The Safest Place to Live: Survival Preparation

Where is the safest place to live in the U.S.? And how does one prep for catastrophic events? Of course, there isn’t a universally accepted answer to these questions, but there definitely is a lengthy list of unsafe places to live, and there definitely is some practical preparation one should do to be prepared for whatever may come in the future. That’s simply common sense in practice. Each of us would be wise to ask, “what can I do that is practical and affordable to prepare for various emergencies that could happen in the coming months and years?” In this article, I’ll give you my answers to these questions, backed up by common sense and the experience of having grown up living off the land in remote Alaska without electricity, plumbing, or modern conveniences, and then living much of my adult life in concrete jungles.

For the last 29 years I’ve lived in a rural community. I’ve written elsewhere on my Sequim Real Estate blog about how I came to conclude 29 years ago that living in the country far from big cities is much safer for many reasons and provides opportunities to live better and surive in times of emergencies. I wanted a place where I could raise my own children where crime was very low, where the school system was still devoted to education and the teachers still held traditional educational values, and where we could live a wonderful life. I also wanted to be far outside the chaos and crime that will certainly ensue in the busy metropolitan areas if a major catastrophic event occurs.

I define a catastrophic event as any event that creates extreme hardship immediately as the result of a natural disaster, like an earthquake, volcanic eruption, a war (nuclear, conventional, cyberwar, viral bioweapon), or a major economic crash, or a political crisis that shuts the country down, or a massive power grid failure (which could be an EMP or the result of a natural disaster or terrorism), or a shortage of the food supply.

Why Look For The Safest Place to Live?

It doesn’t take much imagination to comprehend what will happen in a major city if freeway on-ramps and off-ramps collapse, and there is no escape from the city, all transportation systems are down, communication systems are down, and there is no electricity. Gas stations would be closed so you couldn’t get gas, but there’s no way out of the city anyway. Not only are freeway onramps possibly damaged, but even if they aren’t, the traffic is now bumper to bumper and not moving anywhere–essentially one giant parking lot. The banks would all be closed, and ATM machines would not be working. If the crisis is bad enough, you probably won’t be able to use your cell phone to call your spouse at home, and even if you could, he or she would most likely have no way to come and get you.

You can imagine the hey day criminals would have, knowing they could commit any crimes they wanted since no police are going to be able to respond, and criminals are quite aware that a large percentage of Americans are anti-gun and have no capacity to defend themselves. Essentially people caught in the cities in such a catastrophic event would be totally helpless and at the mercy of violent criminals. If the event is truly catastrophic, like a nuclear war or a massive earthquake or an EMP event that takes out the power grid on military bases as well as major ports and cities, the military and law enforcment at all levels will be overwhelmed, and you and I will be totally on our own. Help will not be coming in such a case. This is why serious preppers are prepared for any scenario.

None of this is conspiratorial or crazy talk. This is simple logic and a catastrophic event would lead to these results, depending upon the severity of the event. Change the consequences slightly for the severity of the event, and you still have a nightmare of epic proportions. Our food distribution system in the U.S. could easily be disrupted, and the grocery store shelves would be empty in a matter of hours if people panicked. Our power grid is at grave risk and experts have long said it could easily be sabotaged. Is it any wonder that I would choose to live in rural America where the safety factor jumps by an order of magnitude!

Lest someone think I’m paranoid or an extreme prepper, think again. I’m neither. I lose no sleep whatsoever on the subject of catastrophic events. I have zero anxiety about the future, what Russia and China are going to do, or whether Jamie Diamond is right about a market crash. I live a wonderful life of peace and contentment in a rural area that I call one of the best kept secrets in America, and which I think is a safest place to live. I should admit that I am also a genuine Christian, so my faith in God brings me peace even in times of uncertainty. And we’re definitely living in times of uncertainty! Nevertheless, is it not wise to do some basic preparation? As my mother taught me when I was a teenager, “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” and surely it’s better to be prepared for emergencies rather than be caught unprepared in a horrendous disaster.

Is Sequim WA The Safest Place to Live?

So what have I done, and what would I recommend in terms of practical and affordable preparation for whatever may come in the future? I’ve already covered the importance of living in a location that is not at grave risk for chaos and violent crime and starvation. I chose Sequim, Washington long ago for many reasons, but Sequim is also one of the safest rural areas in America. It’s also a place where we won’t run out of water, and we can have vegetable gardens, and we can fish and hunt for meat. Many of my neighbors have cows and sheep and goats, and I live on a mini-farm. May I also point out the obvious: city living rarely facilitates or allows gardens and farm animals for growing and raising your own food. This is why running out of food quickly in cities is inevitable, and why criminals will be stealing food and water as they go from door to door in the cities.

