More than 180 Americans have left America for Syria to join ISIS. These are born and raised American citizens. And at some point, they will come back! But don’t worry. These peace-loving American patriots will settle back into their homes and mind their own business. Right!
During the international Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, even Barack Hussein Obama warned that the prospect of ISIS getting a hold of a nuclear bomb is one of the most serious threats faced by the world. He said it was clear that “these mad men” would use such a device to kill as many people as they could.
And it gets even worse…
In March 2016 two workers from a nuclear power plant in Belgium fled to Syria to join ISIS. This report came after Belgium authorities had apprehended a third man, who was a senior researcher at a nuclear facility and had been working for ISIS. Several other reports suggest that ISIS is working on a major terrorist plan that will grant them complete control over the Middle East or total annihilation.
In July of last year ISIS got their hands on 90 pounds of uranium from Mosul University in Iraq, and since then, they’ve been working on building a small nuclear bomb. ISIS no longer consists of the cavemen barbarians fighting with clubs, swords, and AK-47’s that we all believed them to be. They are technically sophisticated barbarians using modern army equipment.
One carefully placed nuclear bomb, even a small one, would create worldwide pandemonium. Were it to take out our government leadership, it could end up being months before the United States could organize itself well enough to retaliate. They have already stated their intent to attack the United States. They have bragged about how their flag will fly over the White House.
Considering our porous southern border, getting such a device into the United States would be extremely simple. Then it would just be a matter of selecting the site and time to make their attack have the maximum effect.
And they know what this means: If a nuclear warhead is detonated a few kilometers above the earth’s surface, it produces a powerful EMP, also known as a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) device.
If ISIS blasts a nuclear weapon 270 miles above the U.S., it will basically send us, the Canadians, and the Mexicans back to the Dark Ages. Will we be able to fight back? I don’t think so! Probably most of our ICBMs will turn into a pile of junk. The communication lines and mobiles will probably become useless. They know that this is their only chance of winning this war and conquering the Middle East and the rest of the world. You might laugh at this, but what you believe doesn’t matter. What matters is that they believe it! This is what Allah predicted, and they will die trying to fulfill the prophecy.
A Huge EMP Is Like Opening Pandora’s Box
1 – At a community level: Because we haven’t experienced one yet, we don’t really know how bad it can get. Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy, predicted that:
“Within a year of an EMP attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can’t support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity. And that is exactly what I believe the Iranians are working towards.”
Experts also agree that the next nuclear war will start with at least an EMP. If one of the nuclear powers blasts a nuclear weapon above the U.S., it will destroy our defensive capabilities for good. We will be nothing more than sitting ducks for Russian nukes! I have something you need to watch. It’s much better than I am at explaining the threat. Watch it and learn what you should fear most, what an EMP affects, and how you can protect your electronics, car, mobile phones, etc.
2 – At an individual scale: You don’t really know where you’ll be when it happens, and there won’t be any kind of transportation or telecommunication. You’ll have to walk home. If you work 40 miles away from home, you better have a plan. If your car gets stuck with your family on the highway on a cold winter, you have to have a backup plan. If your child is at school, you have to get him…and so on.
Just like in an economic collapse, you won’t be able to do a lot of things after the crisis begins. The information you’ll find below is good to know and should be considered as a plan. But it’s not 100% prepping. If you want to prepare for an EMP, you need to have some things ready in advance. (Related: 10 Things to Have Ready before the Huge EMP!!!)
When an EMP strikes, most of the population will think it’s temporary and that in a couple of hours everything will be back to normal. This gives you a huge advantage. You will have at least 12 hours before the panic sets in to take care of anything you might need to survive.
Steps to Take Immediately after the EMP:
The first thing you have to do is to get back home quickly and safely. You and your family should have all previously established this as the number one priority. Ensure that everyone is accounted for.
The biggest problem will be finding a means of transportation; as you know, most cars will not work anymore. A lot of preppers overlook this aspect because they have a faraday cage and think they have everything covered. But if the EMP is powerful enough, a faraday cage is not 100% reliable. (Related: 10 Faraday Cages you can make at home)
Immediately convert any cash into useful assets like food, water, medicines, and supplies like clothing and fuel. Your money will become worthless very quickly, so use it up at nearby shops. A can of meat will cost thousands of dollars in a few days.
After your family is safe, you should contact neighbors and establish regular meeting times (at sunset for example). Together you can make an inventory of skills and supplies. Brief everyone on security, from traveling in pairs to avoiding walks at night. Establish regular patrols and danger signals if attacked. Don’t underestimate your neighbors; maybe they are not preppers, but considering we don’t know 100% what will go down after the EMP hits, you never know what you might need, and they could have it. It’s better to be in contact with them—so long as you don’t brag about your stockpiles.
Begin to ration food and water, and consider how to deal with human waste, dirty water, and trash. If necessary, dig a pit at least 100 yards from the nearest food or water store and a minimum of one foot in depth. Trash should be buried or burned on a daily schedule and moved away from your home to keep rats away.
