Of all the potential disasters we face, an EMP is probably the most appalling and dangerous of all. Although there are plenty of other TEOTWAWKI occurrences that can cause severe problems, none seem as extensively researched as an EMP. After all the government has set up a committee to research it; for the Yellowstone super-volcano, they have not done so. And the report by the EMP Commission found that as many as 90 percent of the population will die as a result of it.
Part of what makes an EMP such an appalling prospect is how it will fundamentally transform life as we know it. We would have to adjust very rapidly to a radically different “new normal” if we were to continue to live without electricity and without the possibility of electricity being restored any time soon.
How well we are prepared will have a great deal to do with our ability to survive the years that follow the EMP, both in terms of how well we will live and how long we will survive. However, the planning does not have to end when the power goes out, as it will take time for others to know what happened. You may eventually end up being the one who has to let them know what has happened.
But there are a few of things you can do before you do that:
1. Verify the Facts
First, it probably would be hard to say whether an EMP really happened, or whether it was a regular power outage. The two, sitting in their home or workplace for the average citizen, don’t really look all that different. Besides the source, the real difference lies in the reach of the EMP. Regular power outages aren’t affecting the entire world.
So the first thing to do is to decide whether it really is an EMP, by trying to check and see how far the power outage is. Since the local power will be out, this will be difficult, hampering your ability to communicate with the rest of the world. Nonetheless, testing out the communications means you have, trying to make calls to friends and relatives who live far away, and looking for news on HAM radio.
Often, check the battery-operated devices in your house, and whether your car is working or not. Whether they work, the fact that an EMP has occurred is not automatically disproved, as there is some debate over what devices will withstand. But if it doesn’t work, then there’s more evidence that an EMP has taken place.
2. Take Care of Your Family
If your family is scattered at work and at school, then you need to get everybody home. Ideally you have a plan for that in place, where everyone knows they need to go home. IF not, you ‘re going to have to go round them up. If your car is not starting, then that means doing so on foot.
The problem with rounding up your family is that doing so will prevent you from doing other things you need to do. And unless you have little kids you need to pick up from school, you need to try to eradicate this action item by making sure everyone knows under what conditions they need to go home and make sure they have the resources to do that.
3. Water Supply
The water pressure in our pipes mainly comes from the water tanks. Despite that being the case, water will not immediately cease to flow. Yet, within a day or two, it will stop flowing. Don’t assume the water flowing right after the EMP means you’ll always have water. Instead, take advantage of it and fill every water container you’ve got, every bath you’ve got and if you’ve got a swimming pool and it’s not filled, fill that too.
4. What Do You Do with Your Cash?
Stores will still accept cash at first, but their cash registers are down, and they can not take credit cards. The problem is they will probably not know what is worth, without their cash registers being able to read the bar codes and give them a price. Despite this, in small, independent stores, the chances can be higher than in big chains.
Yet whatever cash you have on hand will lose its value in days, if not hours. And you should continue to use it whenever you can. Go to whatever local shops you can get to, and buy whatever you can use, particularly non-perishable food.
One way to overcome the reluctance of shop owners to sell is by promising to pay too much, without understanding the selling price of what’s in their shelves. Note, in a couple of hours money will be worth nothing, so all you get is for your benefit, even “overpaying.” Offer them enough and you will definitely convince them to sell.
Related: 10 EMP Proof Items
5. Your Survival Squad
If your survival squad doesn’t already live together, then this is the time to gather them. Hopefully you have already found and planned a survival retreat which is large enough for your entire team. After all, how do you call it a squad if your team isn’t together? Which good could you do for each other?
6. Put Your Survival Plans into Effect
Wherever your survival retreat is, whether in town or country, this is the time to get there. If you’ve decided it’s really an EMP, you know what to expect. A general breakdown of society will occur, as people come to grips with the fact that they can’t find the things they need. In the country, in a remote survival retreat, you’ll be better off than you’ll be in the city.
Of course, it can be difficult to get to that survival retreat, particularly if your car isn’t running. If you have to move a lot of things with you, it’s going to be even worse. That could take many trips on foot, even with some kind of cart being used to transport your things.
7. Establish Security
There’ll probably be no security issues to talk about at the beginning, other than normal criminal activity. The main danger will arise once stocks run out and people start to despair. Nonetheless, you will want to build your protection and get into the groove of keeping things secure as quickly as possible. Known offenders are always likely to see the situation as an opportunity and try to take advantage of it.
Keep in mind that mass displacement is likely to occur until the city’s inhabitants run out of resources. They will come knocking at your door when this happens, looking for food and other stuff that they need. That’s when you need your protection to be genuine. It’ll take a couple of days, maybe even a few weeks before that happens, but when it does, you want to be prepared.
8. As Far as the Rest Goes
When you have done what you can to make sure you and your survival team are as confident as you can, you can tell others about what ‘s going on. Perhaps others would say you can do it earlier, so that everyone else will have as much chance as possible to plan, but to put it simply, those people are not your responsibility. Even now, after taking care of yourself and your family, there are those who would argue that taking care of those others isn’t your duty.
The people I’m recommending you tell about the EMP are those in positions of authority. Although you may have difficulty getting in to see them, and they may not believe you, there is a possibility that you can have a significant proof of what they know already. Just be prepared to back up your claims, with the investigation and facts you’ve gathered.
Related: How to Tell in 5 Minutes If It’s a Power Outage or an EMP
