How to Survive Martial Law

If martial law has been declared in your city or in the country, there are some things you need to do in order to survive the weeks to come. What exactly you do depends on many factors, including where you live, how extensive the limitations are and what kind of prohibitions are set in place for the civil population. City martial law rules may also be different from those imposed by the federal government.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Survival kit
• Gas
• Cash

1. Put safety first. Martial law is often declared in times of danger, attacks or social revolts. To survive the time, it's important to protect your home (use an alarm system and make sure you keep the house locked at all times) and your family (no walking alone and no straying away from safe, busy areas).

2. Follow the rules. During martial law, civil liberties are put far behind public protection. By not attracting attention to yourself, obeying curfew and making sure you follow the rules, you will increase the chances that you will survive martial law without any problems.

3. Prepare yourself as soon as you hear martial law is imminent by getting a survival kit ready, stocking up on gas and making sure you have cash available (your use of credit cards may be limited). If you can get out of the city and stay in the countryside for a while, you will probably be safer and less exposed.

4. Limit your protesting. As much as you would like to oppose martial law, your best way to survive it is to stay away from the media and avoid making negative comments to anybody, as you never know where and how information may leak.

5. Follow official broadcasts. Officials will let you know what rules are in effect and how to survive them as easily as possible. Since the rules may change day to day, depending on the general situation of the area, it's important that you listen to official newscasts consistently.

6. Forget relying on the media for accurate information. As soon as martial law is declared, freedom of the press becomes severely limited, making most forms of media less reliable.

Tips & Warnings

• The most important thing you can do to survive martial law is to stay calm. Mass hysteria, acts of public disobedience and riots may happen during martial law. Stay away from any areas that are prone to these types of displays, and make sure you protect your home and your family.