Having broadcasted in the prepping market for 7 years and written in it for nearly 5 it is clear to me that the plans make the prepper. When you really break it down you have to have processes built into your life to fall back on in an emergency.
While things like bushcraft skills and urban survival skills should be part of any preppers bag of tricks, you still need to direct all that skill. It is dangerous to run around a fallen world just DOING things because you can.
In survival you need direction. You need a clear beginning and end. You need to be able to evaluate each move you make and make the next one with a purpose.
That said…
Even a bulletproof EMP plan can falter under the right conditions. In this article I want to talk to you about 8 things that will kill your EMP plan.
#1. Inability to Gather Family
This is probably one of them most realistic and common issues that any prepper would face after an EMP. While you may have the plans and the gear in place, our wide-reaching world and economy often assures that we are far away from family. Here in Richmond its not uncommon to run into people who work in Washington D.C which is a 2 hour ride up I-95. I am sorry to say it, but it would be nearly impossible to reunite a family with that kind of space between them after an EMP.
Your EMP plan should have a serious meeting location built into it as well as lengths of time your family should wait. Imagine this, if Dad flew to Missouri and you live in Delaware but the city you live in has erupted into chaos. You could wait for Dad, but it might put your whole family at risk. You may have to bugout.
Once things get that variable, its not going to be pretty at all. It may just come down to luck!
#2. Immediate Martial Law
Getting a real read on the US government and their appreciation for the EMP threat is a tough mission. While it would seem like there is very little effort put into readying the nation for such an attack, we do know that the most military equipment has been built to withstand the effects of an EMP.
What we could see is a swift response from the government. In the blink of an eye we could see parts of big cities falling under martial law.
The ideal EMP plan puts you well on your way towards the BOL before martial law comes to be. Reason being, this is a system that is going to be rife with corruption. You will be under the thumb of a ruling military, even if it is the American military.
Once you are under that law it will be very hard to escape, and you will have to live under their rules. If this were to happen quickly after an EMP it would drastically affect your plans.
#3. Misinformation – Government too optimistic
If you are prepared for an EMP you may be able to pick up some form of emergency communications. Of course, this will only be possible if you have prepared or purchased an effective Faraday cage and stored things inside of it, like an emergency radio.
These emergency communications could be misleading, and you have to be prepared for that. They could be a looping message, or they could be hope of something that is not coming. While the intelligence that you gather will be important it’s important that you still rely on your plans.
If you make the costly mistake of abandoning your own plans for the hopes that a government message is telling the truth or bringing help, it could be detrimental.
#4. No Focus on Self Sufficiency
Whether your EMP plan is to stay close and survive in your home or to bugout, you must have a serious focus on self-sufficiency. In fact, you should have some of those pieces moving already. You need to understand bushcraft, tree identification, hunting, fishing and navigation. Without these skills you will struggle to survive any EMP scenario.
Remember, only those things that can be made by hand will be made! The supermarkets will be gone, and people will be dying at an incredible rate. You will have to resettle or reestablish a lifestyle that will fit into this new world.
If your EMP plan does not include a healthy dose of self sufficiency or if you are unable to execute, you will struggle to survive. Practice makes perfect!
#5. Poor Faraday Cage Construction
As a writer in the prepper genre I have seen all sorts of creations in regard to EMP protection. I have seen insulated aluminum foil creations that look like they would fail almost immediately, to military grade products by companies like Transtector.
If your EMP plan is going to rely on things like communications and electronic information, you better have a solid Faraday cage.
Related: 10 Faraday Cages You Can Make at Home
#6. Immediate Military Takeover
Now, I am no general, but I have to imagine if I were going to take over a nation, particularly one as large as America, I would attack with an EMP. This attack would come in the dead of night and would be followed immediately by a wave of forces from the land, water and air. I picture paratroopers reigning down on major cities and places like Manhattan being under full siege.
In a scenario like this I doubt you would have the opportunity to react. Even if you had a Faraday cage would you be able to access it in a timely manner if you were under attack from enemy forces? This could throw a wrench in the works and cause you to panic more than take advantage of your bugout plan.
Dealing with a hostile military would mean that your immediate survival would trump all other things. You would likely have to leave the home base that has kept you safe. Your bugout plans may have to change depending on the location of military action.
#7. Failure of OPSEC
If you have not been a good steward of operational security, you may find that there are holes in your EMP plan because of the people around you. If too many people know you are a prepper they might wind up at your door when they realize that an EMP has affected all of the power and electronics in the nation. Since we are dealing with such severe consequences these people could be hostile as well.
While I believe that being a prepper is not something we need to keep as our darkest secret, I do think there are parts of our plans and details that people do not need to know about. I think Prepper is becoming less of a bad word and that is a good thing. Still, we need to remember that we do this to have the best options for survival.
