The Urban Survival Rule Of Threes: How To Make A Safety Plan

There is, no matter what survival situation you apply it to, a rule of three. It's appropriately called the Survival Rule of Three and really helps sharpen your focus in a survival situation and narrow down what's really important. It goes like this:

Lean to shelterPhoto byRichelleg

You can live

• Three minutes without any oxygen.
• Three hours without any shelter in inclimate weather.
• Three days without any water, with adequate shelter.
• Three weeks without any food, with adequate shelter and water.
• Three months without any creature comfort, with adequate shelter, water, and food.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Let's look at an example that puts this into play. Let's say you find yourself in a survival situation for any number of reasons. Let's say you start foraging for food or setting small game traps because you're stressed and starving. What happens, though, if it starts to rain and the temperature drops?

With no shelter, you risk hypothermia if the temperature is in the 40s or lower. And you'll become dehydrated quickly without a way to collect fresh water. Eating will become difficult due to nausea and leave you too weak and exhausted to continue foraging, hunting for food, or collecting and boiling water. If this never-ending loop stresses you out, that's good. It should; it's important. However, remembering our rule of threes, we can prioritize and plan.

Pine shelterPhoto byRichelleg

Bring in the Rule of Threes. Building a shelter is the first thing you should do to keep the cold rain and wind at bay. The next thing you should do is start a fire to stay warm, cook any food you may find, and boil water.

Speaking of, you'll need to locate a clean water source or figure out how to filter the water you already have. Once that's done, you can start foraging or hunting for food.

That first scenario obviously pertains more to wilderness survival events, but it's equally important to keep in mind if you plan to remain in your home during an urban disaster. It might be known as the Rule of Threes for Urban Survival. Take into consideration how these rules will impact your emergency preparations when you're in the city or close to home.

In this scenario, you won't need to find shelter, let's say, because you're already home. You'll have to think about reinforcing what you have, and hopefully you'll already have a way to protect it. You'll have to think about climate control depending on the situation and the time of year.

Boiling waterPhoto byRichelleg

Water filtration and storage should be your next priority. Hopefully you'll have some water stored already in bottles or jugs, but if not, depending on the emergency situation, drinking the tap water is not recommended. You'll need to, at the very least, boil your water rapidly for 10-15 minutes (depending on your altitude) before consumption.

Focus on food, storage, and the supplies you'll need to prepare the food afterwards. What other food sources are there, or safely close by, for you? What will you need to hunt it or grow it, and to ensure you won't run out?

What about creature comfort? Why is that important? Simply put, you'll need to have some uplifting games, books, arts and crafts, fun chores, or instruments—anything to help you stay sane. These situations have the potential to drag on, so keeping people happy and healthy also means mentally.

So there you have it! I hope the survival rule of threes puts into perspective what's really important when it comes to what it takes to survive. Let me know in the comments below if you'd change anything!

Ferro rod firePhoto byRichelleg

Attributions:

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, August 16). Rule of threes (survival). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_threes_(survival)

Author, G., & Author, G. (2023, June 7). Survival Rules of 3: The Rule of Three for Survival. Valley Food Storage. https://valleyfoodstorage.com/blogs/inside-vfs/rule-of-3-survival-rules?srsltid=AfmBOor00bIl6p1_cza0MqaDl9y5D898MYY4KfM55OulzZE_zdARldY_