Maybe it is the analyst in me? Actually, i know it is the analyst in me… I like to group and rank things into categories. A pastor friend once explained the difference between the mind of a woman and the mind of a man using food. He said a woman’s mind is like spaghetti with everything kind of mixed together allowing her to jump from topic to topic in one conversation. He then said men’s minds are like waffles which have a bunch of squares and this points to how men want to focus one one box at a time and put everything into categories.
It isn’t a perfect analogy but it does help explain my need to catalog and categorize things. And as you can guess from the title, I have categorized disasters in what I think are helpful “squares” in my waffle shaped brain. It might sound silly but this has been invaluable for me in my preparations for disaster survival. For a long time, probably more than a decade, I’ve been all over the place with my preparedness hobbies. For a time, I was supplied with enough food to last a year but couldn’t treat a simple, but potentially life threatening, case of diarrhea. Creating these categories have allowed me to look at my survival plans and scale up evenly across the different survival categories.
So let’s take a look at the 5 Levels of Disaster so we can consider how our preparation stack up and plan our well-prepared suburban survival retreat.
- Level 1: Material Loss
- Level 2: Discomfort
- Level 3: Pain and Suffering
- Level 4: Crippled or Death
- Level 5: Catastrophic Loss
I chose to break out the levels of disaster by consequence rather than a specific type of event. Why? Well, let’s look at Hurricanes for instance. At different levels of hurricanes you can expect different levels of loss and danger. Tornadoes, the same. Even civil unrest can be categorized this way as a union protest with people walking around with signs can been seen as a different level of threat as a riot.
Because of my background I also like to look at the logistics of survival. While the levels of disasters map to levels of consequences I also associate them to how long I have to endure a loss of basic services like utilities, groceries, access to basic healthcare, etc. At 5 levels we’re talking about day,week, month, year, and then 5 year increments.
Now, you can have separate Level 1 and Level 3 disasters are the same time. Or maybe you have multiple Level 2 disasters happen simultaneously. When thinking about this I adjust my preparedness level down by one level. This means If I’m prepared to live one week without utilities, grocery stores, and access to basic medical attention, I’m technically only prepared to live one day should there be multiple things go wrong. So keep that concept in mind when creating, or evaluation, your preparedness plan.
So let’s dive in a little deeper to just wrap our heads around these different levels and some of the things we can do to prepare our suburban survival retreat to endure them.
Level 1: Material Loss
Level one is the most common disaster level. Its almost not a big enough issue to even be called a disaster but it is something that can cause harm or loss so we should address that first.
So, at level 1, you’re dealing with minor home damage, vandalism, petty theft, or short-term power outages. It could be the neighborhood kids hit a baseball through a window. A storm might have knocked a few shingles off your roof. A dirt-bag could have swiped your Amazon package off your porch. It’s annoying, sure, but not life-changing.
To prepare your suburban survival retreat from material loss, or to equip to prevent it, isn’t complicated. The easier steps are making sure you have good exterior locks on your doors and the yard around your home has good lighting and viability form the street making it unattractive to porch thieves. Installing a home security system with cameras. Have a good surge protectors and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for your home electronics. Maybe switch from local internet to Starlink, or add Starlink as a redundancy. Have tarps, plywood, nails, and duct tape on-hand for expedient home repairs.
Most importantly, have a separate savings fund with enough money to cover minor repairs without causing you to laps on your bills or some other financial hardship. While on the topic of repairs, make sure you have a list of trusted repair companies already vetted so you’re not making rushed decisions and picking unreliability contractors. Having good homeowners or renters insurance, and an updated paper copy of your policy is important too.
In logistical terms, think of getting through a day safely. Just 24 hours of the basics which are food, water, shelter, etc.
These preparedness activities can turn these small-scale problems into mere blips on the radar.
Level 2: Discomfort
Level 2 disasters are low grade interruptions to your life which are unpleasant but manageable. Here we’re talking about minor injuries that you can recover from, disruptions to basic utilities, some property damage, or maybe a mild illness you’ll take 2 weeks to get over. It sucks but you’ll get through it.
The suburban survival retreat shines at this level. You’ve got a well-stocked first aid kit to go along with some basic medical training, so minor injuries are easily handled. The pantry is filled with enough food to last a week or so and several gallons of water on hand. For illnesses, you have over-the-counter medications with long shelf lives and maybe a few natural remedies you’ve read about in a herbalist medical guide. Just a few easily stocked preparations transform potential discomfort into manageable inconveniences for these issues.
As for property damage we’re talking about something that makes you’re living room or a spare bedroom uninhabitable. Nothing you need to leave the home over and hopefully something insurance will cover. Again, we’re talking tarps, plywood, nails, and duct tape to keep the elements out and maybe a roll of caution tape so people are aware of possible dangers. Be knowledgeable and capable of truing off power form the breaker box and maybe shutting off the water if necessary.
