[nadja]

OK, lets see how informed and ready you really are.

Monday mornig (tomorrow) you wake up without your alarm clock/radio whatever. You notice it is already light, but that nothing is on. You walk to the kitchen and flip the switch and nothing happens. Now, you go to the bathroom to do the thing, but again no lights. You assume that some drunk has again just hit a pole.

After a few minutes , you walk outside to get the morning paper and notice how dark the neighborhood is. Hmmm

A little while later , you go to your car, and guess what? It won't start ! Now what do you assume has happened ? You now try your trusty little I pod or your pod or whatever, and violla, no phone either. Now , this is you shtf moment. What do you think happened and what are you going to do ?

Now, after a little while, you or someone else decides to walk the 6-7 blocks to the nearest fast food or circle k and find them also closed. You are also begining to notice a lot more people standing around with there pockets. Are you begining to wonder yet. ? Keep in mind there are no comunications of any kind. Now, you see a stranger in a really old car/truck moving around. Have you connected the dots yet ? No, well how about maybe some guy a couple of blocks over has some solar back up and a ham radio and starts telling everyone that the entire grid from coast to coast seems to be down.

Now, the question of the day, what are you and yours going to do ? This should be considered a major event , possibly with no recovery in sight for at least two years if ever.

 

[Lucky Jim]

..Now, the question of the day, what are you and yours going to do ? This should be considered a major event , possibly with no recovery in sight for at least two years if ever.

I'd make for the nearest food/drink shops and hope i find one that's open so's i can stock up, then i'd hole up at home and hope that government/military loudspeaker vans or helicopters will arrive in the city to inform everybody what's going on and what we should do.
I'd also keep trying the TV and radio to see if i could pick up government messages (presumably they'd have their own generators to power their transmitters).
Possibly government food convoys and security troops would arrive sooner or later, so i'd hope that I had enough food and drink to last until then..

 

[nadja]

LuckyJim. You will not be so lucky if you believe that stuff. IF the gobert has their own gennies ? So what.? Your tv and all elec stuff is down. Your car unless really old will also be down. It is called an emp event. Nothing elec that uses modern tech will be working. You need to quit the gaming stuff and start learning a little or better, a lot more. You are not living in the real world.

 

[Lucky Jim]

LuckyJim. You will not be so lucky if you believe that stuff. IF the gobert has their own gennies ? So what.? Your tv and all elec stuff is down. Your car unless really old will also be down. It is called an emp event. Nothing elec that uses modern tech will be working. You need to quit the gaming stuff and start learning a little or better, a lot more. You are not living in the real world.

Ah, so now you're springing on us the fact that it was an EMP event, you never said that before! Anything else we should know?
We wargamers never begin a game until we're in full possession of all the facts, then we can formulate a plan to win..
PS, as regards luck, I make my own luck, right Kid?

"Right!"

"Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don't depend on it" - Anon
"Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men"- E.B.White
"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it.... Luck to me is something else.....realizing what is opportunity and what isn't" - Lucille Ball
"Luck is believing you're lucky" - Tennessee Williams
"A person does not seek luck, luck seeks the person" - Turkish proverb
"I deserved my good luck" - Margaret Thatcher
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference"- Winston Churchill

 

[nadja]

Ah, so now you're springing on us the fact that it was an EMP event, you never said that before! Anything else we should know?
We wargamers never begin a game until we're in full possession of all the facts, then we can formulate a plan to win..
PS, as regards luck, I make my own-

"Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don't depend on it" - Anon
"Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men"- E.B.White
"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it.... Luck to me is something else.....realizing what is opportunity and what isn't" - Lucille Ball
"Luck is believing you're lucky" - Tennessee Williams
"A person does not seek luck, luck seeks the person" - Turkish proverb
"I deserved my good luck" - Margaret Thatcher
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference"- Winston Churchill

Did I spring it on you ? After all I gave you enough clues as to what was most likely going on. NO Elec. No modern working cars, cell towers down all comunications down. You will have to learn to think without benifit of your computer if you want to live

 

[Lucky Jim]

Oh right, I'd already half-guessed it was an EMP event, but what threw me was that guy driving around in an old car, and a guy who had a working ham radio, so why hadn't the EMP pulse affected them?
But even knowing it was an EMP event wouldn't make me change my survival strategy, namely to hole up at home with food stocks for as long as possible, as i'm sure the govt has a contingency plan to send in food supplies and stuff.