Secure your home before nightfall, checking the perimeter for breaches and ensuring that doors and windows are locked. Empty tin cans on a string are a simple early warning system for intruders, and broken glass can act as a barrier to entry. (excerpt from the book Surviving an EMP: The Early Pioneer Way)
To me the s
cariest thing about an EMP strike is the lack of communications. You might not realize how dependent we are of electronics but imagine a day without your phone and no way of contacting your family, no way of knowing if they are ok. A phone gives you a sense of security. The only thing that will work in that moment is a HAM radio or a two-way radio. Every person in my family has a faraday cage in their car with a radio in it, so we could communicate the moment an EMP strikes. I’d rather be safe than sorry. I actually made a device that you can attach to your radio. This will enhance your communication range and you could reach people almost 70 miles away. Because this option will be known by fellow preppers, you should choose a frequency and a time of day. The best hours to talk will be in the middle of the night, plus it’s always a good idea to use disinformation tactics like in the military. This will prove very helpful because you would reach people a town or maybe two towns away. You can find out what is going on, how the EMP affected them, the supplies that they have and how you can use your resources to help each other out.
Immediately secure all the water in your home, filling bathtubs and any other container with the remaining water via the municipal supply, within pipes, and from storage and rainwater tanks. To flush pipes, turn off the water at the shutoff valve, put a container under the lowest faucet in the house, and then open the lowest faucet and then a second faucet higher up.
Related: H2O Dynamo – The Awesome Device That Turns Air into Fresh Water!
Prepping for this kind of disaster takes a lot of time and work and involves every area of prepping. You start with the basics: supplies, bug out bags, solar panels, etc., but the more you learn about EMPs, the more you realize how complex and convoluted is. You won’t have Internet access and your computer will fry, so you won’t be able to google your way out of the problems that will arise. So having a physical EMP guide by your side that helps you deal with all EMP effects will prove crucial.
It was difficult for me to find a comprehensive book that can explain all these necessary steps. Most of these books said the same things—how to store supplies and ration food; but I already knew that—until recently, when I received a book from a friend. It’s called Darkest Days: How to Survive an EMP Attack to the Grid and written by Charles Green. He’s an ex-college professor, physicist, and prepper. He became so obsessed with surviving the EMP threat that he took a two-year sabbatical to live in an Amish community. The Amish are a very unusual religious community. Modern life comforts are irrelevant to them. They barely use any electricity, and when they do, it’s off the grid. So if you, too, want to get your hands on this book in hard cover to have this knowledge by your bedside, watch his video and learn how to protect yourself, your car, mobile phone and other devices.
You may also like:
What Happens When You Eat Only Costco Cans For 30 Days?
An Insanely Effective Way to Build a 5 Year Food Stockpile (Video)
The Only Things That Preppers Should Know About Archery
The Plants That Are Illegal To Grow, But Perfectly Fine To Forage
What is the device that the author mentioned that will enhance radio communication range? How do I obtain one or more?
I am also interested in buying the divice
“Were it to take out our government leadership, it could end up being months before the United States could organize itself well enough to retaliate. They have already stated their intent to attack the United States. They have bragged about how their flag will fly over the White House.”
I do not think you understand the layers of security built into the US defense posture.
The plans are in place to obliterate the attackers from the sea.
That may make you feel more secure, but our sea going vessels are all electronic, and not protected any better than our power plants
your full of it.
to clarify, that was directed to the original quote.
Actually this scenario is very likely as the ISISes’ have already snuck inside the brains of certain radical government officials with their top secret mind robots that crawl ever so slowly inside the ear as one sleeps.
Most ham radios will be inoperative if a local EMP happens, because the radio will HAVE to be in a Faraday cage beforehand. I don’t know of ANY ham operators who keep their radios in cages…they keep them out on their benches for immediate usage.
Also, if I’m not mistaken, their ham radio antennas (quite tall and/or large, in most cases) will act as excellent “collectors” for the high-voltage EMP pulse and send their destructive currents directly into the ham radio via the antenna connector and wiring while inside the ham operators homes.
As far as I’m aware, to date only the US military has “hardened” their radios against an EMP attack.
There IS currently testing being done on “civilian” systems (cars, radios, etc.) to test for EMP effects, but be aware that the closeness to the source and the strength of the pulse will determine if anything electrical/electronic actually survives.
Ham radio signals need repeaters to cover distance, as do cell phone signals, so would ham radio be efffective at all for any length of time?
HF doesnt require repeaters for very long distances.
15-25 miles is more of a a challenge w/o repeaters, but 100+ miles is not.
The ONLY Ham Radio that requires a Repeater are the 2 meter class of radios. All … I repeat ALL other Ham Radios DO NOT require a Repeater to function. But to legally operate Any Ham Radio equipment requires a License. Without a legal legitimate Ham License, you are subject to severe fines and confiscation of your radio equipment. Be safe, get educated and get your License.
If the government is totally down, who is going to enforce whether or not your operating your HAM without a license?
I have to agree on this one. using the ham [after] an attack/ emp/solar flare/shtf ,one would think the Govt will have more things to worry about.