Before I share my list of recommendations, I want to make sure you have the single most important one at the top of your list. You can do everything else right, but screw this up, and everything else may not save you and your family. What is at the top of the list? I’ve already suggested that location is key. You don’t have to follow me to Sequim, Washington, but the list of reasons I chose Sequim, Washington should be your list, too, wherever you are. I’ll briefly describe the attributes and strengths of Sequim, Washington that make it the ideal community when it comes to safety, security, and surviving in a catastrophic event. In this context, you’ll understand why these attributes are important, and you’ll be able to compare and grade your current location on these items.

Location is a Key to The Safest Place to Live

Sequim, Washington is unique in several ways. It is on the Olympic Peninsula, a 2 1/2 hour drive from the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. That is just beyond the urban planners’ concentric circles of metropolitan activities, which is to say, people don’t drive to a little town like Sequim unless they live here. This is not a destination location, nor is it on a route to a major destination or recreation area. This means random traffic or drive-throughs do not happen, and dramatically reduces the crime rate. Driving to Sequim from the Seattle side means driving over the Hood Canal Bridge, would probably be damaged or closed in a catastrophic event, which would completely cut off traffic from any would-be criminals or gangs in a crisis. The other access is a 2-lane road to Olympia, but an earthquake would bury that road as has happened many times in rain storms. Even so, criminals would not have the gasoline or the desire to come to a small rural community like Sequim when there are much bigger prizes in a metropolitan area surrounded by wealthy bedroom communities. In terms of safety from criminals and gangs, Sequim is one of the safest places in America.

Weather is a Key to The Safest Place to Live

In terms of climate and weather, Sequim may be the most ideal in the entire U.S., because we do not have temperature extremes in either direction, and the typical temperature throughout the entire year is within a range of 50 to 75 degrees Farenheit. It rarely snows in Sequim, and when it does, it melts quickly within a day or so. This means you don’t need air conditioning in Sequim, and you could also survive without electricity for heaters. If you live in the mountains of Colorado or the deserts of Texas or Nevada or California, you have a serious survival challenge just based on extreme temperatures.

If there were no food on the shelves in the grocery stores, the vast majority of Americans would be in serious trouble of starving in the cities. Few have planned ahead to keep six months or more of dry food in storage, and few have large quantities of water bottled to last for months. Of those who have stored food and water, there will most likely be small gangs knocking down front doors to steal what you have so they can feed their own families. “I don’t own a gun and I’m absolutely opposed to the use of guns,” you say? I get it, but that’s a decision you may regret in a major crisis when all the food and water you have for your spouse and children is taken from you. What will you tell you children then?

Hunting, Fishing, and Gardening Are Keys to The Safest Place to Live

In a community like Sequim, we have farm fields all around us, and I live on my own mini-farm. It’s common for people here to have some cows or some sheep or some goats. Many people have chickens and sell eggs. Our soil is rich, and we get ideal quanities of sun and rain, so many people have their own organic vegetable gardens. We have the Olympic Mountains which are full of wild animals, especially deer. And we are a Peninsula with rivers and lakes an ocean thriving with fish and other sea life. All of this is in addition to the dry food we already have in storage. Can you claim you have all this in your subdivision in Denver or the Redlands or Houston? Even if you could, thieves will steal it all in a major crisis in the cities, but not in a place like Sequim.

Water is a Key to The Safest Place to Live

Let’s talk about water. The single most important life sustenance is water. Let’s be honest, if we have a major catastrophic event in our cities, the municipal water systems will be damaged or shut off. Earthquakes and hurricanes and tornadoes destroy pipes and irrigation systems. If there is no electricity, pumps can’t pump water anyway. There is also the recurring problem of municipal water systems in times of natrual disasters, and that is the water system becomes contaminated and they tell you not to drink it. If you live in a place like Sequim, you have your own private well with plenty of water. We have some of the purest water in the world, and our water table in our wells has not gone down, even after half a century. The Olympic National Forest to the south of Sequim is famous for the most precipitation in the continental U.S. with 200 inches a year, and all that water comes down in the valley and out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With my own backup generator, I’ll have all the water I need in a time of crisis. And since I also have a private septic system, I don’t have to worry about a municipal sewer sytem shutting down either.