When it comes to utilities, this is a little harder to deal with but nothing earth shattering. This is where a generator will help you almost forget anything ever happened as long as electricity will make all of your important appliances work, which is usually the case. I love something like the Goal Zero yeti X system here because it integrates with your home electrical panel and you can hook it up to Goal Zero solar panels to recharge it and keep the important things running.
Communication can be challenging in a Level 2 Disaster but not unachievable. Again, Starlink will be a great investment here. However, if that isn’t’ an option then low-cost satellite communication devices will do the trick. I’m on the fence about ham radio as a necessity at this level because there are only 2 types of people listening to ham radios, the government and other ham radio operators. So, having a ham radio to talk to communicate with your friends and family isn’t probably going to work. You might be able to get everyone onboard with a Metastatic device in advance but it might end up costing the same as satellite text messaging devices which only require you to adapt.
In any case, have some books, a couple downloaded movies, and a few DVDs on hand to help you through any periods of boredom. It’ll be a bonus if they’re helpful like instructional videos or How-To books for the issues you’re dealing with. Not to say you shoudl wait until the last minute to learn how to handle difficult situations, but you’ll be glad you have those books and videos on hand for the refresher.
At Level 2 we’ll think of it as getting through a week safely and recovering pretty easily when it comes to logistics.
Level 3: Pain and Suffering
This is where FEMA starts writing checks and volunteers start showing up for recovery efforts. Things just got serious.
This is where you might be dealing with significant property damage from a severe storm making your home uninhabitable. There could be prolonged power outages and disruption to public utilities like natural gas and the town/ city water supply could be shut off. Worse case, you’re dealing with severe injuries that require immediate medical attention. For example, a hurricane could tear off a large part of your roof, or a regional blackout might leave you without water and power for weeks. A tree could have fallen over in high winds crashing into your house. Cellular services during these times are often down making calling for help or connecting with loved ones often impossible for extended periods of time.
Civil unrest like the LA Riots or the CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) come to mind. I’m sure there are other notable events where lawlessness has threatened the safety of others, if not caused severe harm or death.
I’m also reminded of the phrase, “Never go to the Superdome”, which is a reference to the horrors that happened when people took shelter at the Superdome in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. If you aren’t aware of this you should do some homework on it. It was a nightmare on top of a nightmare.
We’re not only talking about generators but we’re talking fuel storage, heavy power tools, large water storage tanks, emergency food stores, etc. We’re also hoping you did an proper evaluation of your property and made sure there were no natural or man made features that posed a threat like an old tree positioned too close to the house. It was also a good idea to look at the home and make reinforcements where necessary, some of which may have seem a little radical.
A properly stocked and reinforced suburban survival retreat is prepared for this level of disaster. You’re likely going to be spending more time helping the neighbors than yourself, which is a good thing. It is a blessing, actually. Helping your neighbors meet their basic needs is part of being prepared for a level 3 event.
To equip your suburban survival retreat to handle these challenges you’ve reinforced doorways and exterior doors. You’ve added some sort of storm shutters to your windows and have a steel garage door. Your landscaping is well throughout and is diverting storm water away form your house and into a safe area. You have at least solar panels and power storage batteries to keep things running a few days if the sun isn’t out. You should also probably have a gas generator too, just in case. You’ve reinforced your roof and made sure any features such as vents, chimneys, or rain gutters are in good repair. Your house itself is solid enough to withstand a decent earthquake, hurricane, and maybe a small to medium tornado, at least structurally.
Inside your home you have well stocked food and a means to cook without the utilities on. You have lots of stored water and ways to purify water. Here we go from first aid kit to medical equipment such to immobilize, and hopefully stabilize someone who injured. You have needed medication on hand for 30 days and some emergency medication if legal in your area.
For communication you’ll likely need both satellite and ham radio. Even if you don’t have a ham radio license it will be useful to listen in for emergency broadcasts and what is happening in your area. It would also be a good idea to have emergency signaling devices such as flares on hand just in case.
You’re going to wish your neighbors were peppers too. When planning for a level 3 you’ll start to see the need to have the uncomfortable “Have you thought about disaster preparations…” conversations with the neighbors.
For Level 3, logistically, we’ll look at getting through a month of real hardship.
Level 4: Crippled or Death
You’re screwed. This is a regional type of disaster that is going to be in the movies. People will be telling harrowing tales and there will be book deals. This incident will be studied and will change people impacted for the rest of their lives.
The only way you really make it through a severe level 4 event is if you’re not at ground zero. This is a regional event that impacts multiple states.
If your suburban survival retreat is still standing and you beat the odds, you will be the target of everyone willing to hurt you to take what you have. You’re going to wish the outside of your home looks like it is inhabitable. You won’t want to turn the lights on because it will be just like putting a big bright target on your house. In the likelihood your suburban survival retreat didn’t make it, you’re going to be happy most of your preparations and supplies were portable.