#8. Living Near a Nuclear Power Plant
There is a tricky thing about building a machine that makes the same reaction as the sun it requires power from highly radioactive materials. The reactions also heat these materials and they require a cooling procedure. This process requires power. The EMP would cause massive nuclear disasters at all of America’s 99 active power plants. Think Fukashima, but everywhere!
No matter what your plans are, if you live close to one of these nuclear power plants you are going to have to get away fast! The disaster will increase overtime as the facility is destroyed and the reactors continue to heat up. The situation of overloaded nuclear powerplants is one we don’t often think of in an EMP but it will have devastating effects.
Never forget, its estimated that 90% of Americans would die in one year following an EMP! How can you become that 10%?
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ou Will Not Survive an EMP Strike Without This
RE; #8. Living Near a Nuclear Power Plant
There is a tricky thing about building a machine that makes the same reaction as the sun
The sun is a FUSION reactor. Power plants are FISSION reactors. There is a bit of a difference, just say’in..
Kerry,
You took the word’s right out of my mouth and I have to wonder if the author got such a simple thing incorrect, how much research has been done on the rest of the article, although it does in general make some good points.
Fusion is of course ”The Holy Grail” of physics with devices like the Tokamak and would truly revolutionize things with endless inexpensive energy.
part of any contingency plan is constant review and updating. This is however a good thought provoking artical and a wake-up for many.
62b)…or the government, (or sub-set thereof) staging coup and using an EMP type blackout in order to have an excuse to impose martial law whilst simultaneously seizing control of the media, the transit system, all forms of communication, food and water supplies and law enforcement. By claiming an attack by “foreign nationals” or whoever the designated baddy de jour is, “they” can have everyone huddled in their houses and operate with impunity before anyone really starts to ask questions. If there were to be a nationwide ‘attack’, who would argue with soldiers going door to door seizing arms and placing people under arrest? It would seem totally normal under the circumstances. Unless it was you, but would your neighbors care enough to ask why?
I don’t think this would happen under the current administration. If I understand your comment the Trump administration would have to order an EMP strike on America and I don’t see that happening. Is this where you are coming from?
Not the current administration, no. But I can see this happening in the future if we get the right mix of the wrong people in high enough places decide the wrong person was elected president, for example, and decide they need to “correct” the situation. Granted, it’s a long shot but then I’ve never seen the rabid dislike of any president like we’re seeing now. Who knows what could happen if Trump gets reelected? People are going to go completely bat-$#!+. Or we might have some other equally polarizing person get elected 10-15 years from now. Or we could have a government that’s been infiltrated by a foreign enemy. Or something else might derail things. That’s why we prep. Because we KNOW the government can’t bail everyone out if there’s a widespread enough disaster – look at Katrina and Puerto Rico.Throw in an opportunist group with a specific axe to grind and we’ll be in the middle of a civil war just because people will panic and will follow anyone who can offer them food/water and a scapegoat. I hope it won’t happen, but I’ll be ready to the best of my ability if it does. If it doesn’t, so much the better. I believe in Bible prophecy and Revelation points to some kind of disaster that takes out most of the population. If I’m here I want all bases to be covered.
And just to clarify, it doesn’t have to be a real EMP. Simulating one would work just fine and given our lousy infrastructure it would be easy to crash the electrical power grid by computer and the mechanical part would follow quick enough.
You are right Miss Kitty, it is not a new concept for a government to turn on its own people. About 170 million people have been slaughtered in the last century at the hands of their own leaders. Hitler, Stalin’s, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, and the list goes on. Nero hated Christians when he was emperor of Rome and ordered the burning of the city of Rome and blamed the Christians. Hitler ordered his people to set fire to their own capital building and blamed the communist party for it. It is going on in South Africa right now by taking farms from white owners who have lived there for generations as citizens and given to people who have no legal rights to the land. People are being attacked and killed as well. So yes it is plausible it is not a new concept.
Miss Kitty,
This is an interesting assertion; but, I think you would find that it’s just not that easy, since there are at least three independent grids, and many of the sub grids are isolated, and would cut off the offending portions rather quickly. In any case, that’s why I have my own generation capability with multiple systems.
Interesting article. Many things to considder. Still independance is the safe goal. That takes planning, learning, preparing and getting family onboard. Still if distances or travel prevent timely meeting up, then the ultimate bug out location or area will have to suffice how ever long it takes.
How close to a nuclear power plant is dangerous during an emp caused meltdown?
