Emergency Survival Shelter
Survival Shelter in a Natural Disaster
In a natural disaster your options of finding immediate emergency shelter may be drastically limited. Much will be dependent on where you are located when the disaster strikes and the preparations and planning that are in place for the surrounding community if one exists.
In the aftermath of a natural disaster ensure that any structure you seek to use as an
survival shelter, if damaged, is stable, with no potential hazards such as gas leaks, exposed live electrical cables, or weakened structure. Check the surrounding area in a flood situation to determine if your shelter will remain dry or if you should seek one on safer, higher ground.
Natural Wilderness Survival Shelters
Outdoors survival shelters can take many shapes. There are natural shelters such as caves, the base of a cliff, and the leeward side of a hill. When choosing a cave, try your best to ensure that it’s not already occupied. If building a snow dome or sheltering at the base of an evergreen, under its snow laden branches, make sure to have adequate ventilation.
Building an Emergency Survival Shelter
One of the essential requirements for your survival is that you have shelter that keeps you warm and dry. The colder and harsher the weather of the environment you find yourself pitted against, the more important your wilderness survival shelter becomes.
Use common sense. Remain calm, see what materials are available and use them. Don't attempt to build an elaborate structure. Your survival shelter should be cozy and snug while allowing just enough room for you to lie down and rest. A small emergency shelter will take less time and energy to build than a larger one. Keep in mind that you are building a simple structure to keep the wind, rain, and cold out and your body heat in.
A Simple Wilderness Survival Shelter – Using Debris
A quick survival shelter can be made from a pole placed horizontally between two trees or diagonally against one tree (stay away from isolated trees especially if lightening threatens). Lean more poles against this key one. Then form your debris hut by covering this underlying structure with leaves, grasses, sticks, pine boughs, whatever you can find that will provide insulation and help shed rain. Green materials will be safer when you manage to build fire. Place more poles, branches, or soil on top of this to keep everything in place. Make a flooring of leaves, pine needles, pine sprigs, etc. for comfort and insulation from the ground. If you run out of time to build a fire then pull more material in the opening of your survival shelter to seal yourself in for more insulation from the elements.
Another Quick Wilderness Survival Shelter – Using the Landscape
Look for a small depression or hallow. Some feature of the surrounding landscape that you can cover with a roof of poles and material as described for the debris hut. You will need to be certain to locate this shelter along a hillside or ridge and determine that this natural feature will not collect or channel water if it should rain. As before, make a flooring for your survival shelter of leaves, pine needles, pine sprigs, etc.
Other Considerations for your Emergency Shelter
For any survival shelter do your best to build a fire to go with it. Try to build your fire pit so that it reflects heat into your shelter. A rock bluff, large boulder, or logs can be used for heat reflection.
Also build your wilderness survival shelter where it can be easily seen and found by search and rescue teams.
If you have taken the time to prepare and have access to a personal survival kit you should have many helpful items to make your survival a lot more certain and enhance and simplify the building of your survival shelter. Wire, dental floss, or leather laces can be useful to lash poles together. A plastic tarp or poncho can be used as a lean-to, door, or extra protection from the rain. A space blanket from your kit could be used to reflect heat from your fire.
As we continue to stress throughout MySurvivalPro.com, preparation can very well mean the difference between survival and death. You will be better able to survive an ordeal if you prepare ahead of time and put together an emergency survival kit.
More free useful wilderness survival and emergency techniques are being added at The Survivor's Outpost. Pay a visit to pick up emergency survival advice, or leave a post of your own tips and techniques to share with others.