 

[nadja]

The guy driving around in the old car was because as I said earlier , it was before modern electronics or computers in car. The ham radio guy is most likely someone like me with a power back up. In my case, I live entirely off the grid on solar, wind with 3 back up gennies just in case. Redundance is the key

 

[AquaHull]

One Second After

 

[Watercanlady]

I would go back in the house and continue on....

 

[nadja]

Maybe you out there need to think a little bit more. Or a lot. IF the grid were to go down, from an emp type sceneario, here is what life would be like

No, gas, money from banks, jobs all gone again no pay, food would not be coming to your local grocer, no communications othere then home powered cbs and ham radio's, hospitals, once there back up gennies ran out of fuel, would not be able to assist. Dr's and nurses couldn't get to work, no gas, and even if they could , most would not as no paychecks.
Farms also require fuel and in large numbers to operate their equipment, and why should they grow when there would be no hope of getting paid ? Not to mention, that they couldn't buy seed. City people never seem to give this any thought, but farmers have to buy new seed every year, and in very large quanities.
Water and sewage in the cities would stop. All transportation after even a few weeks would stop. Theft and rioting would become common every day things. Especially those in the big cities.

I joined this forum a couple of weeks ago, thinking that I might be able to contribute to everyones safe and long lasting well being. Instead, I find very few people more interested in cracking jokes then taking this seriously. Well, most of you will not survive any type of long term effect. Trying to open your eyes and thinking capicity to help, not make it like another computer game. Most of you from what I have read, would be far better off playing with your games. Thats ok, there is a Fema Camp with your name on it waiting just for you.

 

[ibewbull]

Maybe you out there need to think a little bit more. Or a lot. IF the grid were to go down, from an emp type sceneario, here is what life would be like

No, gas, money from banks, jobs all gone again no pay, food would not be coming to your local grocer, no communications othere then home powered cbs and ham radio's, hospitals, once there back up gennies ran out of fuel, would not be able to assist. Dr's and nurses couldn't get to work, no gas, and even if they could , most would not as no paychecks.
Farms also require fuel and in large numbers to operate their equipment, and why should they grow when there would be no hope of getting paid ? Not to mention, that they couldn't buy seed. City people never seem to give this any thought, but farmers have to buy new seed every year, and in very large quanities.
Water and sewage in the cities would stop. All transportation after even a few weeks would stop. Theft and rioting would become common every day things. Especially those in the big cities.

I joined this forum a couple of weeks ago, thinking that I might be able to contribute to everyones safe and long lasting well being. Instead, I find very few people more interested in cracking jokes then taking this seriously. Well, most of you will not survive any type of long term effect. Trying to open your eyes and thinking capicity to help, not make it like another computer game. Most of you from what I have read, would be far better off playing with your games. Thats ok, there is a Fema Camp with your name on it waiting just for you.

Stressing on jokes is not very prodctive, is it?
Everyone handles stress and emergencies in a different way.
Humor is one of my ways of life. I was in the ER and asked if I wanted to be resusitated 2 years ago as my arteries collapsed and they atempted to put IVs in both arms.
My reply was " Well yes. I don't think I am done here yet."
I must go now the voices are telling me to move it now.

 

[Buckinbronco66]

I will play your game...

An EMP event for me now I would act completly differently than I would have a year ago. I now live on a Navy Base so I would still have to go to work (We would all have to show up anyway; there are plans for that) I would let my wife know that she needs to get the cold smoker ready and leave the fridge closed and get out all the camping gear while I was gone. Also we would drain the water heater for extra water and see if there is any presure left in the pipes to fill any and all containers we have; any little bit of water is more than what we had before. If at all possible we would both go to the commisarry and grab more rice and beans, peas, powdered milk, most of the dried goods and what ever canned goods as possible. Luckely we live in WA where the average rain fall is around 4-5 feet a year. I would band together our court and try to help others that wern't prepared (not giving our stuff away but help them understand how to use what they have) Get the people around and let them know that with no heat and burning wood or any other fuel inside will kill them without proper ventilation; an easy fix for that is to band people together in a single home each room has an entire family to keep heat. foil up windows and close as many drafts as possible. see if they would all band with me and "pool" their food and have one person in control of all the food ie keeping stock and rationing (only need 1200 kcal to survive unless prego; kids get a little more because they are growing and they will be our future) start turning the park areas around the house into gardens and keeping a watch on said gardens 24/7; 6hr watch rotations (something we are used to on depoyment) even though we are on base doesnt mean that people havent prepared and aren't wiling to steal what we have started. end result we are on a base slightly protected and have to ban the neghiborhood by nehigborhood to our cause and teach them so we can be more self suficient. the biggest thing would have to be water and food teaching people to collect rain and store it properly and the gardens would be key. I am sure weapons would be issued but I still have my own... just in case...

