# Off Grid senerio - EMP



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

2 pm in December, school day with Christmas decorations around town. Lights go out and all electronics stop; suddenly it's very quiet. Are you 20 stories up in a tall building or using a wrench under a car at work? All vehicles made after 1978 stop running leaving gridlock in the streets. Maybe you have water for a few days from the local water tanks, maybe you're not the lowest home on the sewer line, maybe you have kids at school with no way home?

Most stores close instantly since the register systems don't work. The wife is 20 miles from the house shopping, Do you go home or start walking in an attempt to find her, or find your kids? If the kids are grown you still need to find your wife or do you pray that she can hoof I back to the house. Got a family emergency plan?

Two days later and now the family is together. No internet, no news although someone may have a shortwave that can pick up signals from a few distant stations that come online over the next few days. If you're in an urban area the food stores are looted within 48 hours and gangs begin to form. Out on the countryside there are no close food stores. Food in the freezer is staying cold but the generator fuel will run out in 2 weeks, still, at least you have a generator unlike many of your neighbors. 

1. What are the first few major problems you may have?
2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

1. Getting to our rendezvous which is the boat. Neither of us leaves until we are both there, and then it setting sail out of the area late at night. 

2. There are a lot of people living on boats around me. There would likely be many wanting to sail out together, and if the timing was right we'd join them for a while. Most, however are power craft that will make too much noise, may not work in an EMP event or need fuel. So we'd need to choose carefully.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Your wrong cause my 93 diesel ford will be running just fine. Private well and septic, so no problems may have to dig a hole. Guess there isn't really anything to worry about in your scenario. If the wife sticks to the plan all will be just fine. Lock and load.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

always love the mysterious EMP - with no worries what-so-ever of the nuke blast(s) that produced the EMP - biggest worry is having the ice cream melt ....


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

I think that an EMP scenario is one of the most likely SHTF events. Based on what I have read/seen about EMP's and cars/electronics, there is still quite a bit of uncertainty as to the extent that they would be damaged. My understanding is that it would also depend on how said objects/cars may or may not be shielded. For instance a care in a close garage may have some protection where a car in the wide open would not.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

Im prepared to go on foot, even if I had a vehicle that would work, it wouldn't be much use, there would be to much gridlock because everyone who is on the road at the time of the attack will be shut down. I don't think everyone will push or coast to the side of the road so someone else can get through, most will be busy trying to figure out why there cellphones won't work....


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

John Galt said:


> 1. What are the first few major problems you may have?
> 2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?


I, like most of the population, live near a city. This is how I see an EMP attack developing.

1.a. The first problem is getting the family home if some are out. You're on foot, it may take days, a get-home-bag becomes essential, especially in winter. All family members should know ahead of the event whether to head for home, or shelter in place and wait for rescue (kids, mostly).

1.b. When everyone is home safely, the second priority is a block party! I'm completely serious here. The power is out, few have generators, food will go bad in the freezers, may as well cook it up and eat it. I base this on what actually happened to my wife's boss and his neighborhood when a storm took the power out for a week. You are surrounded and outnumbered by hundreds of people, first try being friendly and cooperative if possible. Drag the charcoal grills out onto the street, get to know your neighbors, make some preliminary plans for sanitation, defense, community gardening; generally feel people out on how they view the emergency, and assess levels of training and readiness with an eye toward appointing a local leader. Find a working shortwave radio and share information about the event.

1.c. Depending on how 1.b went, prepare to bunker down, bug out, or organize. Each group will be different. Some may devolve into "every man for himself", some may cooperate. It will be a fluid situation, and may radically change with new challenges such as rioting and disease.

2. This one's easy. When things get bad, you can't trust anyone. Life will get hard, only the hardened will survive. You may not, but your kids might. Prioritize.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

RedLion said:


> I think that an EMP scenario is one of the most likely SHTF events.