The nuclear engineer I work with says when it blows, it is hot. The hot gases will rise straight up. Things will start coming down 50 miles away. Being 20 miles away is better than 50 or 100 miles away
The thing about nuclear fallout is that you’ve also got to consider the prevailing winds in the area of the plant. The plume will travel in the wind, so if you’re in its path even 2-300 miles away you might have radiation to deal with. If we look at the meltdowns at 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl we can see that even years later these areas are still contaminated. Rainfall will be contaminated as well at least for a while, so that needs to be taken into account and also ground water. There is an excellent book- Life After Doomsday-A Survivalist Guide to Nuclear War and Other Major Disasters by Bruce D. Clayton, PhD. My copy is over 40 yrs old so it may be out of print, but if you find a copy it gives a thorough overview of prepping generally and nuclear related issues specifically. One of my first prepper books!
The book is find-able on Amazon and Ebay. A search will find a number which are rather pricey, so ignore those and look for used paperback version. After seeing re commendation yesterday, I bought one in “Used Like New” condition for $3
Number 1 is my greatest fear. Right now I am an hour and half drive from home. My wife is at work and kids are at school. They are closer with only a fifteen minute drive. No communication would be hard to deal with and I would have a very long walk. With a bad knee it would go slow. If it happens pray you are close to a grocery store lol
Might I suggest getting yourself a bike to either store in your car or at work. They even make foldable bikes. The distance you can cover by bike, and the amount of wear you will save on your shoes, will make it worth every penny.
Maybe I will be close to a Walmart or academy and pick one out lol. Good suggestion Bob, thanks
Re getting a bike from Walmart. Apologies to Wally World, but their bikes are not up to most bug out tasks. They generally just sell to a lowest possible price point for lower income or just cheap parents to have something they can afford to amuse children until the twit goes back to their i-pads. To get a Bug-out class bike for about the same or less money, just get on Craigslist and search for Trek, Giant, Fuji, etc., and look for a good condition MTB or long distance touring bike. You should be able to sort out a nice bike in good condition for $50 to $100 that originally cost up to a $1,000. Really. If you don’t really know bikes, first look for a bike savy friend to help you assess those you find for sale. But be careful that the friend does not understand what you really need the bike for or is one of the 60% of cyclist who is just fascinated with the latest and lightest toys at the expense of all else..
Yeah, probably true. Walmart bikes are not wonderful. If you do get one from there, don’t buy their “mountain bikes” with all the springs. The rear springs will absorb most of your pedal power as you go down the road.
Otherwise, the comment above is right. You can get a good bike off craigslist. Nice thing about finding an older bike off craigslist is that it has “proven” itself that it is not a piece of junk.
A folding bike would be even better. It takes up less room in your car. I would suggest looking at the Dahon line of folding bikes. They are very popular in Japan where space is at a premium. One hundred miles a day on a bike is a very demanding but doable ride. Fifty miles a day on a bike is my preferred distance as it isn’t as demanding and requires a speed that allows for looking around. In an EOTW situation, you are going to want to proceed more slowly to allow you to scope out for possible dangers. See my series on using a bike as a bug-out vehicle. In your case, a get home vehicle. I was able to ride with a pair of knees that when the orthopedist looked at the x-rays, he said “Most of my patients come to me long before their knees look like that.”
I would also scout out back roads for a route home as opposed to planning on cruising the interstate. I have found that the newer maps from the auto club don’t contain the detail that the older maps did. Everyone is using some form of GPS and the maps reflect it. Some of my older maps are no longer available from the auto club. I would print out if at all possible paper maps of alternate routes using quieter smaller back roads from your GPS to keep in your vehicle to use in an emergency. Have more than one alternate route home planned in case your first choice turns out not to be doable.
Danger also lies in spent nuclear fuel rod storage areas. These require a supply of cooling water on a continuous basis. If the power goes out the pumps stop and the rods can heat up and go critical. In other words a nuclear kaboom!
Not really… It is actually rather difficult to make radioactive material go N-Boom. A waste/cooling pond full of expended fuel rods, absent refreshment of its cooling water, still simply lack the density for a significant fission or fusion reaction to go N-Boom Create a sizzling, radioactive wasteland for a long time and a few miles across for sure, and a bit further upwind, no doubt.
I’m sure not a “nucular” scientist by any means, but I understand that uncooled fuel rods get quite warm and can set fire to flammable material in proximity and the subsequent fire can release radioactive material into the atmosphere for as long as the uncooled fuel rods remain. The effect is probably worse than if they went boom and dispersed all the radioactive material in one shot.
I hear on Japanese National Television which I watch daily as I prefer their news broadcasts to U.S. crapola, that they are still futzing around with the rods at Fukushima which are still emitting radioactivity, especially into underground water supplies. That’s over eight years ago. Of course, eight years is less than the blink of an eye where Mom Nature is concerned.
left coast chuck,
That only happens if the containment structure has been seriously damaged. At Three Mile Island, there was only a small release of fission products, and while it’s still a hot zone inside, the containment is still intact. If the fuel bundle gets hot enough, it could melt through the bottom of containment and into the ground, as was famously depicted as “The China Syndrome”.
