit of space under your bed and in your closets. Get tall bookshelves to help store things. Over the door racks can help with your storage too. And don’t be afraid to use the space behind and underneath couches, chairs and desks. You’ll need every bit of space you can.
2. Stockpile Water
The importance of water can’t be overemphasized. Especially if your apartment relies on electrically-powered pumps to get water to your apartment, you could be hurting turkey when the electricity goes out. Make sure you have water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and… flushing the toilet, something that many people tend to overlook.
3. Stockpile Calorie-Dense Food
Since space is at a premium, you’ll want to make sure that you pack in as many calories per square inch as you can. That means plenty of canned food, such as canned beans, condensed soup, and canned fish or meat. Have at least some food on your shelves that can be eaten without cooking, in case you’re not able to use your stove.
4. Grow Indoor Plants If You Can
At the very least you can grow herbs to provide your meals with some pep. If you have a larger apartment, and enough sunlight, you could grow small citrus trees such as lemons. Peppers and tomatoes can be grown on balconies. They can even be brought indoors to overwinter, meaning that your second growing season will get off to a much quicker start.
5. Have a Tool Kit
You won’t be able to rely on a landlord or building supervisor to perform repairs in the event of an emergency. A good pipe wrench, a claw hammer, pliers, and screwdrivers are the bare minimum you would need to make most repairs around your apartment.
6. Keep a Fire Extinguisher
A fire extinguisher is just a basic safety precaution. If your electricity has gone out and you’re forced to use candles, the last thing you want is a candle falling over and setting your building on fire. Even during normal times, a fire extinguisher can be very useful for putting out kitchen grease fires or fires in the oven.
7. Know Your Exits
If you have to evacuate your building, you won’t be able to use elevators. Figure out where your stairwells are, where they exit to the outside, and have at least two escape paths in case the exit closest to you is unavailable.
8. Be Able to Get Out of Windows
In the event of a fire, you may not be able to exit your door. If you’re living only 2-3 stories up, you may be able to use a fire escape ladder. Many models retail for $50-100. Any higher than the third story and you’re probably not going to be able to escape out a window or off a balcony. That’s one reason to try to live as low to the ground as you can if you’re in a high-rise apartment building.
9. Keep Warm in Winter
Losing power in wintertime means that you won’t have heat. Make sure that you have plenty of warm clothes to wear, and blankets to keep yourself warm at night.
10. Don’t Tell Anyone
Telling people that you’re a prepper is a good way to have your apartment burgled while you’re out, or to have people coming over demanding help when times get tough. For your safety, it’s best to keep your prepping plans to yourself.