Thanks for joining me for

this bonus podcast on what you can do to prepare for an EMP. As we discussed in

the main podcasts, the probability of a man-made EMP is unquantifiable. Should

one happen, it is likely to have severe consequences for the targeted area.

Because this will be an act of war, little may be done to assist those affected

by the event. Natural EMPs affecting our electrical grid have already occurred.

They will inevitably occur again. The unknown is to what level the world, and

your country, will be affected. During my research, I found some great articles

by individuals that had obviously spent a great deal of time thinking through

the subject. As always, their references are included in my show notes. What

level you prepare to is up to you. I expect that it will be directly correlated

to how realistic you think the threat is.

Almost 15 years ago, I spent

some time in New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The effects of a

natural disaster of this magnitude are pretty sobering. While there were many

heroic deeds and real admirable displays of humanity, what struck me was how

quickly society broke down. Within 12 hours of the hurricane, the expected

civilized American values were abandoned. I would never fault someone for

breaking into a store to acquire food in an emergency, but acquiring a

big-screen TV doesn’t seem to have the same sense of urgency. The complete loss

of order and the indescribable level of human filth on display at the Super

Dome was shocking. Although residents had several days warning about the

impending disaster, the vast majority did nothing to prepare. Instead, they

expected that others would take care of them after the disaster. This is a

really poor strategy. Even with pre-staging, the federal response took multiple

days and there simply weren’t enough resources to take care of everybody. The

bottom line was that if you didn’t prepare for yourself, it probably wasn’t

going to go very well for you. As a side note, the hurricane response I did to

Texas gave me a little more hope for humanity in the face of adversity.

After an EMP, the immediate

problems are going to be water. Followed shortly by food. If your water is

pumped from the ground, no electricity means no water. If your water is from

surface sources, no electricity means water purification is going to be

difficult. Finding a source of water, preferably clean is going to be

important. One source recommends having several metal buckets on hand that are

specifically made to be lowered down well casings both for water and also for

retrieving fuel from underground tanks. Along with drinking water, remember

that if your sewer system requires lift stations, things are going to get unsanitary

very quickly. If it is gravity fed, remember that without electricity, it will

soon be dumping nasties into its outlet. See my episode on hand washing for

why this is important.

Food will be rapidly become a

second priority. Preparation before an event will make this a much less

pressing problem. If this is a long-term event, having the materials and skills

to grow/harvest your own food could make all the difference. 

If your devices or home

electrical appliances still work, a generator or solar panels and batteries

would be vital in keeping them functioning as long as possible. You will also

need an inverter to power household appliances from solar. Fuel for generators

and cars is likely to be difficult to find.