At Cher noble, there was no containment structure and the fission products all released into the air where the prevailing winds took them into Europe, where they were detected before the Russians told anyone about the accident.
Fukushima was unfortunately built on the coast where it was susceptible to a tsunami and where leaking fusion products can still contaminate the surrounding seas. So once again, your location and that of the plant are paramount.
All in all a good article; but, I’ll address things as well as my mitigation of them one at a time.
#1. Inability to Gather Family
Sometimes there is little you can do here. My boys live 60 and 90 miles from here; but, are both grown and quite capable on their own. My girl lives out of state, recently graduating from college, and has a rather good support network, considering she lives in a large city. They are all pretty much on their own; but, have been taight and trained well.
#2. Immediate Martial Law
As a 20 year volunteer with my local county EMA, I have seen what goes on under the hood, and there is quite a lot of planning and equipment in place for mitigation of many situations. While a lot of it is confidential to members, none of it is secret; but, a public always looking for conspiracies would take little portions and make trouble where none is needed. For instance, a program called PODS (Point of Distribution) is in place to allow us to pass medications to every county resident in the case of a biological attack. At this point there are no eminent threats; but, like any insurance policy, these are the premiums for the “just in case” situation we hope will never happen.
Floods, tornadoes, and EMP also have their plans in place; but, from my perspective, living miles from any city, town or village is the best way to avoid this potential problem.
Yet another reason for rural living.
We live on our BOL, actually BIL, full time and have no plans or wishes to leave. We could live here without leaving the property for a year or two without any problems or outside support.
#3. Misinformation – Government too optimistic
This means multiple sources of information and think things through to see what makes sense; but, that’s what we should all be doing now anyway.
As a retired engineer and long time Amateur radio operator, communication will not be an issue.
#4. No Focus on Self Sufficiency
35 years on this long ago paid off property with the ability to do almost everything we need to do right here, makes this an easy one. Chickens, livestock, garden, and perennial items like fruits help a lot. We have some neighbors who will join us, since we have a large house with whole house generator and plenty of fuel and consumables. Thos neighbors bring skills like medical and security.
We already do some of this; but, the local old world Amish will be a great resource.
#5. Poor Faraday Cage Construction
As a retired engineer with 40+ years of real world experience including working with commercial Faraday enclosures and having the proper test equipment, I can attest that many of those insulated aluminum foil creations will work fine and are probably better than a larger enclosure. Leaving a radio or other device in its original box and wrapping that box with overlapping transverse layers of foil will create a highly effective EM barrier while, using a single enclosure that fails means losing everything at once.
A non EM analogy is how I store most of my grain. I have some in 5 gallon buckets with Mylar & O2 absorbers; but, the bulk of it is in #10 cans. I had a friend who got a bug infestation in a pail of grain and lost it all; but, the loss of a can is not as devastating as a whole pail, as the loss of a device is not as bad as all at once.
Or as I mentioned above, a lot of little ones.
#6. Immediate Military Takeover
This is where rural living helps along with being well armed and having neighbors with the same mindset & training.
If you were a General you would not do it in the dead of night; but, during rush hour or perhaps at midnight on December 31 when many people are away from home and potentially drunk.
As for Manhattan, Chicago, etc. I agree; but, that’s just another good reason for rural living.
I live in my home base and will shelter in place, with others coming to reinforce the location.
#7. Failure of OPSEC
While my neighbors may not call themselves “preppers” by that name, I am surrounded by rural people who are some of the most talented, self sufficient people you can find anywhere. We all always come to help others as a way of life, and I don’t see that stopping.
#8. Living Near a Nuclear Power Plant
As mentioned above, you need to educate yourself on the difference between fusion and fission, since the former is the sun and the later all of the power plants.
In my case, the closest is more than 90 miles and down winds from my location. Keeping some things to mitigate and reinforce your shelter is probably a good idea, like plastic, duct tape, and Potassium iodide
I am much more worried about a cyber attach than EMP. This would bring down the entire country the same as an EMP without requiring the enemy to have the capability of having a nuclear device. Yes, vehicles and generators would run for awhile but when the fuel runs out those are useless. No electricity means no water or sewer for the majority of the population. Etc.
I don’t think opposing commanders will much care about big cities, cut off from supplies and support they will self destruct. Cities that are cut off by destruction of bridges, roads and C&C will become their own battle ground pretty quickly and after a few weeks you can move right in if you like after you dispose of the bodies.