There is also the likelihood of severe injury and death in a level 3 event. You’re likely facing situations like life-threatening injuries or hazards that cause severe illness. Natural disasters like mid to large size earthquakes, tornadoes, or massive wildfires can obliterate homes in minutes. Man-made disasters like industrial accidents or widespread civil unrest can pose immediate threats to life. The worst part of a level 4 disaster is that natural disasters can cause man-made disasters and lead to widespread civil unrest.
This is where you will need both a reinforced structure and strategic location if you’re planning on staying. You may need to sharpen your warlord skills and have a copy of Tsun Tsu’s Art of War on hand. You’re going to need more than just supplies, you’ll need a tactical operations center (TOC) in your home and like-minded, well trained friends for mutual aid. You’ll need to have already done your homework and have premade plans to act upon. You will need to have worked out all of the logistics to help support your community and the ability to organize them into focusing on surviving and keeping the peace instead of turning on each other and burning down the neighborhood. You’ll need a stout library containing deep knowledge of a variety of topics to help deal with level 4 life.
There is a good chance you will have to have some supplies on hand for others just to keep them from attacking you and taking yours. I hate the idea of this because it’s like if I were to fail to plan for retirement and then demand my neighbors give them their 401K. Yes, it is wrong the you have to sacrifice and get supplies for your neighbors who are either too stupid, too lazy, or two greedy to prep for themselves, but that’s reality. There are ways to be smart about it though.
You’ll need all the supplies here. All of it. It is too much to list here but if you stayed in the disaster zone, and you want to stay in your suburban survival retreat, you need to be prepared to help support a community for the long haul.
This is where having a well thought out evacuation plan will have paid off. Think less “Bug Out” and more I.N.C.H. (I’m Never Coming Home) plans. This level of planning includes a pack-out list and you’ve practiced it, at least in parts, a few times. If you don’t own a vehicle large enough to evacuate with all of your preps ahead of time then you’ve rented a truck, packed it up, and are towing your vehicle behind it.
At Level 4 we’re facing a year’s worth of logistical struggles on our own and likely supporting others.
Level 5: Catastrophic Loss
This is the worst-case scenario. This is giant meteor strike. This is nuclear disaster. This is a real pandemic (like if Covid-19 didn’t mutate and kept it lethality like in the early months). This is supervolcano. It will feel like wrath-of-God type stuff.
There is no guarantee of survival and we are looking at mass casualty events everywhere and a high probability someone you know and care about is gone. This isn’t just book deals and movies, this is whole chapters of history books being written about the event. You see this event from space.
In such near apocalyptic situations, even the best preparations can’t guarantee anything. However, your suburban survival retreat serves as a crucial staging area for evacuation, escape, and evasion. Because of the groundwork you’ve laid, you will have the resources and plans that might tip things in your favor so you and a handful of others can survive.
Your suburban survival retreat becomes a rendezvous point for friends and family members, a place where you can gather critical supplies before making a strategic withdrawal. You’ve already mapped out multiple evacuation routes using different modes of travel, identified and mapped out safe locations to relocate to with possible supply and aid stops along the way. You’re hopefully going to a remote area or a network of like-minded individuals who can offer mutual aid.
Your communication plan definitely includes satellite communications and ham radios. You have a communication plan and have shared it with others. They also have satellite communications and ham radios and know how to use them. You’re sharing intelligence and information on a regular basis which help avoid dangers, coordinate travel, and arrange meet ups.
While you can’t prevent the catastrophic loss around you, your prior preparation gives you a fighting chance to navigate the chaos, protect your loved ones, and start the rebuilding process when the that comes. It also provides for the ability to reestablish you and your loved ones in a new locaiton, if the need permits.
Five years. A Level 5 is five or more years of SHTF without anyone really coming to help rebuild your life.
Final Thoughts
Preparing for every possible disaster scenario is impossible. But preparedness isn’t about being invulnerable. Real preparedness is about identifying risk, assigning likelihood, and prioritizing activities that help you survive hazards and hazardous times as best we can.
Now, this list of categorizing disasters into different levels isn’t perfect. It isn’t written in stone and there are not rules or guidelines to follow. They’re just “buckets” that help me organize my thoughts, plans, and preparations. It is a guide I use to keep me focused and it is the perspective in which I share information.
Disasters are coming. Every day you don’t experience some sort of disaster is a day closer to the next time you do face some sort of disaster. All disasters come in different shapes and sizes, and no one is immune. But a well-planned and stocked suburban survival retreat dramatically improves your odds at every level of disaster severity. From mitigating the minor inconvenience of a level 1 scenario to providing a safe heaven during a level 4, your preps will be an investment in resilience.
Remember, the goal isn’t to live in fear but to equip yourself with the knowledge and resources to face whatever comes your way.