I think EMP is way up there, but probably #2 or lower, I think the grid is the Achilles heel, damage to it has already been probed, the Not Necessary the News has told the terrorists, how long it will take to replace, damage to it is #1. North Korea is not even in the top 10, I suspect Iran already has N-bombs, after all how long did it take the US back in 1941-1945 to develop one...

*Rancher*


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

sideKahr said:


> Drag the charcoal grills out onto the street, get to know your neighbors,


I get a kick out of city folks. Takes a crisis to meet your neighbors?


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

We know our neighbors, most would be a liability.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

******* said:


> I get a kick out of city folks. Takes a crisis to meet your neighbors?


It's a shame isn't it? It's not like the neighborhood where I grew up. But that's the way it is in the suburbs today. Some of my neighbors drive directly into their garages, and you don't see them until they drive out again. They have services cut their lawns, they don't garden or walk their dogs. One girl literally runs from me into her house. They're not all like that, of course, I know some folks to chat with and two I know well.

My wife and I drive into the city for church, it's a congregation she's been with since childhood, so we don't get to see the local folks there either. And people are constantly moving out and back in as their jobs shift. You need a scorecard to keep the names straight.

I understand your amusement, @******* , but it's a real problem here.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

rstanek said:


> We know our neighbors, most would be a liability.


They would leave you alone after you decorate your yard with a few dead folks.....


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

RedLion said:


> They would leave you alone after you decorate your yard with a few dead folks.....


Better than no trespassing signs, the crows picking away would be as good as a alarm system, someone approaches, there going to create a ruckus....


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

******* said:


> I get a kick out of city folks. Takes a crisis to meet your neighbors?


it would surprise someone like yourself - that doesn't have any point of reference for your statement - HOW closely associated some neighborhood are - some are so intertwined with inter-marriages and common ethnicity that marriages are more engineered than love ....


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Illini Warrior said:


> it would surprise someone like yourself - that doesn't have any point of reference for your statement - HOW closely associated some neighborhood are - some are so intertwined with inter-marriages and common ethnicity that marriages are more engineered than love ....


Mine was not a statement. It was what is commonly referred to as a joke. Note the smileys... not one but two. And no, it would not surprise me that some neighborhoods are close. They do let us out of the country every so often... if we are good.


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## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

John Galt said:


> 2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?


My nearest neighbor - not an inch. He's on my "shoot first" list. She's not much better.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Raise prices on Gen-U-Wine SlippyMade Pikes. Supply and Demand you know!:vs_cool:


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## Sir Publius (Nov 5, 2016)

1. What are the first few major problems you may have?

Obviously if you are not prepped and have supplies, you have a lot of problems. Assuming you've made the simple preparations and stocks, it seems to me the biggest and most important decision one can make is just that, a decision. That decision is whether depending on your situation to bug in or to bug out. Seems to me that most problems will stem from making this decision incorrectly, and its a decision best made sooner than later. That's the biggest problem/dilemma one will have, if you can call a decision a problem. It may be safer to bug in if you don't have an alternative location scouted out, but it seems to me fairly obvious that being in a place where no one knows you are there is supremely more ideal than being out in the open when it goes south. Just about every problem can be solved if you are not only stocked but are able to more importantly stay under the radar. 

2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?

Even good people will get desperate when they are starving and/or their kids are starving. Its not a matter of good people necessarily, though of course some are better than others. Its more a matter of human nature and knowing what people will naturally do, eventually. I'm not advocating every man for himself. Community means everything for long term survival. But depending on the stage and severity of the crisis...beware...be vigilant...don't take a thing for granted, from anyone. Know the crisis. Know human nature.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

best argument for living local and knowing how to live off the land. I'm pretty sure my yuppie neighbors would run out of food and not have guns to shoot deer or game, no fishing tackle, no canoe, no tents no fire building foraging skills to speak of. Me I know where all the edibles are and where all the deer sleep- in a place too scary for these tulips. And it's only scary because there are briars there and you have to cross a deep creek on a log. I know where the good stuff is too- the black walnut trees and the pecans. Wild greens are all the hell over these houses in every lawn and on every part of the long fingers that stretch through. I might actually do a foraged salad again they are starting to show. I'm actually going bonkers I have chickweed stands and ground ivy looking real good out back right now. Most would walk right past it not knowing you can eat it. Funny enough some of the best foraging I seen is behind a chevron station they got a salad bar going back there