Great advice, but if tshtf, and I get my hands on a ham radio that works I won’t be too worried about a license, there won’t be any regulators to fine me, but please keep the Ham protocalls as much as possible and don’t let it degrade into the trash you hear on the c b radio, I don’t even use mine anyone, I don’t have the temperament to tolerate the knuckle heads on the c b, I still have my call letters from when you had to be liscensed for citizen band. I have been using a c b since they only had 9 channels and people were civil
Communications Act of 1934 says that in a national emergency ALL RADIO’s are fair game for use to communicate with, without a license.
I just read it thanks to you, I don’t see where it states we can use it at will . only gives the President a very broad non restraining power to do with it as the President pleases.
Won’t matter in an event. Nobody will be available or care about what’s legal or not.
True I have two ham walkies talkies. if there ever is a detonated bombs that disperses a EMP and my family survives I am packing the radios like our sidearms. that simple. FCC wont be interested in anything for a long long long long time just respect online rules. I have read things on this site over over 2 years now. learned much. really learned ain’t no one going to protect me but me. I learned during this “pandemic” I had many a blunders in stock prep. (NEED A BIGGER BOAT”) dwelling 🙂 medical I was really really low on. Not going to happen again. I have never read it written here ain’t “no one going to protect me but me” IT was however in between all the lines in every article. We have both semi automatic handguns and revolvers because of this forum. Felt comfortable until this outbreak. felt relived we were prepped but still lacking it was a good eye opener of what we take for granted. I still have dreams of what will I do, if folks come for our staples? what about you all?
they do not need repeaters. I reach antartica direct from my radio.
Actually, I know of several HAMs here, around the nation, and a couple in Europe, that keep an older HF rig, and a 2m/70cm HT stored in proper, tested Faraday cages. Many of us maintain battery backup and some means of recharging said batteries. There WILL be communication!
As for our ability to respond in kind, never forget the Silent Service! I spent years aboard one of our ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), as did my father. Our nuclear capability is in good hands.
Thank you for your service. And yes a sub would survive, my son was assigned for 20 years, but they will be so busy and spread so thin, but you can bet that no matter what they do accomplish the general public that spits on them today will trash them for not doing enough
the damage would of course be dependent on whether the lightning protector on the antenna lead works as designed. The impulse from a bomb generated magnetic pulse would last a short time, not the many minutes / hours / days that a solar coronal mass hit on the earth could/would/ (did) last so except for the (still classified) results of the military tests, the real effects of the ‘EMP attack’ are substantially guesses. Physics says the effect would be worst nearest the blast, and would drop off dramatically as distance increases. So, put a transistor radio in a closed metal container, and it should be able to function after. (assuming there are protected transmitters at the civil defense sites and they transmit on frequencies the radio can receive…… function
A big ol Ground wire is what I have goes down 40′ my Radio sit 8n a Faraday always.
When is this going to happen?!!? I am anxious too test out some of my theories.
Love this article and have subscribed. THANKS!!
Welcome, lots of info here if you like to be prepared
I grew up in Ohio, the state with the most Amish, surrounded by them. My dear departed uncle drove for them for years, and he and my Aunt Jeannine were adopted by one family in particular. (That’s a lot of people!) They are humans, all right, and not at all uncomplicated. They wouldn’t be impacted as badly by an EMP, definitely, because they already stockpile against emergencies, but they have lots of machinery that uses electronics that would be impacted. I think their main advantage would be (is) their close communities that already know who their leader is. Even though he is sometimes a boorish jerk. Still, they are better off than most of us far-flung, sometimes isolated, individuals.
Grew up in a Hutterite family, which are very similar to the Amish….Grew up learning how to garden, prepare everything for long term storage, farming, butchering, smoking and preparing the home made sausages, hams etc. Now after a lifetime amongst the outsiders , am longing for that easier, healthier lifestyle… SHTF would be ok with me and has been expected with the evil that has spread its influence to such an extent….the end is inevitable and expected…. and we don’t need anyone else to survive, nor would trust anyone, so radios, electronics, machines of any type were not needed growing up and will not be needed at the end times….Just need trust in God
Mobile phone towers will not be functional after an EMP attack. So your mobile will be useless.
Not so if you have Serval mesh or similar apps that don’t rely on cell towers. I keep the APK files stored on my Android phone for emergency install and use.
But keep in mind for towers out in the heartland. Now you have a high point to put a ham antenna up on. something to keep in mind. Easy enough to carry what you need on horseback to hit and run with information gathering. and keeping you and your family hidden.
Interested in medicinal plants & recognizing them,
This a great site for information. It is information that is truly usable.
I have been following this group for several years, the information given here is worth it’s weight in gold. I believe that the knowledge that I have gained here has given me the information that would give me and my family a good shot at surviving any attack on the USA. WELL DONE!
Couldn’t you keep your emergency electronics in the original cardboard boxes and wrap them in many layers of continuance aluminum foil? In a cardboard lined galvanized trascan?
