It’s a question all of us preppers have asked ourselves many times. It might actually be the first question that triggered our need to start prepping now, rather than wait and see what happens in the aftermath.
With that in mind, we gathered 5 articles that will come in useful in any off-grid scenario, but especially after an EMP takes down our grid.
1. How To Live Without Electricity – Part II
“We are a generation that was born on innovation and in a short period of time we became addicted to all the electronic devices that are part of our daily lives.
The Internet, the cell phones and our personal computer are all devices that control us and we can’t function properly without them. All these devices rely on a common denominator – electricity. When the flow of electricity suddenly stops, our normal existence will stop as well and we will have to adapt to a new world, a world without electricity.”
Read more on Prepper’s Will.
2. A Sobering Taste Of Grid Down
“On Tuesday Nov. 17, a massive hurricane-force windstorm slammed the Inland Northwest, notably northeast Washington and the Idaho panhandle. Hundreds of trees came down. Thousands of branches littered streets and intersections. Roofs flew off or were smashed by falling trees. Three people died. Power poles – not just lines, but poles – snapped like matchwood. Electricity across the two largest cities in the area – Spokane and Coeur d’Alene – as well as most of the outlying region, was down for anywhere from a few hours to 10 days.
To compound the misery, temperatures dropped into the high teens at night and low 30s during the day. With so many people utterly dependent on electricity for heating, cooking, lighting, medical care, sanitation and every other facet of comfortable life, results ranged from wretched to tragic.”
Read more on WND.
3. Simple survival tips for using a map and compass
“After all, the sun was out, the day was nice, the trail is clear, the scenery beautiful and you stuck the map and compass in the pack somewhere. It was hard to get to, so you didn’t check it.
And, the point was to get out in the woods and relax, and who can unwind when you have to fool around with land navigation tasks? Besides, you’re well prepared, with survival knife, a survival kit, tarp and…all that stuff.”
Read more on Survival Common Sense.
4. 7 Secrets for Burning Sticks in the Rain
“Mother Nature is neutral. She does not care if you’re able to survive what she throws at you. That’s her nature… uncaring, unpredictable, wild and beautiful.
I love a rainy night. But, come on! When I started this article, it had rained 16 out of the last 17 days in Georgia. Figuratively and literally, we were soaked to the bone. Nothing outside was dry… tinder, kindling, and fuel were saturated… perfect weather for some survival training.
You can’t control Mother Nature, but you can learn skills to survive her storms. I recently wrote about three skills that forgive your shortcomings in Core Temperature Control. All three are important. But if you could only work on one of these skills, I would recommend fire craft.”
Read more on Survival Sherpa.
5. Abandoned Cars: Survival Salvage Ideas
“I have known an unusual collection of people who can’t always tell me where they have been or what they have done without them saying, “If I tell ya, I’ll have to kill ya.” My standard line is if you have to even break one of my finger nails it’s too much information.
Most of us have read about EMP and or Grid Down situations which could leave many people not where they want to be when the lights go out.”
Read more on The Prepper Journal.
This article has been written by Brenda E. Walsh for Survivopedia.
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EASTOFAUSTIN | December 5, 2015
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I don’t know that I could survive an EMP given a bum leg and a suburban location. However, I have come to believe that a Cyber Attack may be far more likely to bring down the grid. It could do almost as much long term damage to commercially distributed electricity as an EMP. The difference is that electronics, including the electronics in vehicles, would still function if they have power. This may help some survivalists. It may hurt others. If people are already at a sustainable BIL or at their BOL, if they have sensitive electronics shielded, they would be protected from most people because transportation would be severely limited in the case of an EMP. In the case of a cyber attack which took down the major grids, it would put tens, if not hundreds, of million people on the road in vehicles with some food, some weapons and limited fuel. There is no telling where those people will run out of gas, or into a traffic jam they can’t get past. Of course, on the positive side, if you are a person with a plan and a place to go having an operating vehicle would make all the difference in the world. I’m really ticked that a friend of mine sold his ’75 K5 Blazer that I told him I wanted if he were ever to sell it. It was gone before he remembered that I wanted it. It was in almost perfect condition and he sold it for peanuts compared to it’s real worth in a post SHTF world. I guess I could get enthusiastic about “old cars” and find an old PU to restore, but I’d best get body armor first because if I brought another project home, my wife would probably take a shot at me.
Rattlerjake | December 5, 2015
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Fact is that an EMP is most likely. Even the bible refers to a catastrophic event, that the whole world would see. A cyber attack would be nothing more than an inconvenience to most, but an EMP would stop this country in it’s tracks. I have a ’74 Blazer (lucky me), I also have a ’92 ford diesel as well as a stockpile of a few hundred gallons of fuel. Being in a suburban location doesn’t prevent you from caching needed supplies.