The last wonderful attribute I’ll mention about Sequim that you are unlikely to find in any city or in bedroom communities around major cities is the people. The people who live in a place like Sequim tend to have similar values, and they almost certainly hard working, patriotic, and good citizens with traditional family values. Neighbors look out for each other here, and most would do anything to help you in a time of crisis. I have some extra things, like backup generators, in case my neighbors need help. You won’t get this same sense of kinship in metropolitan areas. Most people in the cities don’t know each other, and in a time of survival of the fittest, many will steal from each other and even do so violently.

Now let’s get to the basic list of items that I recommend wherever you live. In a general order of life sustaining priorities, here’s my list:

1. Plenty of bottled water, a Berkey water filter system, and for those of us in rural areas–a private well with a water storage tank.
2. Food stored at home that will last at a minimum 3 months, but even better would be 6 months to a year. Most of this food should be dry storage or canned, because if the power grid goes down, your freezer food will thaw and go bad within a week. You cannot use a backup generator to keep a freezer going for weeks or months. A huge advantage will go to those who have been canning food, and to those who have a food dehydrator (or freeze dryer) and have been preparing greens and other vegetables and fruits.
3. Communications are definitely a priority in any catastrophic event. You will need to communicate with family immediately, and you’ll need to be able to find out what is happening. We must realize that it is possible that the Internet will be out, and even cell phone service may be out. The question then is, “what communication tools do you have to communicate with your family and loved ones?” Consider a satellite device, like the affordable SpotX, which allows emergency text messages (not audible) using a satellite/balloon system. There is a question that remains unanswered thus far, and that is whether satellite/balloon systems that rely on a ground based station to identify subscribers will still be operating if the power grid is down. If the system you subscribe to cannot identify you as a paying subscriber, it won’t let you access the system. After extensive research and telephone conversations with experts, I can tell you that no one can confirm or deny what will happen on this issue. You might also want to consider a mobile ham radio. You can listen to Ham radios without being licensed, but talking to someone on a ham radio requires licensing with the FCC, unless we are in an emergency, in which case you can communicate without FAA licensing on your mobile ham radio. You might also consider a small Faraday bag for your cell phone and laptop, which will protect them from EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) events. There are some claims that the latest smartphones are already protected, but there’s no way to test them without possibly destroying them.
4. Self defense tools will be a priority in a catastrophic event. I understand our American political culture has created an aversion for some people to using self defense weapons, like guns, but if you cannot defend yourself, your spouse, and your children, you will be helpless if they are harmed. The right gun and sufficient ammunition will be critical, and you will have to know how to use it. Do not make the mistake of thinking a stun gun or pepper spray will be enough. Criminals will come in groups of 2 to 4, and they don’t run from non-threatening weapons. You can choose to not own a gun, and that’s a choice you get to make in America, but if that is your decision, you need to acknowledge to yourself that you will have no means of defending yourself or your family from violent criminals. Do not be naive on this topic. I grew up hunting with guns in Alaska. We lived off moose, caribou, Dall Sheep, as well as salmon and cod and trout. That’s how my dad and I fed the entire family. I later became an expert marksman in the USAF, and I know how to use a gun for self-defense. I urge you to learn self-defense with an effective weapon for the sake of your spouse and children.
5. Transportation is another priority that you don’t want to ignore if you are to be prepared for closed gas stations. Having some gas stored in cans is a good idea as long as you know how to do that safely. It’s a good idea to keep the gas tank full or nearly full all the time these days. If both of your vehicles are near empty at the time of a crisis, and the gas stations all close or have no power to pump gas, you’ll be kicking yourself.
6. You can also protect your vehicle with an EMP Shield. A nuclear event may be unlikely, but all war strategists agree that more likely is a cyberwar and/or EMP (electro-magnetic pulse). In newer vehicles an EMP will allegedly take out the electronic components so that the vehicle won’t run. It will just die where it is. There’s a company that makes EMP defense units for the U.S. military and civilian uses, and you can find them at EMPShield.com. As you’ll see from their site, they also offer an EMP shield for your electric panel to protect your home.