That will probably protect the device too. The trick is to insulate the electronics of the device from the effects of the EMP. Dr. Arthur Bradley wrote about the experiments he conducted in reducing the effects of EMP in his book on survival. If I recall the results of his experiments, it isn’t necessary to eliminate all of the electromagnetic waves, it is enough to reduce their energy to levels below the level that will damage the device. That level varies with the electronics of the device. Simpler devices with fewer chips are less susceptible than more complex devices with more chips. Simpler devices need less protection than more complex devices. However, unless it is a spare device, wrapping it in tinfoil every time you put it down would quickly become burdensome and you would stop doing it. As opposed to, say, putting your e-book in a cardboard box and storing it in a metal can such as you see at Christmas to put cookies and such in. You could do this at night when presumably you wouldn’t be doing a lot of reading. It would be a little awkward to carry your phone around in a cardboard box inside a metal box. Your phone would go to message by the time you got it out and turned on. One important fact to remember is that it is necessary to leave no open spaces for energy to penetrate the metal container. While every writer I have read stresses no openings to the inside of the faraday cage, the same writer will describe using chicken wire to build a faraday cage. The two seem to me to be self-exclusive. You can’t have the tiniest opening in the seam between the lid of the garbage can and the can itself, yet you can use chicken wire to build a faraday cage. Huh? Arthur Bradley’s tests are the most comprehensive that I have read about. There are other tests that have been done but they were, in my opinion, not valid tests, especially the one involving automobiles. With the dearth of known scientific testing and with no actual experience with the electromagnetic effects of an EMP or CME, most of us are left speculating about what the actual effects will be and how best to protect against them. For example, if my car is parked in a concrete parking garage several floors down under a building will it be protected? My knowledge of electronics is limited to: if you stick a paper clip in a wall socket you will get a pretty good shock. Still, even with that limited technical knowledge, it seems to me vehicles parked as described would be protected. Therefore, if you have a choice of where to park, park on the lower level. On the other hand, if you are on the top deck exposed to the sky, you pretty much can kiss your loaded Lexus goodby.
What good is an automobile.When it runs out of gas, no gas station will operate. How far do you think you would get when the bad guys sees your car. It can’t outrun a bullet or run thru a barricade.
Bob, this subject I have researched during the past several decades. I am a court certified expert witness mechanic, an electrician, and a former assistant fire chief. I also have a science degree. If the modern car or truck managed to escape the EMP or CME while parked in the bowels of the parking deck facility and would still operate the chances of “getting away to home” would still not be good. Most likely when the electromagnetic pulse fried the electrical systems in vehicles on the upper parking decks (and streets) the “fried” batteries and wiring would combust on some vehicles and then the burning insulation of the wiring harnesses would set the vehicle’s fuel system on fire. The fire-ruptured fuel tank’s burning fuels would then pour down onto the lower decks and the create a towering infero of burning vehicles. Coupled with exploded high voltage transformers, the metropolitan area would be shortly engulfed within a catastrophic firestorm similar to the burning of the Allied-bombed cities of Germany near the close of the Second World War. Parking deck facilities almost always are in metropolitan areas where there is always traffic congestion. Now imagine hitting the street from the deck only to discover that all of the permanently dead vehicles of all kinds are blocking all of the streets just where their computer controlled engines died, and the area is being engulfed in a firestorm? That is as far as an operating vehicle would go! During the first several hours after the event occurred there would probably be no problem with roving gangs or barricades because even the thugs would be disoriented, panicked, and clueless as to what had just happened. 24 hours later the gang situation would be a problem. So, if by some lucky chance a driver could “get out of Dodge” and they might be able to get home in a rural area, just as you pointed out, they would soon run out of gas. And, the driver might never make it because some stranded motorist with a short temper and a firearm might shoot the motorist for the vehicle. As for needed fuel after the collapse of society, an older pre-computerized diesel engine can run on fresh vegetable oil and fast food cooking oil that is filtered and de-watered. I have seen it done with a 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel that was identical to mine. It smelled like french fries, fried chicken, or fried fish according to where the oil came from! With the fuel cutoff solenoid that is located on the mechanical injector pump rigged so that the pin is extended permanently the engine will run without any electrical power. Just push the vehicle off and let the clutch in while in first or second gear to start it (straight-shift clutched vehicle needed). Sure, the electrical fuel pump won’t operate, but a plastic marine fuel tank strapped to the roof and a rubber fuel hose down to the injector pump should enable the vehicle to operate satisfactory. I would guess that when the hoards descend upon the food stores most of them will have overlooked the cooking oil and leave it intact on the shelf or floor because they cannot eat or drink it straight. Also, for us country people, E-85 flex fuel vehicles should run for a while on distilled 200 proof grain alcohol. So will my John Deer Model 40 bulldozer and my old farm tractor run on alcohol or vegetable oil since they have multi-fuel engines with cast iron carburetors. Some of my family had made “spirits” during the Great Depression for a living, and making the stuff for fuel is not too difficult. Grain, yeast, and sugar mixed with water will ferment into an alcohol mash that can then be heated in a closed cooker to just under the boiling point of water. It will boil off the alcohol, which has a lower boiling point than water. This vapor will condensate in a water-cooled copper coil attached to the cone-shaped top of the cooker and be collected into plastic or glass containers and used for fuel. Grain elevators and some railroad grain cars will have plenty of grain for the taking. The alcohol of course will have other barter possibilities besides fuel usage after the situation stabilizes. Do NOT use lead-based solder to make the still or coil assembly, use silver/tin solder. NOW I NEED TO WARN THE READERS ABOUT DISTILLING SPIRITS DURING OUR PRESENT NON-EVENT PERIOD!! IT IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND IMPRISONMENT IN MOST STATES TO HAVE IN POSSESSION A COPPER DISTILLATION COIL!! HINT………THE COPPER HEATER COIL ENCASED IN A STEEL PIPE ON MY GOLD DREDGE IS FOR HEATING COLD WATER TO BE INJECTED INTO MY WET SUIT TO KEEP ME WARM. IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO A DISTILLATION COIL IN CONSTRUCTION, (I HOPE THE “EXPERIMENTING PREPPER” GETS THIS HINT) THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE HEATER COIL CARRIES WARMED WATER INSTEAD OF ALCOHOL CONDENSATE AND THE CONTAINMENT VESSEL AROUND THE COIL CONTAINS THE HOT EXHAUST GASSES INSTEAD OF COLD COOLING WATER.