a little scatter brained but its the best I could do where we are now

 

[nadja]

What do ya' know. A man with a real plan ! This is not so much as a game but a real possible life threatening scenario, and should be looked at as just that. It is designed to make you think beyond just buying extra food and guns. Survival depends more on your thinking process then all the food and guns in the world. And BuckinBronco66, you are in the thinking capacity, and will most likely be one of the people that will come out of this alive and well.
Najda, U.S.N. 65'-69

 

[Lucky Jim]

Nadja mate, don't let the jokey manner of me and some others give you the wrong impression..
Instead, regard our good-humoured mindset as a sign of our inner toughness and our total confidence in our survival ability!

For example check out this thread where Leon got busted up in a car smash but still kept his sense of humour like he said-
.."I had a pretty good grip on my mental state and that's the key to biofeedback- the mind is a very gullible thing and can fool itself. I went with humor, which was a big hit in the trauma ward. They say laughter is the best medicine, they weren't shitting.."
http://www.prepperforums.net/forum/friends-need-donation-links/365-leon-had-accident-2.html#post6886

I'm able to see the funny side of my own situations too, for example 10 years ago I was just out of jail (3 months vigilante rap), homeless, jobless, girlfriendless, near-penniless and living in a tent in a remote wood, shivering and near-hypothermic with thyroid problems, but not for an instant did i get depressed or lose my sense of humour. "Great" i thought,"I've ended up as Bigfoot!"..

But I soon got out and up, no problem, maybe my christian mindset had something to do with it, these words were written by an ex-bounty hunter after he became a christian-
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12)

So in a SHTF scenario I'm sure we'd all much prefer to be in a jolly group rather than a sombre moping bunch!
EMP pulse? Bring it on..

PS- and check out my superhumanly confident arrogant swagger and body language in this vid of me under my wargaming name of 'Poor Old Spike' which sends out the clear message to zombs that they sure as hell better not mess with me, I bin around..

 

[Lucky Jim]

But back to topic, we've established that an EM pulse knocked out the power grid and burnt out the sensitive electronics in just about everything, plunging us back into the Stone Age.
My reading is that the military has shielded much of their own electronics and stuff from EM pulse, and they'll also have their own generators, so wouldn't it be best to just sit tight at home until they get food convoys organised and begin feeding everybody?
Incidentally EM pulse can occurs in only two ways-
1- A mega solar flare zaps the earth
2- An enemy detonates one or more EMP bombs high in the atmosphere.

I can't really see an enemy wanting to do that, because blowing out our toasters, TV's and car wiring etc would serve no useful purpose in the long run, because a lot of military stuff would be shielded anyway, or am I missing something?

Interesting snippets from the net-
• On March 9, 1989, the sun spat a million-mile-wide blast of high-temperature charged solar gas straight at the Earth. The "coronal mass ejection" struck the planet three days later, triggering a geomagnetic storm that made the northern lights visible in Texas. The storm also induced currents in Quebec's power grid that knocked out power for 6 million people in Canada and the USA for at least nine hours.

• On July 9, 1962, the USA detonated the Starfish Prime, a 1.4-megaton H-bomb test at an altitude of 250 miles, some 900 miles southwest of Hawaii. The pulse shorted out streetlights in Oahu.

And there's a good EMP article here but it's a bit longwinded-
http://www.futurescience.com/emp/emp-protection.html

This excerpt from it backs up what i said about staying put for a while-
By buying an extra can of soup or other reasonably nutritious canned food every week or two, you can build up a food reserve -- before you realize it -- that will last you for at least a week or two. A week or two of "breathing room" after a disaster can give you great peace of mind and allow you to stop and think and plan for a future course of action (while the unprepared are all in a great panic). It is even possible that additional help will arrive after a week or two. The most important thing is to store at least a two-week supply of drinking water.

