Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Clearing the plates from the dinner table, you hear your kids in the living room. It’s summer and it’s hot. Thunderstorms were happening almost every evening as the earth struggled to deal with the cool dry air meeting hot moist summer days.
Suddenly, the lights flicker. The power surges, and then it all goes out. The kids start to chatter and let you know that the power has gone out, as if you hadn’t noticed. You look at your wife and she shows visual signs of annoyance as though you had something to do with it.
From there, you realize that not only is your power out, your phone has shut off as well. Your phone, her phone, and your kid’s iPad. In fact, all electronics have been rendered inoperable. Your heart begins to race because you know exactly what this means: the world has just been thrust back 150 years.
Once you realize and become certain that an EMP attack has occurred, you’ll want to take action immediately. If you are fast and efficient, you will be able to ascertain the severity of the situation and make life-saving decisions based on that information.
Here are 11 steps to take immediately following an EMP strike.
1. Check Communication Methods
Smartphones, WIFI, and landlines should all be checked using multiple devices to assure that all signals and electronics are offline. Even if you find that a landline is operational, you will more than likely be calling to someone who is using a cellphone.
Shortwave radio should also be checked, if applicable. If you find that all of these methods and the electronics within them have been fried, you’ll know it’s an EMP.
2. Check Battery Powered Devices
During your diagnosis of this disaster, you may also want to check a few simpler, battery-powered devices. Things like small toys and handheld games may work to varying degrees or not at all.
If you find that your full inventory of electronics is out of order, it is time to get concerned about the possibility of an EMP.
3. Collect Local Intelligence
After the first two steps, it’s time to talk to people. You remember people, right? They are the meaty creatures on two legs that look like you.
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Well, people live all around you and while you may wince at the idea of talking to them, this type of local intelligence will tell you much more about what’s going on in your area. Someone may have information that is critical to your next steps.
4. Remove Your EMP Protected Items
Since you are on this site and reading this article, I am going to assume that you have an emergency radio inside a Faraday cage right now.
If not, you should be taking older outdated electronics and storing them safely using some sort of grounding metal container. This is the first step for anyone concerned about an EMP.
Now is the time to pull these items out. If you store nothing else for an EMP emergency, at least store a small emergency radio.
5. Check Your Emergency Radio
The best type of emergency radio is going to be something small and easily charged by the sun. The hand crank models are great, but that crank is going to run out on you and, depending on the quality of the radio, it could run out fast.
Don’t be a victim of shoddy equipment.
Scan all channels on both radio dials. Look for any signal and any news about events around the nation. It could turn out to be an isolated EMP impact or you may find dead air on all stations. That is the worst-case scenario.
The next steps will depend on where you live.
6. Get Out of Dodge
If you live in a highly populated area, keep in mind that an EMP is going to cause absolute chaos and mayhem. It’s time to grab your bug out bag and get out of dodge as quickly as possible.
Ideally, you already have a bug out location prepared and know exactly how to get there while avoiding roads that are likely to be blocked.
If, on the other hand, you live in a small town or rural area, your best bet might be to stay put. Either way, continue on with the following steps.
7. Explain What’s Happened to Your Family
After all the diagnosis is over and you’re 99% sure you are dealing with an EMP attack, the time has come to brief the family. It will be one of the most serious discussions you have with your family and, depending on their level of preparedness and understanding, it could be a very difficult one.
Take your time here. Explain exactly what has happened and how it is going to affect the way of life that your family has become accustomed to. Let them know about the dangers and, above all, let them know that you are prepared for this and give them some hope.
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8. Gather Community to Discuss
No matter how involved in your community you may or may not be, now is the time to bring them together. You are the expert. When it comes to the EMP, there may be many people in your community who have never even heard of the EMP.
Gather your neighbors and bring your knowledge to them. In scenarios like this, all the info you can layout will help.
This is an appropriate time to also lay some very basic plans for community security and follow up meetings. Maybe things don’t get crazy but if they do, it’s better that you have something in place.