Great post
I am just glad I was raised on a farm,and I will always have at least one horse power for transportation, and farm equipment and worse case scenario, food
You’re funny!!!
Now this might sound stupid but would storing devices in a microwave oven work ? Someone told me it’s basically a faraday cage….I am electronically challenged so I have no idea if he was bs-ing me LOL
your refrigerator, freezer, oven, microwave, metal lidded metal cookware , etc… ALL would reduce chances of electronics being damaged. some of these work VERY well. DON’T run the oven / or microwave while items are stored inside. with a protective wrap, the freezer should cause no problem as long as the item’s storage temp limits are not violated. (think batteries?)
I’ve never read so much misinformation !! Everyone seems to be an ” X-Spurt ” ( X = the unknown factor … Spurt = a drop of water under pressure ) stop espousing false and misleading information and fear mongering !!!
First ! .. our missile silos are hardened against EMP’s and direct nuclear strikes !!
Second .. unless your a PHD or a Genius stop making statements or comments as though they are Facts !!!
Some subjects you commented on are good .. but most are FALSE or terribly inaccurate.
I served in three branches of the U.S. Military over a 20 year period, and I’m as well trained as anyone can be.
I’ve been through the ARMY and AIR FORCE Survival programs and passed in the top ten percent.
I’ve seen comments on numerous forums from people saying there’s nothing to worry about. Those people will be the first to die !!
EMP’s can come from both man-made or natural happenings; A nuclear detonation above the earth, … or a Coronal Mass Ejection from our nearest star, the Sun.
It’s already happen once since modern man has lived in North America, and that was when our only communications was the Telegraph. That EMP destroyed the Telegraph network AND it set fire to the railroad ties of our railroads.
I don’t profess to be an expert on any of this, as most of the prepper sites profess.
The best people can do, is seek out the real scientific publications and the books published by the author of ” One Second After “.
There are other good publications, but be cautious on what you read on forum’s because most of them are TOTAL BULL SHIT, written by bull shit artist’s looking for attention and fame.
Pepper Gold, thanks for mentioning these points that you made. Many times I have read these same misinformation mistakes mentioned in pepper forums and meetings over and over and just wondered where some of it was coming from. One thing that really caught my attention was the suggestion to burn the garbage every day. What idiotic Bull Shit! That would create a smoke plume during the day or a beacon at night that will advertise where the person is and that they have enough food to make burning garbage a daily routine! Then the raiders close in……… ! I’m afraid that a lot of “know it all peppers” would be dead within one week to six months after the EMP or CME event due mostly to screwing up with misinformation. One of the worst ones that I heard was an “expert” at a pepper meeting discussing growing enough food to sustain his family for a year. The idiot went on and on how he was prepared to grow his food in containers on the balcony of his apartment in a town of 4,000. I just got up and walked out and never had any more contact with any of them. In the event of an EMP or CME people like that the “balcony Gardener” would probably end up being a meat-food item on some raider’s gang menu as they consumed his container garden. (Yes, cannibalism is seldom mentioned but would likely be widespread after food supplies ran out and hundreds of millions were starving to death)
The best advice I can give for any emergency situation is there is nothing more important than common sense, I know many places in our country today are in short supply, but except for tech manuals, and how to books nothing will see you through like good ol’ horse sense
would sat phones work?
Only if the satellite(S) electronics and the ground stations electronics are not fried. Most likely they will all be fried for civilian use. I am not really familiar with satellite phone usage and don’t claim to be an expert on the subject but I would suspect that without electrical power to the ground facilities the satellite phone system would be dead. Another problem is that if by some chance you could uplink to a phone satellite then down to the ground receiving station with a dead electrical and ground phone system the call would go nowhere.
HELP! I don’t understand. Why would you put a cell phone or anything else in a faraday cage? Who can you call if the cell tower is fried? A radio? How can anyone get a radio station if the radio tower is fried? A computer? Not worth much if the internet is gone. So please explain the point because I truly don’t understand.