7. It’s a good idea to have some backup systems in place for your home. You can get affordable electric and propane generators. I have one that will operate on both gas and propane. Then having gas stored plus having extra propane tanks full and ready is a great backup system. You can wire your house’s electric panel to switch to the backup generator, which I did. That way you can control which appliances in the house will be drawing power. By the way, a backup generator is not something you would run all day if you are in a power outage. You would only run a backup generator for a short time once or twice a day to pump water from your private well, to heat up water, to cook a meal, to flush the toilets, and maybe to give a freezer a little more time to keep food frozen. Even then, freezers are not something you can keep going for days on end. That’s why most of your stored food must be dry or canned. A freezer’s primary purpose is not to provide food if there is a power grid failure, but to provide some food when there’s a food shortage. In a major power outage that lasts for an unknown time period, the freezer should be unplugged after a few days. Battery backups are also great. These are not cheap, and many cost as much as a gas powered generator, but they are a good idea if you can afford them. You can also get solar panels for some of these battery backups, which means you could have electricity for the long term if necessary. Who knows whether cell phones will be working, but you need a way to charge your cell phone.
8. Property security is also important, especially because crime will be one of the biggest threats we face. We are not even in a catastrophic event and people are being murdered, shot, stabbed, and car jackings and home break-ins are commonplace in nearly all major cities now. Seattle is no longer safe, but neither is Portland, Chicago, L.A., San Fransisco, New York, and dozens of other cities. I strongly recommend video surveillance cameras around your home. You can buy them incredibly cheap now, and you can monitor them and receive alerts on a smartphone. Let me just save you what took me years of trial and error and thousands of dollars with different systems before I found a system that was reliable and powerful and easy to set up. If you’re inclined, go to ReoLink.com. That’s R-E-O-L-I-N-K dot com. You can hard wire your cameras, which is the best way to go, or you can use wireless cameras. The wireless cameras work best for a camera at the end of your driveway or away from the house.
9. Secure your property the best you can. I have my entire property fenced, and I have a long narrow driveway with no other access. And once you’ve installed your video cameras, post signs that say, “This Property Under Video Surveillance.” I believe the best first line of defense against criminals who would dare to trespass on your property with the intent to steal your water and food is a good dog. I have a dog that will tell me when anyone is on the property, night or day, and he is 110 pounds and would scare anyone thinking about climbing over the fence. I know a lot of people love their cats, but cats are not security dogs. I recommend a good dog that can warn you before someone kicks in the front door.
10. Planning for a financial crisis is beyond the scope of this brief article, but I recommend you do your own research and make timely decisions about where you have your investments and cash, and the risks currently in your portfolio. Wall Street retirement funds, no matter how “diversified,” are at grave risk in a major crash, and banks will close, so you won’t be able to get your cash out. Think this through carefully. If you have no resources to buy or sell in a crash, what will you do? If you’re wealthy enough, you can buy physical gold as a store of wealth, but that won’t buy bread. If you’re old enough, you’ll know that registered investment advisors always tell you to stay in the market even when it is crashing. They love to say, “You’re in the market for the long run, and the market always comes back. Now is not the time to sell.” They say that in every major crash, and retirees lose their retirements while they watch and wait. Do NOT let your registerd investment advisor talk you into staying in a market where you watch your multi-million dollar retirement account lose 70 to 90% of its value. Statistically it takes 10 years for the market to come back after a major crash so you get back to the same capital value, but do you have 10 years? And what if the market doesn’t come back?
11. Do not forget emergency medical supplies. A large kit would be better than the little kindergarten kits you can buy at Walmart. I’ll add the obvious here. Hospitals and emergency medical services will not be available in a catastrophic event. You and I will be on our own. Stock up on meds if you take life sustaining meds. In a catastrophic event, pharmacies will not be able to fill prescriptions. Most pharmacies have limitations on how much you can order in advance, and you probably can’t get more than 2 or 3 months in advance. This is actually one of the reasons I have created a lifestyle that does not require I take any meds. There are a lot of problems with taking prescription meds, and that is way beyond the scope of this article, but you will find my 537 page paperback and Kindle book titled “The Master Guide to Optimal Health the Natural Way” by Chuck Marunde which you can find on Amazon.
12. Lastly, create a network of family and friends with plans on how you will communicate and support each other in a catastrophic event. Know how you will communicate if your cell phone and Internet are down. If you’re going to use a SpotX or other satellite device or phone, know in advance how you will communicate, and if you’re going to use a mobile ham radio, know what frequency you will communicate on. While this is last on my list of prepping, communicating may be the first and most important thing you do. Imagine how desperate you would feel if you can’t reach your children and they can’t reach you.

Conclusion: Safest Place to Live

I’ve thought long and hard about preparing for a catastrophic event, and I’ve done years of research. I’ve never shared these thoughts before, so I hope this list is helpful. I hope and pray we never see a catastrophic event in our lifetimes, but better safe than sorry, right? If you spend a few thousand dollars to be prepared at some minimum level, in my opinion it is well worth it. Maybe it’s time to evaluate your location and your preparedness for a catastrophic event. And maybe I’ll see you in Sequim, Washington! I hope so.

Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Chuck Marunde