Prepare / War
How do you prepare for a war?
For most families, war preparedness is not about weapons. It is about timing, routes, and cover.
Knowing when to leave, where to go, and where to shelter matters more than any stockpile.
This guide covers those decisions calmly, before they are urgent.
The first hour of an alert
- During strikes, get to the lowest, most central part of a solid building: a basement, underground parking, a metro station, or a public shelter.
- Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Interior rooms, stairwells, and corridors beat rooms with windows.
- Stay off the streets during alerts. Most injuries come from blast-driven glass and debris, not direct hits.
- Avoid top floors and windows entirely.
- Sit it out with your shelter kit: water, food, light, first aid, a radio, and warm layers.
What to stock
| Item | Per person, per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water (drinking and hygiene) | 1 gallon (about 4 liters) | The ready.gov standard including hygiene. Survive//Protocol plans a 3 liter (about 0.8 gal) drinking minimum and raises it in hot climates. Rotate stored water every 6 to 12 months. |
| White rice | 7 oz (200 g) | Keeps 25+ years sealed, dry, and cool. |
| Dried beans and lentils | 3.5 oz (100 g) | Keeps 10+ years sealed. |
| Rolled oats | 2.8 oz (80 g) | Keeps 2 years, longer sealed. |
| Pasta | 3.5 oz (100 g) | Keeps 2 to 3 years. |
| Canned protein (fish or meat) | 5.3 oz (150 g) | Keeps 2 to 5 years. |
| Canned vegetables | 4.2 oz (120 g) | Keeps 2 to 5 years. |
| Cooking oil | 1 fl oz (30 ml) | Keeps 1 to 2 years. |
| Salt | 0.35 oz (10 g) | Keeps indefinitely. |
| Sugar or honey | 0.7 oz (20 g) | Honey keeps indefinitely. |
| Powdered milk | 1 oz (30 g) | Keeps 2 to 10 years sealed. |
| Multivitamins | 1 tablet | Keeps about 2 years. |
| Energy and protein bars | 1 bar | Calorie-dense food for movement days. Keeps about 1 year. |
| Go-bag | 1 per person, packed | Documents, cash, medication, water, and a charged phone with offline maps. Ready at the door. |
| Fuel | Tank above half, always | Fuel controls arrive fast in a crisis. |
| Cash in more than one currency | 1 to 2 weeks of essentials | With IDs and passports in a waterproof pouch. |
Amounts are per person, per day. Multiply by your household size and the number of days you want to cover. Survive//Protocol does this math for you, from 1 week to 1 year.
Skills to learn now
- Bleeding control and first aid: tourniquet, wound packing, direct pressure. The single most life-saving skill under bombardment.
- Set your leave triggers in advance: mobilization, martial law, or strikes nearing your region mean go now, without hesitation. The safest evacuation is before the rush.
- Route planning: a primary inland destination with relatives or friends, plus a backup route toward a safer neighboring country while borders stay open. Share your route with someone outside the area.
- Situational awareness: reading official alerts and knowing your local sirens and warning apps.
- Navigation without GPS, and rationing fuel, food, and water, including purifying water when the supply is cut.
If you have kids, elderly, or pets
- Children and elderly family members: add comfort items, extra warmth, and familiar routines, and increase your water and medication buffers.
- Pets: store a week or more of food per animal, any pet medication, and pack a leash or carrier with your emergency kit.
- Infants: over-stock formula, bottles, diapers, and wipes. These vanish from shelves first.
- Limited mobility: choose low-impact preparations, store spare parts for any aids, and plan an accessible exit.
- Rehearse the cover plan with children calmly, the way schools rehearse fire drills.
Common mistakes
- Waiting to see how things develop. Once fuel, roads, and borders are restricted, leaving gets far harder.
- Planning a route toward the conflict's direction or through major targets: capitals, bases, ports, industrial and energy sites.
- Keeping the go-bag half-packed and the fuel tank near empty.
- Standing at windows during alerts to watch.
- Telling nobody your route, so no one knows where to look for you.
FAQ
When should we leave?
Set clear triggers in advance: mobilization, martial law, or strikes nearing your region mean go now. The safest evacuation is before the rush, while fuel, roads, and borders are open.
Where do we go?
Away from likely targets: capitals, major cities, military bases, ports, and industrial or energy sites. Have a primary inland destination and a backup route toward a safer neighboring country, and share your route with someone outside the area.
Where do we take cover during strikes?
The lowest, most central part of a solid building: basement, underground parking, metro, or a public shelter. Interior rooms and stairwells beat rooms with windows. Stay off the streets during alerts.
What is the most useful skill to learn?
Bleeding control and first aid: tourniquet, wound packing, and direct pressure. It is the top life-saver when help is delayed.
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