It's the end of the world as we know it. Will you survive? Read up on the six skills that you need to ensure that you can take care of yourself.

Shelter Building
People who have the ability to build a shelter are ten times more likely to survive in a disaster situation than those who don’t. By learning to find or create simple shelters in the wilderness, you increase your chance of survival over a long period of time.

Fire Building
Research the best methods for starting a fire without matches and practice often so you’re prepared when you have to be.

Food and Water Gathering
Those who are able to identify edible and poisonous plants, hunt and fish, collect fresh drinking water, purify liquids, and process collected food are more likely to survive.

Basic Medical Knowledge
You’ll need a thorough understanding of basic first aid in order to attend to your own wounds as well as of those around you. Pack a first-aid kit that includes a book that shows you how to apply basic medical procedures.

Basic Defense
There are two forms of defense to consider. The first is protection against wildlife. The second form is defense against other people. In case you have to protect yourself or your family from a robber or other predator, learn a few basic defensive moves, including how to break your captor’s grip and how to incapacitate someone without a weapon.

Navigation
There are multiple ways to discover the direction you should be going, depending on your surroundings. These include such items as the position of the stars, where moss grows on the trees and rocks, and the position of the sun.

Do you have what it takes? Make sure you're covered in all six of these categories if you want a chance to survive in the event of a disaster. For more information on the skills you'll need, take a look at the American Preppers Network.

Featured Image via Hans Splinter / Flickr