OK Kim, there are devices out now that will allow you to talk with other cell-phone users – but more like a 2-way radio and not a cell phone. A lot of people do not understand that not only does it (and some radios) require repeating transmitters, but that the phones are also transceivers meaning that actually work for shorter distances. A laptop might be needed if your survival notes are on it as opposed to dragging around a 5 lb. or larger book. plus it can hold a LOT of Notes and still weigh the same. I have 3 HAMS radios that are specifically to be used in an emergency. One can be used as a repeater. So, I can talk to anyone within reach of that repeater or my transmitter station (the one in my hand) giving me greater area of communications.
Faraday Cages are NOT complicated. A chicken coop is (for all practical purposes) a Faraday cage. One can easily turn their garage into a Faraday cage and park their cars and electronics in them. A CB radio, gives one a talk radius of around 5-20 miles with variations due to terrain, weather, and time of day. You need to find a prepper’s club nearby.
A thought I just had, its time everyone learns Morse code and having knowledge of where to find compasses, a women’s compact makeup mirror, also a good option would be to develop key word tells something like “haha I wonder when it is going to rain, mid sentence.
Sometimes it pays to remember your past, just imagine having to search for Morse code key, in a very old history book.
Somewhat like Prepper Gold, I served just under 24 years military. 3 years Navy Reserves (had all the fun on weekends), 1 year in an Army based military academy and 21 plus years in the Marines wiping down wings and living in the field when I wasn’t stuck inside a metal container called an aircraft or ship.
Most of what we learn, even here, needs to be applied to real life situations. It is good to have a HAMS radio, but it is way better to have one and KNOW how to use it! I gave away a P-38 (called a “John Wayne”) to someone who had no idea of what it was or how to use it. So I showed them. They laughed about it. I then informed them that if the lights ever went out, their electric can opener would not work. This one worked night and day, anywhere and used almost no space!
Good food for thought and thanx for links and reference data. Question, that probably everyone on this site should know, if not already…
I am on the backside of the curve in education gathering in the event of an EMP scenario. Pretty much everything I have read, notes that even if you are completely off-grid (excess energy does not go back into grid), that in the event of an EMP (non-solar), any generator connected to your home will fry all wiring and your house will catch fire. What if anything can be done to protect structures from having this occur? Seems useless to prep and store, and live off-grid, to end up frying in a house fire in the middle of the night in any northern state in say January… I understand having backup generator, faraday box, etc. But on that day (should it happen) I will most likely be home and possibly sleeping… Additional question… Wouldn’t we have at least some advance warning that a launch has been made from “somewhere”?
Lots of food for thought in this article and comments.
There is a very readable article, “Lights Out,” in the Spring 2016 issue of The Michigan Engineer that adds something to our conversation. A whole lot of something, from discussion of how a a massive solar flare would impact radio and cell communications, satellites, GPS, airlines, transformer trauma, the grid. Our lives.
A few tidbits: “Once or twice a century, the sun whips a few billion tons of plasma from its surface toward the Earth, at speeds of 7 million miles per hour or more…A major storm can move much faster, arriving in 18 hours or less.” and “…the outage won’t just last a few hours or a few days…it could be a year or longer before power is restored.” and “that it could lead to a breakdown in social order and deaths due to the scarcity of food, water and medicine. No refrigeration. No running water. No pumps for the gasoline that could get you to civilization, and no financial system to help you buy it. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the transformers could be replaced in a few weeks, but they take between six and 12 months to build, transport and install.” [“there are no spares for these transformers anywhere in the world.”]
“The existing data come mainly from two extreme solar storms that occurred before the grid went national. The first,[the Carrington event], sent aurorae into the tropics and turned skies over the U.S. blood red. Operators received shocks, put out fires, and found that the lines worked better if they disconnected the batteries…Researchers…estimate that this represented a rate of change in Earth’s electromagnetic field of about 5,000 nanotesla/minute…A 1921 event had similar effects, disrupting telephone service and railroad signaling as well…The worst to hit North America in modern times blacked out Quebec for nine hours in March 1989… Some argue that…it damaged an extra-high-voltage transformer at the Salem Nuclear Plant in southern New Jersey. And it was 10 times weaker than the 1859 ad 1921 storms.”
By the time the weather stations had made the pulse known, and the adjustments to the transformers had been made, we would have about 8 hours to prepare.
And that’s for a solar flare. How much in advance would we know about a nuclear device being detonated over our airspace by a hostile entity?
Hello. I spent the last few months getting my two ham licenses. Yes, I do have one small ham radio in a cage, and keep it there, also carry one in a pack every day. True a lot of hams practice for emergencies. My local club practices for emergency traffic every week here in Indiana. Get your license! I am disabled and visually impaired and got two licenses. Don’t be lazy find your club in your area who will help you take the necessary tests for this. If not get a receiver that has the ham bands on it like the Sangean 909 from C. Crane or other outlets. Good luck and thanks for the info on here.
The military system of communications and vehicles and aircraft have for the most part have been hardened
and are quite well protected.
