EMP Attack - Are You Prepared?

So a little while ago I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.
While looking over some information I started thinking (again) about something I come back to every once in awhile.

EMP Attack.

As a result I wrote down some notes, and then I thought I should share them with my nutty survivalist friends (lol)......
obviously most of this is not new to you since you are all experienced preppers...so if you find it repetitive - sorry...

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An EMP attack is a subject I have been thinking about for many years - it as a real potential threat. I first learned about it when I was in the military. Back in the days of Reagan, we actually had people that planned for dire emergencies (weird I know). Anyway the sudden, civilization-ending threat of it stuck with me for years as one of the most horrible potential threats to our country and our survival. The fact that our country now refuses to think about this, or plan for it, should not be surprising to anyone (not in light of the national debt and our national inability to even discuss it).

"EMP attack is different, it is not a rain of thousands of bombs, needing a vast and powerful military to deliver it, which means Russia and China are the only real threats in that realm. . .but unless seized by madness, their leaders know such an attack, within minutes would be met with thousands of bombs annihilating their country as well. It is a balance of terror that has now endured for nearly sixty years. An EMP attack is different since it only requires but one nuclear weapon, detonated 300 miles above the middle of the United States. One bomb. The launch could even be done from a container ship somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico and in that instant, the war is already over and won.

This site has great information on EMP burst and what it would do to our civilization, our country, and our families. The book this guy wrote sounds like a really informative read (I plan on buying it). Definitely do yourselves a favor and spend 30 minutes reading this material:

http://onesecondafter.com/pb/wp_d10e87d9/wp_d10e87d9.html

more great information:

http://www.endtimesreport.com/EMP.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3941916/EMP-Threat

This scenario requires specific and careful planning; and Yes it can be overwhelming to think and plan for - but as experienced preppers this concept is not new to any of us.
But if we remember to just cover the basics we really increase our chances:

Shelter - is it dry, warm and secure. If you have a fall back location, can you get there on foot or without a vehicle. Maybe you can buy a pre-1960 vehicle which will be sure to operate after an EMP attack. Can you cook food without betraying your presence through the smell? Observe light and smell discipline.

Water - a sure source (can you get water long-term without electricity) that is pure or easily purified.

Food - a safe stockpile with enough quantity to provide a minimum (very minimal) level of around 1,500 to 2,000 (3,000 would be much better) calories per day per family member (pd/pfm) for a time long enough to allow you to develop a sustainable production (crops). Buy non-hybrid seeds for this.

Security - Can you defend your home and family from multiple threats. This normally, and ideally, requires a number of people to protect multiple entry/access points. Do you have enough people to rotate security watches/patrols? People should be on watch 24 hours per day (a trained watch dog greatly helps), while others work or do chores. You may want to think about preparing bars for your windows which could be easily installed in a few minutes (make them out of rebar or in a pinch even iron piping). Other things which might help may be the design of structures or devices (barbed wire and mine fields are what the military uses to direct opposing forces into designated approaches) which channel people into likely approach avenues (control the physical setting). If you can channel people into a few predictable approaches then you can more easily defend your location.

Medical - Are you current with all your immunizations? I recommend you call your Doctor and tell them you are planning an extended trip to India, SE Asia and West Africa. If a Doctor knows this, they will then prescribe a long list of critical vaccinations. I did this two years ago and got the following immunizations:

TDaP, Polio, MMR, Varicella, Pneumonia, Rotavirus, Meningitis, typhoid, polio, rabies, tetanus, yellow fever, dengue fever,
encephalitis , hepatitis A & B,

Do you have extra stores of critical prescription meds?, Do you have stores of painkillers? anti-bacterials?, extra eye glasses (do they have tough frames?),
Are you current on your dental work? Get all work done and keep it up - also get familiar with your floss if you want to keep your teeth in a collapse scenario. Vitamins will be critical during stressful times especially when access to fruit and vegetables is greatly diminished. If you can start a dwarf lemon tree in your house for vitamin C production do it.

Energy / Fuel - Wood is a good long-term solution since it does not degrade and is replenish-able. Propane, Kerosene and other fossil fuels have tremendous stores of latent energy but will disappear quickly and may be a source of attraction for looters. Generators are only a very short-term energy source. The money spent on a generator would be better spent on a few cords of wood and a wood stove. Any Kerosene should be saved for lighting or cooking. As a friend pointed out - burying a few tons of coal in your backyard would provide many months worth of heating and cooking energy.

Communications - so this one is last because we are able to survive without commo. But we would be able to survive alot better with functioning communications. Also we are far better off if we can coordinate our movement, foraging, hunting, travel with greater tactical information. Anyway I wish I was more of an expert at communications so I don't have much here. A Ham radio with a hidden, deploy-able, long-wave antenna would be a great asset, (you should also keep your radio in a Faraday cage to protect it from EMP burst), also a handheld multi-band scanner would be a great asset too. I have read that a good improvised Faraday cage is an old Microwave radio with a grounding wire attached to it (Not verified).


I'd love to hear your thoughts on this stuff thanks.

Scott (aka Shellback)