Prepping can generally be either easier or more difficult depending on your geographical location. It is an unfortunate truth that some areas are simply better suited for prepping, while others make the very idea of prepping infinitely harder. You might not have any control over your immediate surroundings, but you do have control over how you respond to it. Here are some of the worst American cities for preppers. (h/t to EdThatMatters.com)

If you find yourself living in one of these cities and you are a prepper who is invested in staying safe and protected when SHTF, it would be wise to move to another location if you can. If financial constraints or other reasons keep you from leaving, then learn how to best adapt and do whatever it takes to survive if society collapses and all hell breaks lose. (Related: A guide to staying safe in case all Hell breaks loose in America.)

New York

As the events of 9/11 taught the world, New York is a terrible place to be in when SHTF. The city has an incredibly high population density in relation to its size. It is also filled with high-rise buildings, which are some of the worst places to be trapped when disaster strikes. Other important risk factors include the close proximity between people, gun laws, and a complete lack of natural resources. If an infectious disease were introduced into the city, it would rapidly spread throughout the crowded population, making it difficult to contain a viral epidemic. On top of all this, New York has very limited ways to get out of the city. This can serve as a double-edged sword, as it can either make it easier to enforce a quarantine or martial law, or it can end up trapping the vast majority of people in the city when SHTF.

San Francisco

You might notice that areas with thriving economies tend to make for terrible places to be when society collapses and you might find this ironic. However, there is a correlation between the two and it tends to be related to population. The more people are attracted to large cities, the harder it will become to contain a crisis when SHTF. San Francisco is a city with such a high population density that horrific traffic jams are commonplace, and it becomes incredibly difficult to get anywhere. Not only is it too jam-packed for its own good, but San Francisco is also in an area prone to having earthquakes.

Los Angeles

This city is a popular setting for disaster movies and it isn’t hard to see why. There is some grain of truth to the wild imagination of Hollywood blockbusters. Like the previous cities listed, Los Angeles is also plagued by a high population density. If you are a prepper living in this city, you may have an incredibly difficult time finding additional resources during a crisis. Also, similar to San Francisco, L.A. lies in close proximity to the San Andreas Fault. If a large earthquake were to occur in L.A., getting out of the city safely would be next to impossible.

Tampa Bay

Simply put, Tampa Bay is ill-equipped to deal with a SHTF scenario. Some of the risk factors that contribute to this include a low defense score, a short food supply, and an abysmal medical capacity. In a large-scale disaster, Tampa Bay lacks the adequate resources to manage a societal breakdown. Living in this city certainly won’t help your chances of survival.

Miami

Miami might be known for its beaches, but ironically, the city is on the brink of a major water supply crisis. If a catastrophe were to happen in this city, it simply would not have enough fresh water to sustain its population. Good luck trying to get out of Miami when SHTF as well. Since there are limited options of getting out of the city, the highways will likely be severely congested.

Sources include:

EdThatMatters.com

BackdoorPrepper