9. Bolster in Home Security
When you depart from the community setting, it is time to prepare your own home for the trouble to come. Whatever steps you can take to bolster your home security should happen next.
Take no breaks until you have a more secure home than you started with.
- Reinforce doors.
- Get weapons loaded and placed, safely, around the home.
- Set a perimeter around steps that will create some noise.
- Stay alert and be prepared to react.
10. Create Long Term Goals
Once your current situation is as secure as possible, it’s time to start looking to the future. Food, water, and resources are all things you need to be able to procure. Your current situation and where you need to be to live in a world without retailers, shipping companies, and other producers.
Consider the following on how you will turn your property into a sustainable homestead.
- Water Catchment
- Egg Producing Hens
- Meat Rabbits
- Large Vegetable and Grain Garden
- Medicinal Herb Garden
- Preservation Tools
11. Continually Assess the Situation
Beyond setting up the basic steps to preparing for the fallout following an EMP, you move into situation analysis. Through your meetings with the community, the radio, and your own observations, you must continually assess the situation around you.
Remember, just because an environment is safe now doesn’t mean it will stay that way. After a disaster, things change rapidly and they change often. Keep evaluating and know when it’s time to stay, arm yourself, or get outta there!
What would you add to my list of 11 things to do after an EMP attack? Leave your answer in the comments below.
What is commonly overlooked is that for thousands of years the human species has lived without electricity. Only in recent history have we become dependent on electricity and the food delivery systems that only have a few days food in any decent size urban area. Many will perish via violence, sickness and finally starvation. But those who remember that electricity is nothing but a recent toy for humans will be able to overcome and thrive in the social regression.
IMHO be very careful about letting people know what has specifically happened after the EMP. Letting people know that some disaster has happened and it would be prudent to treat this like a major is fine. But saying that this is an EMP, I know about these things and what can be done, can quickly morph into people’s minds that “Hey he (that is you) knew this was going to happen, did nothing about it and did not warn us!” Unfortunately people can be illogical and you could find yourself being blamed for what has happened!
Communication is not as important as you make it seem right off the bat. Chances of another event are high. Also emergency broadcasting will be on a loop likely and so you have time. Don’t ruin your gear. I don’t agree with community first. Sure up your house first because it can be time consuming even with all your plans thought out beforehand. As far as a second or third step…cook all your freezer items asap. Everyone will be doing the same so it will be seen as “normal”. Can what you can, jerky the rest. Eat what can’t be preserved first. When you are trying to lay low make meals from canned foods that don’t take more than just heating (can be done over a sterno or candle) and no cook foods are good too. Make sure you blackout your windows so no one can see you have lighting. I intend to put blackout garbage bags over my curtains so they don’t look covered. Move furniture in front of low windows. Set traps. Load weapons. Panic room ready for kids with books, gear, and other items towards outside walls to protect them. Wait for group members to arrive. Dig holes for buckets to add to water catchment so people can’t easily see you have prepared for it. They wont see them if you level them with the ground in the backyard. Get street spikes out and ready for when you do talk to neighbors. Use cars to block off street.
The #1 way to An EMP attack can be pulled off is with an AIR BUST NUCLEAR WEAPON. Yes; It will destroy electronic devices. But look at it from the attackers point of view. A computer is not worth anything if you don’t have the right parts to repair it once you capture it.
If someone uses a nuclear air bouP, they are not going to give a rats a** about preserving what’s in someone’s computer. They would be setting off an EMP not to capture ground but to disable a nation and its populace.
If staying put and not bugging out you need a supply of fire extinguishers in case of fire. I’ve seen nothing on websites about this and maybe it’s an oversight. Also you can have a company come over an treat your windows with a heavy duty plastic that reinforces the glass so it won’t break if somebody has a rock and trying to bust ur window to gain access. 3M makes the plastic and I have on my porch and all lower level windows. It ain’t perfect but can buy you time to react. Also you can use garden concrete blocks from perimeters of gardens to build a defensive wall inside your house. I’ve got bricks, cement blocks and boxes of books that should stop most ammo.
