Preparedness

The EMP – What To Do

Starfish Prime

Does anyone recall that name? 

What it means when we are speaking of an EMP?

The first human-caused EMP occurred in 1962 when the 1.4 megaton Starfish Prime thermonuclear weapon detonated 400 km above the Pacific Ocean.

It was a test of a thermonuclear weapon one hundred times bigger than what was dropped on Hiroshima, Starfish Prime resulted in an EMP which caused electrical damage nearly 900 miles away in Hawaii. 900 miles for one weapon?Considering that this was detonated in 1962, how much more damage could follow from the numbers of weaponry in today’s arsenal?

As mentioned in the last post, we recently had balloons pass over the country at 60,000 feet, which is equivalent to just over 11 miles. It has to make a person wonder if it could be used as a delivery system for such a weapon. September 2022, China’s AIR announced the successful trial of a balloon that can reach heights of 30 km and carry up to 1.2 tonnes as part of a project for developing near-space technologies. For reference, the W87 Mk-21 warhead/RV has an approximate weight of the is 800 pounds and has a yield of 300 kilotons. This type of device is well within the capabilities of such a delivery system.

Recently, some fictional books have looked to address this very topic. A collection that I have also chosen to toss my hat into the ring of this story with the latest installment titled Cincinnati Fall.

Researching this topic while writing the book, is what led to these posts and hopefully a bit of realism within the pages of this fictional tale.

The question is this… What can we do?

  • The principal causes of death will be:
    • Commercial airliners dropping from the sky due to loss of power
    • Medical life support systems failing across the country
    • Power plants generators failing
    • Pacemakers and other similar devices failing

If you are lucky enough to be one of the survivors of an EMP attack, your chances of survival are actually rather high after the EMP attack. They depend mostly on your environment and survival knowledge. An EMP attack does not affect the human body and depending on where you live; you won’t even know it happened until you maneuver an electronic device.

All experts agree that the 2-3 years following an extensive EMP attack will claim millions of lives. Having an EMP attack survival guide and knowing what to do in the first days after the event will determine your chances of survival.

Bugging in after an EMP attack

Things you will need to think of and do… You can prepare these things ahead of time and be prepared.

Collect as much water as possible- This can be from your faucets by storing and treating it for long term. You could also consider stocking up on bottled water or getting a means of water purification. [Listen to this show on water]

Go shopping after an EMP attack hits – We all know each of us should be buying that something extra to stock up. If the pandemic taught us anything, it was just how fast the stores will empty. Grab a few extra items on each trip to the store [not only food]. Are you at Home Depot? An extra box of screws or a spare hammer would not hurt. But that five bucks you spend on Starbucks every day could mean life and death in the event of a disaster. Take time now to do this, but if not, this should top your list of to do’s. Which leads me to one last bit… Make sure you have cash.

Stock up on medical supplies – As with any of these things, if you can do it now, get started! Add this to your list of things to shop for. Even extra bandaids or pain relievers could be a lifesaver in an emergency. In my most recent book, I consider the options for us through the character’s need for antibiotics.

Improvise a cooking area – Will your stove work? Are you the person who has a high-tech all-electric kitchen? NOTHING will work with the power grid down. At the very least, perhaps a barbeque grill would be a great way to cook after. But, again, if you hadn’t prepared, consider finding rocks and doing it the old-fashioned way in an outdoor fire pit. Improvise is the key word here. Think about pulling that rack out of your oven and placing it over the pit for a cooking rack.

Establish a defensible perimeter and secure your home – This is something I cannot stress enough. Most will not die from the EMP but from other causes, and one of these will be other humans. It might be a good time to think about the perimeter and its defensibility. If you can stock up on weapons, install fences, rose bushes in front of windows, and other things, now is the time. If you must think about it after, think low tech… My characters use punji sticks in the creek bed.

Scavenge for the remains of a lost era – Old tools and items that are non-electric could be your only way to fix or build, process meats or cook. Consider storing away Gramma’s old pressure canner, or Grampa’s hand drill, just in case.

Dig a latrine – This is likely one of those things we don’t think about, but sanitation (or lack thereof) will be the issue when the world is plunged back to the pre-electrified age. Poor sanitation killed more people in these days because of disease and infection than most other things. Before or after, this is crucial to add to your list.

Make sure you can become self-sufficient after an EMP attack. It could save your life!

The key to preparedness is not only to stockpile things but to consider WHAT IF… In this post, I reference my latest book CINCINNATI FALL that is centered on this kind of event and how it addresses things. By running scenarios through your mind, you can think about the ways that unexpected things can come up as well as ways to either prepare or handle them. Fiction is a great way to consider events and what kinds of struggles we can face and need to overcome. Join us on Facebook to chat about these things in our preparedness group.

DJ Cooper

Bestselling author of the Apocalypse, DJ Cooper, writes books like these and many others to help others learn about the threats we could face in emergencies while offering ideas on how we can circumvent issues on our own.

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