One can pick up various government vehicles that have the NATO SLAVE and blackout lights…..The Deuce and a Halfs and Five Ton are Multi fuel (including Jet Fuel) vehicles…not sure about the Hummers and K-5s.
Who/Whom ever were to launch a device and detonate it above the US….The launch would be detected immediately and the course trajectory would be plotted and determined in minute or less
.
I have no doubt such an attack would result in the launch of some serious TLC packages resulting in the launch site to be a molten mass of slag and “Glowing” for a good while…….unless they have the Neutron Bomb perfected…..
As for tossing nukes around…They are a weapon of last resort. The losing side will either call it quits and end of the War OR result to launching Nukes…..
There is talk of making smaller nukes and using them instead of the larger Megaton devices and keeping them small in low or sub kiloton range…. Meaning these could be used in all out War without destroying the planet….
IF they add insult to injury the hit DC… there s no telling how long it will take America to regroup……China and/OR Russia probably would and other Countries would be sending Troops and supplies to help…
Then we have all the little factions and Militias all over …some good…. some mediocre…….and some nothing but trouble. Stealing and taking whatever they want. Including females or perhaps young males for their use ..well you figure that out and do not forget your precious supplies and weapons ammo …food water…perhaps even clothing and blankets sleeping bags medicines alcohol Tobacco another trade barter good. cigarettes ll be in HIGH demand…..one cigarette at a time……
I have heard people say they would kick people off their own land and would do so at gunpoint and use the guns if they have to. Such people are asking for Trouble with a Ca[ital T.
Congress approved money back in the 70s to harden he US Power grid…….The only place the equipment was being made was in German and they were/are over a Decade behind.
Power companies do not want to spend the money and have the materials sitting around collecting dust.
People need to look at old school radios the big bulky Hummerlands (sp) The have the vacuum tubes and such they are more resistant to EMP.
People can find working ones on E-Bay at quite reasonable prices.
I have one that transmits in Morse Code. It was a gift from a friend years ago and it works just fine. I had it checked out and it works fine…..
I do not have a proper antenna for it and do not know what one I need or the costs.
Making Liquor Moonshine Corn Squeezins, Whatever you want to call it……ONE CAN LEGALLY DISTILL 5 gallons a year for ones on purposes.
It is going to take A LOT of sugar if one is going to make and distill Moonshine or What ever you ant to call it….
NoW Sugar is going to also be a bartering good as well as Flour Salt Pepper. a Fift or a Hundred pounds of Sugar is a lot of bartering trade material….. one can make Rock Candy just need a piece of string and sugar solution or other candies that appeal to sweet tooths and children.
No one has mentioned boredom and how to cope with it… Decks of cards other such card games such as UNO, Dice, board games monopoly,Risk,, what ever Books and reading and writing materials Coloring books and crayons that teach ….. Children are going to have to learn things
One can also legally brew a certain amount of beer. IF you can boil water and keep things clean….I MEAN CLEAN you can brew beer.
You can also legally make wine and brandy…
Question: Why would a Generator hooked to a house cause a fire hen a power line would not.
No one mentions using the current in Tidal Rivers and Creeks or even Constantly Flowing Streams as power sources…. Don’t forget fishing gear for such areas trade hooks and line and sinkers ma……..could make hand lines Maybe….
Tides and such streams are definitely more dependable than the wind as power sources…. no doubt the paper work and government agencies and regulations would make such currently near impossible, HOW-SO-EVER after the EMP/CME Event who or what is to stop one from doing such.
Gasoline. Do people not know what Siphon means?Gasoline and Diesel would be in all those abandoned vehicles and in those underground tanks at gas stations and truck stops. There are also hand powered cranks that one can use to pull the fuel from underground……
Now the thing with the gas is the Ethanol in it…… it attracts water and goes bad VERY QUICKLY without additives such as StayBil…..
Marine Grade Gasoline is REAL Gas and the best to use and store if one can….. …
I think that covers it…….No doubt I did miss something or 2 or 3 or more….
Bored? I plan to spend a lot of time out in my vegetable gardens, fruit orchards and greenhouse growing food. There won’t be time to get bored.
Do you sell such an enhanced short wave radio set, or where can I buy a set or two?
Regarding communications, I purchased 5 cheap, blu-tooth enabled phones from Walmart, and 5 Beartooth off grid comms devices. You can also buy a few go-tennae’s that also have ‘mesh’ technology. Fully charge them, then put them in your EMP protected container/can. Recharge every three months. The more people that have these devices, the greater communications range due to mesh.
A lot of great info here, but one needs to sort through what makes the most sense for his given situation, location, abilities, etc.
Reading through all this reminds me that a crucial part of survival is missing! That is; fires! The recent 2018 fire season in California is a good reminder of the dangers, not to mention previous years. This year there have been several major wildland fires and countless others that were stopped before becoming major events. Any doubts, check out, or follow the fire maps online.
Now just imagine that immediately after the SHTF wildland fires are still occurring, but with no way to fight them. And, immediately after this event, people will begin using open fires for cooking, heating, etc., to replace the missing natural gas and electricity. Even propane tanks will eventually run out. This will cause more fires to start given that most city dwellers are not up to speed on fire safety.