EASTOFAUSTIN | December 6, 2015
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Jake, read Ted Koppel’s book on Cyber Attacks. I’ve given a copy to an engineer who was in charge of power transmission and safety systems for a major city for more than 25 years before he retired. He said that it is totally feasible. In what is said. Texas has it’s own grid. There are either two (or four more) in the nation depending how you count– two if you talk of total separation. His comments were that if the computer system were hacked to unbalance the loads, the major step down transformers could be ruined, and they could take years to replace, if it were possible to ever replace them. There are few sources where an EMP could originate. (Nuclear nation states could do that, but we are back to MAD.) That leaves rogue nations that furnish weapons grade nuclear material to terrorist, or terrorists taking over a place like Pakistan. The point that Kappel makes, and my friend (and Pentagon officials) confirm is that someone who really understands the system, programming and has access to a laptop computer could bring the grids down in a way they might never start again.
As for surviving in a suburban environment, I think you are optimistic. I could have food stockpiled for a year and weapons to defend my block and supposed we all worked together and protected what we have. Eventually, things run out, and unless they can be replaced urban and suburban locations are death traps for an unending situation. In classic times, the only cities that could grow to more than about 10,000 were those who had seaports or river transport that could bring in foodstuffs and needed supplies. (Now we have highways and trucks.) Importing food was the self limiting factor in population when all transport was by animal power. That was in an age where people had backyard gardens, hen houses and maybe raised a pig or two behind their house. Knowledge and hardwork were not the issues in those days. It was a matter of space to grow fodder for animals, bring in fuel for heat, etc. To think of surviving in place in a semi-permanent power outage is a pipe dream. For three months, for six months, maybe. The real answer is to be a part of a functional rural community that is well prepared to begin with, and who has the will to do what it takes to survive. When I was forty, I was there. Now closer to 70, I’m not.
Rattlerjake | December 6, 2015
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Frst of all I wouldn’t take stock in anything written by a left wing journalist, even if he is leaning more to the right these days. Second, If you pay attention to biblical scripture and what Putin and China are up to a cyber attack is less likely than Russia firing an EMP, they could do it easily, and it only takes one. But either way it i disastrous. Lastly, I may be optimistic, considering I have been “planning” for several years, as well I produce all of my food needs and have a small seed bank as well. Scripture talks about worldwide famine of epic proportions, and that is what will hit the US the hardest, you better give up on the idea of transporting food to feed whole communities and concentrate on how to show people to establish gardens. 70 years old is not dead, you can still make a difference, don’t throw in the towel just because of your age. Im 59, and I’m intent on being here til the end and sending every libturd I can o his judgement! Retired SF, De oppresso liber!
EASTOFAUSTIN | December 6, 2015
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Jake, read what I said again. When I was forty, I lived in a small rural community. Given a mother on hospice, a wife with breast cancer, a daughter with a special need child, we moved back to an urban area. I haven’t thrown in any towel. If I can, I’ll get back to a rural site and I know exactly where it is. It’s too far for me to walk given the plates, screws and osteo-arthritis in my foot. I can do anything I need to do, but I can’t do anything the next day.
In terms of Koppel’s book, what I trust is my engineer friend’s verdict on the book. In terms of Russia or China popping an EMP nuke, they would be paid back in spades.
The cyber attacks that probe every day CAN do irreparable damage to our systems. Like all the terrorist acts, they only have to get through the defenses once. We have to play 100% defense. “Lone Wolves” are almost impossible to stop every time. One of the things that Koppel points out is how many “soft targets” there are in the grid. Read it before you decide to simple write it off because of the author.
Greg | December 10, 2015
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Most of my military schooling in dealing with EMP ‘stuff’ had to do with post Atomic events. And our main thought was, don’t worry, cause all you have time for is to ‘.. spread legs, bend down & kiss your ‘rump’ goodby..” the rest is all silliness! Bug out truck, car or bike in big cities, you ain’t getting across a down bridge, or raised draw bridge or through a closed tunnel. Your stuck, so hunker down the best you can.
eastofaustin | December 10, 2015
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Assuming a none nuclear event, it all depends when you leave. If you recognize the situation for what it is; if you leave within hours; if your destination is within the fuel range of your vehicle, there is a good chance you can make it to a better place. If the power goes out, most people will not panic within the first 24 hours.
That’s my guess.
greg | December 10, 2015
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An ICBM can/ could reach the US in less that an hour from just about any where. Our chances of being informed by the BSers in DC are about none, to less than none. We’re on our own & will have to deal with it. Back in the 50’s CD pamphlets gave ‘useful info’ on how to survive an ICBM attack, like; keep you car topped off, always turn to you CD stations on the AM band of your radio…. ! Yeah right! Don’t live in major coastal cities & not in apartment buildings or houses made of wood.
eastofaustin | December 10, 2015
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I was not talking about ICBMs used as “conventional nukes”. I was talking about a grid down situation. A “nuclear event” would be an EMP which would/could take out most electronics, including the computers that make vehicles with electronic ignitions go. The contrast would be a cyber attack which could take down the grid. That would not affect the functioning of vehicles. It would just take down the power system. My point is that most people will not freak out in the first 12 hours. In 24 to 36 hours, all bets are off.
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