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

Leon said:


> best argument for living local and knowing how to live off the land. I'm pretty sure my yuppie neighbors would run out of food and not have guns to shoot deer or game, no fishing tackle, no canoe, no tents no fire building foraging skills to speak of. Me I know where all the edibles are and where all the deer sleep- in a place too scary for these tulips. And it's only scary because there are briars there and you have to cross a deep creek on a log. I know where the good stuff is too- the black walnut trees and the pecans. Wild greens are all the hell over these houses in every lawn and on every part of the long fingers that stretch through. I might actually do a foraged salad again they are starting to show. I'm actually going bonkers I have chickweed stands and ground ivy looking real good out back right now. Most would walk right past it not knowing you can eat it. Funny enough some of the best foraging I seen is behind a chevron station they got a salad bar going back there


The yuppie liberals think all the game to be shot lives along the interstate highway, they sure as hell aren't going to hunt in the woods, they might get caught in the brush and mess up their man- bun....


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

John Galt said:


> 1. What are the first few major problems you may have?


First problems will be testing & evaluating which electronics work... if any. How well did the Faraday containers do in protecting their electronics? Did the solar panels in storage in the barn survive without damage? Does the whole house natural gas generator work? Is the well working & if not, I've got to pull out that submersible pump.


John Galt said:


> 2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?


Being rural & with about 10 or so homes on our dead end lane, I know all my neighbors. They are all good folks. A couple have medium sized farms with cattle. Question is though, what would they be like if things got bad? My job, as a prepper is to not let it get bad. I see my job in quickly organizing the families on our country lane into a community that works together. We would need to pool resources so as provide security and food resources, including hunting. We would need to work together to put in more gardens & ramp up raising farm animals. My goal is to have enough food stores for all on our lane to survive for months, in case the event happens at a bad time of year, such as late fall where we have to wait months to start farming again. Not there 100% yet but keep adding around 200 lbs of stores each month.

My point is I just don't think we can survive a crisis by ourselves. Long ago I reached the point where I could provide for my family during a short term crisis. My goals now are to prepare for these SHTF scenarios... such as EMP. For me, that means preparing for many more than my family. I'd rather the neighbors be working with me than me being worried if some starving neighbor would take me out with their deer rifle.


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## SierraGhost (Feb 14, 2017)

1. What are the first few major problems you may have?
"2 pm in December, school day" so I would be at my place of employment. If the backup diesel generators work, I'd be required to stay and help out. At some point, due to lack of supplies or power, I would be released. (Darn you @John Galt for ruining my naiveté!) All kidding aside, this next part is something I have been thinking about for the past fortnight. Since the vehicle I commute to work in is post 1978, I would be hoofing it back home. It would take me at least two full days to walk home. While I'm prepared for that, there are a few obstacles obstructing the way. The first being a geographic problem, as I would have to cross a river. There are several bridges that go over the river, but what state are they in? I view them as a good chokepoint for an ambush or place to be robbed, so I would most likely swim across before dawn. 
My biggest problem is that I can't have a weapon at work (this includes locked in my vehicle in the carpark). That puts me at a HUGE disadvantage. Yes, I can have a small knife in my GHB, but I'm straightaway at a deficit when I need protection the most. Not good. Since I would now have to rely solely on cover and concealment, the two days to get home, just went up exponentially.

2. How much do you trust your neighbors when things get bad?
Provided I made it back to the homestead, the nearest neighbors &#8230; they are well connected Russians that have served in the army back in the motherland. I view them as assets, and I have enough food for them too.

For me, the enormous challenge is getting home safely.


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