Survival in the Northern vs the Southern United States

Survival in the north and survival in the south do differ from one another. The main difference between survival up north and down south is the temperate zones. Winters up north can be extremely harsh and dangerously cold. So cold in fact they can be life-threatening. On the opposite end of the scale, the southern states can experience summertime temperatures that can exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures also can be extremely dangerous and potentially deadly. Both situations are unpleasant whether you are in -30 below temperatures or 110 degrees plus temperatures they both can end up taking your life if you do not take certain safety precautions into consideration. In the winter states you must be prepared by having backup heat sources on hand and emergency supplies that do not perish or freeze. Your emergency supplies should also be in the same room that you plan on keeping warm during an emergency situation.

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Survival in the south would involve having extra ways to stay cool during these extremely hot times. Air conditioning obviously is a number one solution for this problem. However when air conditioning is not on hand you should try things like misting yourself with a spray bottle of water while having several fans going to help circulate air. Still there can become extremely dangerous as it will heat up. Make sure that in both circumstances you stay hydrated and managed to nourish your body with the proper amount of food each day. Doing these simple things can help ensure your survival no matter whether you live up north or down south.

 

"Misting yourself" in a high humidity area is nearly useless and can encourage mold growth if you are not careful. Use shade, stay hydrated. watch your electrolyte intake; most of all don't over do it.

 

I’ve lived in both hot and cold environmenta and each present unique challenges and opportunities in prepping. While I agree that in the northern environment there are food items that you need to guard against freezing, but the cold temperature is a huge advantage in storing meat which is a primary food source.

 

I agree 100%, if you know how to live in the north it is not that bad, just look at the inuit that have lived in the arctic for 10,000 years .

 

I have lived in both, and that is part of what makes prepping unique. You have to prepare for the situations you are most likely to face. For me it (prepping) has become a life style, so if I am going to a different climate or part of the country I investigate, and see what challenges may be presented. Almost any place you go you will encounter some type of natural phenomena that can be life threatening.

 

I have learned a lot on mostly this but also other survival type boards about surviving in the cold. It is just an alien world to me. I have lived in the heat and sky high humidity most of my life.

There are actually, heat and cold wise, several different types of climate that you have to learn a little about in order to be as flexible and well prepared as possible. You have the bitter cold but mostly dry areas, the cold snow type places, the scorching hot and dry deserts and the hot and wet places. The funny thing about these places is that their flip side can bite you in the but even more than the weather you expect from them.

Back in the late 70s and early 80s when the auto industry died the oil industry bloomed. The skilled trades that were no longer needed in the north came to the south especially along the gulf coast to go to work here. The 100% humidity, heat and mosquitoes year around were hard on them. One and all they looked forward to our winter. It seldom drops into freezing during the day and we consider the 20s to be bitterly cold. When winter finally rolled in they nearly froze to death!

Winter in East Texas means 40s with rain almost EVERY DAY. You are almost always damp and when you finally get out of the weather you start to sweat and have to start shedding clothes. We dress in lots of layers because in a single day the temperatures can run from near freezing at dawn to 80 in the afternoon and rain ALL DAY LONG! Umbrellas are useless. Along with the rain is usually enough wind to turn an umbrella inside out. In the morning they were OK with their big heavy coats but then burned up and then got cold again. They were sick all the time because the cold wet just wears you down.

I can understand their misconceptions. I nearly froze to death (not literally) in the Desert west. How in the world can it be over a hundred all day and then get so damn cold at night??? We had a hot summer in the 70s and there were a lot of deaths in the North. On the TV they were talking about scorching temperatures in the 90s and low 100s. That is just summer in the deep south. What I learned from my Yankee friends was that a lot of older people up there didn't have air-conditioning. To us that is like saying that we don't have heaters in the house to someone from Michigan. I was a grown man before I lived in a house that came with a heater. When you rented a house you provided your own little space heaters.

I kept reading from those in the north that cotton kills and wool is the only way to go. I've never even seen a wool pair of pants or shirt for sale in a store. We just have no use here for wool and cotton is king. The people from the north that wore wool to work in the winter usually only did it once or twice. Even in the winter you are more concerned with shedding heat from your body for most of the day than keeping warm. There is not a single day of the year here that has never hit the 90s. I have gone swimming in a lake in the first week in January and it felt good. It was in the low 90s and the fish were spawning!

Each place will offer up its specific challenges. Those that live there know how to best deal with it and it is always fun to watch a new person try to adapt. There is also a lot to learn from them because they are probably expert in living someplace different and knowledge is always worth having.

 

My beautiful desert is a wonder. Boil you during the day and freeze you at night. We do laugh about the "Dry Heat" comments. Yes it is a heck of a lot better than all that humidity but it will also smack you in the face when you first walk outdoors, literally. I will never leave Arizona. I am here to stay.

 

TMT now you are just rubbing it in. LOL. Best class I ever took in college was the Sonoran Desert Flora and Fauna. I think I could still name every plant and animal in the desert. The final exam was a slide show. You had to name everything.

Dry Heat? Stick you head in the oven. That is dry heat. Doesn't mean it isn't HOT!! As you say it will flat knock your hat in the creek when you walk outside. Remember those little plastic statues you put on your dashboard. In Arizona we turned them into modern art. A steering wheel to hot to touch, or getting waffle butt from sitting on a vinyl seat. God I loved it there. People have no idea how beautiful it is.