And this bit says wrapping an important item like a radio in plastic plus aluminium foil before an EMP happens will shield it, so maybe we should all wrap up a spare radio now so we can pick up any government broadcasts after the EMP event-
For small portable electronics, completely covering the electronic equipment in aluminum foil makes an adequate faraday cage around the equipment. The foil covering needs to be complete, without any significant gaps. Wrap the device in plastic or put it in an insulated box before wrapping the covered device in foil. (Otherwise, the foil may simply conduct the EMP energy into the device more effectively.)
A single layer of foil may not be adequate. In order to enclose the equipment in a nested faraday cage, place the foil-covered device in a plastic bag, such as a freezer bag, and wrap that bag completely in aluminum foil. If you really want to protect the equipment against a large EMP, add another layer of plastic and foil. The layer of plastic need to be the thickest plastic bags that you can easily find. (They don't need to be terribly thick, but do try to find some heavy-duty bags.)

Watch out, Snake Plissken triggers an EM pulse in 'Escape from L.A.'..
"He shut down the earth!"

 

[Lucky Jim]

Well, that's me set up for EMP-day, I just EMP-proofed a radio according to the instructions in the net article above..
Left to right-
1-first you must insert the radio into a plastic bag to insulate it from the foil,
2- wrap the bag snugly around it,
3- then wrap it in kitchen foil, secured with a few rubber bands.
In fact later on today i'll wrap it in a second and third foil layer for extra insurance, with two more plastic bags keeping the foils apart like it says in the article.
Then on EMP-day when everybody is running round with burnt-out radios shouting "What's going on? What's the word on the street?", I'll be able to tune in to emergency government transmissions to find out..

 

[nadja]

LuckyJim. You guys over the pond have weird electricity ! LOL I hope you took the batteries out of the radio before going through all that. I have heard things about emp that tend to go both ways. For instance, some scientiest believe that if a device is turne off, it will not be affected, while others think they will no matter what. That does kind of make a nice little emp proof bag. But the real question is, will it work.

But for real life information, Nasa does agree that beginning in or around Dec , 2012 there will be a very large cycle of the sun that will result in many X class solar flares lasting several months into 2013. Nobody really knows what really will happen.

 

[AquaHull]

Maybe you out there need to think a little bit more. Or a lot. IF the grid were to go down, from an emp type sceneario, here is what life would be like

No, gas, money from banks, jobs all gone again no pay, food would not be coming to your local grocer, no communications othere then home powered cbs and ham radio's, hospitals, once there back up gennies ran out of fuel, would not be able to assist. Dr's and nurses couldn't get to work, no gas, and even if they could , most would not as no paychecks.
Farms also require fuel and in large numbers to operate their equipment, and why should they grow when there would be no hope of getting paid ? Not to mention, that they couldn't buy seed. City people never seem to give this any thought, but farmers have to buy new seed every year, and in very large quanities.
Water and sewage in the cities would stop. All transportation after even a few weeks would stop. Theft and rioting would become common every day things. Especially those in the big cities.

I joined this forum a couple of weeks ago, thinking that I might be able to contribute to everyones safe and long lasting well being. Instead, I find very few people more interested in cracking jokes then taking this seriously. Well, most of you will not survive any type of long term effect. Trying to open your eyes and thinking capicity to help, not make it like another computer game. Most of you from what I have read, would be far better off playing with your games. Thats ok, there is a Fema Camp with your name on it waiting just for you.

I live in the woods already.

 

[SSGT]

But for real life information, Nasa does agree that beginning in or around Dec , 2012 there will be a very large cycle of the sun that will result in many X class solar flares lasting several months into 2013. Nobody really knows what really will happen.

I've read a lot of Nasa's stuff latley and havent heard any this...got an article? Website besides Nasa? I was active in watching the last 3 solar cycles before this one and they were MAJOR compared to our current "WUSS" of a cycle. From what I can see the only thing NASA can agree on is they dont have a clue of whats going to happen tomorrow much less a week or more from now.

 

[SSGT]

Well, that's me set up for EMP-day, I just EMP-proofed a radio according to the instructions in the net article above..
Left to right-
1-first you must insert the radio into a plastic bag to insulate it from the foil,
2- wrap the bag snugly around it,
3- then wrap it in kitchen foil, secured with a few rubber bands.
In fact later on today i'll wrap it in a second and third foil layer for extra insurance, with two more plastic bags keeping the foils apart like it says in the article.
Then on EMP-day when everybody is running round with burnt-out radios shouting "What's going on? What's the word on the street?", I'll be able to tune in to emergency government transmissions to find out..

Gotta GROUND on that thing? If you want to test it from an EMP....Throw it in the microwave a minute!

The idea is to route all current / static around the protected object to a GROUND....The charge will take the shortest route to ground leaving your equipment alone!