Check for running water from your faucets. If so, start filling all bottles, jugs, etc that you can before it turns off or bad. Double block off the tub and fill it. As soon as you don’t have good water, turn off the main incoming valve.
Keep an eye on floor drains and any lower drains for back up. Ideally, block them off as soon as possible.
I totally agree. There are always solutions to new circumstances by changes whether controlled or not.
We either adapt or perish. Wind and water has high potential. Henry Ford stated,”Thinking! It’s the hardest work you can ever do.” I have a lot of hand powered tools, oil lamps, etc. It wouldn’t be easy, nothing in life that truly worthwhile ever is. Just think, adapt and carry on.
Keep in mind, as long as we have knowledge, and reason, and determination, we can overcome not having electricity. Notice I never say “easily” overcome not having electricity. But we can over come it. Most generators can be repaired, and in many cases only the electronic component parts, such as control boards, pc type circuitry, logic boards, or ignition systems will be inoperative. The coils and mechanical parts will most likely still be sound and usable. EMP or voltage surges will not generally “fry” larger electric motors, or machinery, beyond the point that it cannot be repaired and returned to service by knowledgeable electricians and craftsmen. My grandfather was a steam engineer who graduated from MIT in the 1920’s. He could make nearly anything non electronic, anything we have today that is electrical, run with steam power. It is not rocket science, and the knowledge is out there in libraries and books. Almost all power tools like table saws, band saws, drill presses, and many other types of tools can be altered to run on steam powered motors, with belts and drive shafts. There are old factories around that used to run on nothing but mechanical power sources like water wheels.
There is an old woolen mill, now turned into a tourist attraction/museum in Salem Oregon, called Thomas Kay Woolen Mills (https://www.willametteheritage.org/thomas-kay-woolen-mill) . When this mill was built they had NO electricity. The visionaries and engineers that designed it, and the craftsmen/mechanics that built and operated this mill for decades, ran the whole place on hydro-mechanical power from a water wheel built into a canal running off a major year round stream.
They did not even have electrical lights for illumination, and due to the flammable hazards associated with using oil, or gas lamps around milling fabrics the factory operated only during daylight hours, as the whole factory/mill was illuminated by sunlight through huge walls of windows. My point is that just because electricity is not being generated on the grid, and modern electronics no longer function, does not mean that society as a whole needs to cease functioning. Wisdom and knowledge WILL trump modern conveniences if we do not panic and lose our heads, or sit around acting all doom and gloom. Remember: In scientia potestas est.
I totally agree. There are always solutions to new circumstances by changes whether controlled or not.
We either adapt or perish. Wind and water has high potential. Henry Ford stated,”Thinking! It’s the hardest work you can ever do.” I have a lot of hand powered tools, oil lamps, etc. It wouldn’t be easy, nothing in life that truly worthwhile ever is. Just think, adapt and carry on.
I believe that what Illini is referring to is that like IED terror attacks, one EMP dispersal will probably be followed by a second and even third to maximize the effect.
This is interesting Illini Warrior could you elaborate on a subsequent event? I have some ideas but I would like to see where you are coming from.
Sorry – but the very last thing you’d do after initially confirming an EMP type event is to crack open your Faraday cage – the chances of a soon-to-follow subsequent event is almost 100% …
when fairly sure that events has subsided and some kind of communications returned – it’s walk before run – get out your stored simplest AM/FM radio – IMMEDIATELY re-seal the cage – same same drill with your ham radio gear …. having multiples and degrees of gear quality can pay off …
Utilize swimming pool water after boiling. Gas barbecue to cook on. Broken glass bottles mortered on top of block perimeter wall.
Swimming pool water is often treated with chemicals that you don’t want to consume. Set up a catchment system for your drinking/cooking water.
A block perimeter wall screams ‘good stuff inside’. You want to look broken into and stripped like every place else. Try to remain invisible.
Nothing stimulates the senses like steak sizzling on the grill. You might as well send up smoke signals. Maybe Mr. Walton has some insights on cooking without drawing attention.