Replies

We may not be talking EMP, but the advice below could be just as valuable in a Red Dawn Scenario.

20 Things I learned from the book “One Second After”

You cannot totally prepare for every possible situation. There are too many variables: weather, where you are at the time it occurs, who you are with. You never know how those around you have prepared or how they will react – where will they be mentally, emotionally, and physically. Being prepared, at whatever level, just gives you better odds of survival.

1. Eventually you will have to kill somebody. The “Its You or them” decisions will happen.

2. Eventually someone will find you no matter where you are. All you can do is pick the most strategic location possible.

3. Disease will become a part of life.

4. You’re going to run out of bullets, eventually.

5. If or when the government comes to help, they may not be very helpful, and you won’t be anywhere near their top priority.

6. Any gun is better than no gun as long as you have ammo.

7. The 22LR will be the most useful weapon of all. You can buy years worth of ammo now for a small investment. It will bring down all small game, wild and domestic (there won’t be much big game to bring down after a few weeks). The report does not carry far, giving away your position, and all members of the family can use it. (see #9)

8. Having an understanding of military battle tactics would be a good idea.

9. Children need to learn how to shoot and defend themselves early on.

10. Some medical training and knowledge would be beneficial, even if it’s just first aid.

11. Big cities will become kill zones. Get away from them early.

12. Learn how to build an outdoor privy.

13. Buy an extra dose of medication whenever you can.

14. Evil people without any fear of authority or restraint will become more evil.

15. If you have more food than everyone else, stay on near-starvation rations so you don’t appear to be more healthy and become a target.

16. If it is in you to do so, be one of the first ‘looters’, but pay for what you can, however you can. Looting 24 hours after the attack will get you shot on sight or executed. Being an honest person by nature – I don’t like #15, but if the SHTF this may be a matter of life & death for you and your family).

17. Having to move from one safe location to another safe location, remember you’ll be in danger the entire way. Movement is dangerous.

18. White collar skills will be worthless. Blue collar skills will be more valuable.

19. Learn how the Native people survived in your area. The plants or roots they ate and used for medicine, how they trapped and cooked fish. Lots of books available now on the subject. Buy them now.

20. Survival will become a fulltime job.

Whew, One Second After. I have been of a food storage/survivalist mentality for a few years now and have made modest efforts to that end, but that was a very sobering read. Wait, let me rephrase that - it scared the crap out of me. Showed me how little prep I had actually done, which was of course a good thing.

But the one aspect that really made my blood run cold was the sheer randomness of the EMP itself - fifty miles from home is suddenly like being stuck on the moon. The idea of being separated from immediate family kept me up at night. And unfortunately, there’s no prep for that; in fact, if you can’t get home, all your storage is pretty much rendered useless to you.