Putting this whole scenario together, says that most all of the combustible parts of California (for example) will be wiped out by fire within hours to a few weeks. Considering that if your home or survival cabin is destroyed, probably all your survival goods and plans will be gone too. With no communications, you won’t even know one is coming until the smoke blows your way. In my opinion, fire mitigation should be at the top of everyone’s survival planning. California may be the worst place for this, but some danger exists in virtually every place humans exist.
While this, and all the horrors we see on TV, makes this problem seem hopeless, it’s not. Having studied wildland vs. structure fires for many years, I‘ve learned that there are many very effective things that one can do to greatly reduce the probability of losing their home. Any doubt, look at the results of the recent Camp fire in northern California where 3-5(?)% of the houses survived with little or no damage. So, how did they survive when every other house around them was destroyed? The simple answer is that their houses were better protected from blowing hot embers (that are responsible for 90% of house fires). And there were no combustible vegetation or other objects close enough to the house to create flame contact, or enough radiated heat to ignite the house. Keep the immediate area around your house cleaned up. That means remove dry grass adjacent to your house, clean the rain gutters, and no wood chip covered flower beds next to your house. Clear dirt, gravel, green grass lawn and many green shrubs in near vicinity are ok.
Most modern houses have fire rated roofs, which seem to survive quite well, but keeping the buildup of tree debris off the roof is still good. Vinyl siding may look good, but easily melts when subjected to radiated heat. Stucco or the cement “Hardie Board” survives very well. Wood seems to survive quite well form blowing embers, as long as all the holes and cracks are sealed, including attic vents. And wood survives more radiated heat than vinyl, and blowing embers just bounce off vertical surfaces.
Another important survival step is to stay with your house, assuming you are physically and mentally up to the challenge, and you have your ducks lined up. This means you have taken steps to protect your house in advance of a fire. If you are lucky enough to have water, great! Walk the perimeter of your house as the fire embers begin arriving and put out the fires when they are very small (with or without water). And continue doing so after the fire leaves your area as hot embers may continue for some time.
From all I’ve learned, a vegetation/forest fire will only be in your immediate area for 1-10 minutes while it burns away the fuel. Following that, there will be many small fires, but not the main heat wave. If the heat of combustible stuff is too close to deal with, then step inside for a few minutes, then return to put out any new small fires.
Through all of this, another important step is to reduce smoke inhalation as much as possible. Statistically, many more people die from smoke inhalation then the heat of the fire. Probably, the simplest and cheapest defense, beyond avoiding the smoke, is to have a supply of face masks on hand. They are available at hardware stores and are called “particulate respirator” and has the words “NIOSH” and either “N95” or “P100” printed on it.
There are many more things that one can do, but this is getting too long for now. The internet is loaded with fire information which would be a good study. If your house and all your belongings are lost to fire in normal times, you have many places to go and resources available. But when the SHTF, you are on your own.
.
Good Comment OldPrep. The mask should fall into everyone’s ABC / NBC gear list.
Any open fire is a hazard. Fire building skills should be taught as well as fire safety. A fire, or smoke is going to tell everyone that someone is out there – and if they have food.
Many settlers and explorers ate cold meals due to being in “Indian Country.” MREs can be heated with their chemical packs.
Fuel (wood and other means of fire fuel) should be rationed and the fires kept small.
Any resource we take for granted today (Air, water, wood – something common) can be gone in a matter of days due to a large un-trained population destroying the source.
So, if you are one of the few that has a large pool and consider it an emergency water source (good for you) but consider that local population that no longer gets water out of the taps showing up at your pool, in overwhelming numbers, slacking their thirst on your water supply!
I think a lot of people would benefit from reading Ged Koppels book called “lights Out”. Eye opening.
An EMP would be the most drastic lifestyle change on 100% of the population. The only thing worse would be a full nuclear exchange with Russia/China. Unless you are extremely well to do, or have life skills that are nothing short of amazing (dentist, Doctor, Surgeon, the ability to make medications, Grow all of your own food, Clean water source with a means to test it, Expertise in NBC warfare and testing equipment, the ability to build or repair anything with nothing and on and on) people are dreaming about their ability to survive. You can never go anywhere or really do anything at all if you are worried about this. If I had everything and anything I would need to survive this event but was on vacation in Ireland, I would be absolutely screwed. Sorry to sound negative, but you would also need to endurance of a tri athlete to be able to manually do all of the chores that electricity does for us now.
I am not saying just lie down and give up either! I have not nor will I, but open your eyes to the realities of what electricity does for us. I am an Electrician by the way who runs large projects. Been one for 34 years. So yep got an idea how it all works.
None of us will know what will and wont work until after it happens. Due to the lack of recent research and testing what we do know is not near enough. I believe LCC is correct and I have read Dr. Bradley’s reports. Kind of like reading the NEC (code book). But there are so many things that money and time did not allow to be tested…..
What is the round thing pictured in the article that extends range? How do I make or buy one? How do I use it once I have one?