7 Golden Rules Of Surviving An EMP Blast

1. Secure Your Water Supply Immediately

The first and foremost rule in the wake of an EMP blast is to secure your water supply. Water is essential for survival, and its availability can be severely compromised after such an event. An EMP can disrupt municipal water systems, leading to loss of pressure and contamination. This makes storing water in your home a top priority.

Begin by filling every bathtub, sink, and container with water. Consider investing in products like the WaterBob, which can hold up to 100 gallons of water in a standard bathtub, ensuring a safe, clean supply. This immediate action could mean the difference between life and death in the initial days following an EMP event.

Educate every member of your household, including children, on the importance of this task. Make it a part of emergency drills so that everyone knows their role in securing water if you’re not home. Remember, in the initial hours post-EMP, the tap water may still be safe to use, making it the perfect time to stockpile.

Stored water should be treated to prevent contamination. Use household bleach (unscented), adding 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) per gallon of water, stir, and let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water doesn’t have a slight chlorine odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes.

In addition to storing, identify potential water sources near your home, such as streams or lakes. However, remember that all water from these sources needs to be purified before consumption. Methods include boiling, chemical treatment with purification tablets, or using a quality water filter.

2. Spend Your Cash Wisely and Quickly

In a post-EMP world, traditional money will rapidly lose its value, rendering cash and digital currencies useless. Therefore, the second golden rule is to use your cash immediately and wisely. During the initial chaos, cash might still hold value, presenting a short window of opportunity for you to purchase last-minute supplies.

This period is crucial for acquiring additional resources such as food, medical supplies, and fuel. Visit local stores to stock up on essentials, but avoid causing panic. Your goal should be to discreetly use your cash to enhance your survival supplies without drawing attention to yourself or your resources.

Prioritize buying non-perishable food items, medical supplies, water purification tools, and any other essentials you might have overlooked in your preparations. Think about items that will become invaluable in a prolonged crisis, such as batteries, candles, matches, and tools.

While spending, maintain a balance. Don’t give away the fact that you’re preparing for a long-term crisis. Appear as normal as possible to avoid arousing suspicion among those who might later remember you had foresight they lacked.

As for the coins, especially those made of copper and nickel, retain them. Metals could become valuable for trade, as they can be used in various ways in a post-collapse world. Websites like Coinflation.com can provide insights into the current value of various coins based on their metal content.

Remember, this isn’t about hoarding goods, but about strategically enhancing your supplies while you can still utilize the cash at hand.

3. Implement Surge Protection

Electrical and electronic devices are highly vulnerable to an EMP, which can cause irreversible damage. Implementing surge protection in your home is a critical step in mitigating this risk. The third golden rule revolves around the importance of safeguarding your electronics against potential electrical surges caused by an EMP.

Invest in high-quality surge protectors and install them for your critical home appliances and electronic devices. This precaution can protect your equipment from the initial surge of an EMP, which is crucial for maintaining some level of normalcy and functionality post-event.

However, be cautious with your approach post-EMP. If you have a generator, do not rush to plug in all your devices and light up your home. Doing so might not only damage your equipment if the EMP has caused lingering electrical issues but also signal to others that you have power, making your home a target in desperate times.

Consider unplugging all non-essential electronics immediately after an EMP. This action can help in two ways: it protects your devices from potential secondary surges and conserves energy for when you need it most.

Keep in mind that while surge protectors can mitigate risk, they are not foolproof. The best way to protect sensitive electronics, such as radios or emergency communication devices, is to store them in Faraday cages. These enclosures can shield devices from the EMP’s electromagnetic fields. You can either purchase commercial Faraday cages or create DIY versions using materials like aluminum foil and insulated containers.

Preparation and knowledge are key. Understand how an EMP effects electronics and plan accordingly to protect your vital devices.

4. Don’t Tell the Neighbors!

In the delicate hours following an EMP blast, discretion is your ally. The fourth golden rule is about maintaining a low profile and being cautious about whom you trust with information regarding your preparedness. In a situation where public panic and confusion are rampant, revealing your preparedness level can make you a target.

Keep your prepping plans to yourself and your trusted circle. If neighbors or acquaintances are unaware of the severity of an EMP’s impact, it’s not your responsibility to enlighten them at the expense of your safety. The immediate aftermath of an EMP is not the time to educate others about prepping or to evangelize the importance of emergency readiness.

Instead, adopt a “business as usual” demeanor. Pretend to be as uninformed and affected as everyone else. This approach helps to avoid drawing unwanted attention to yourself and your resources. If you have allied friends or family members, ensure that this understanding of discretion is mutual and firmly established.

It’s also vital to recognize that the dynamics of your neighborhood could change drastically. People who were friendly and cooperative under normal circumstances might become desperate and hostile in a crisis. Therefore, evaluate your relationships and trust levels carefully.

Remember, your priority is the safety and well-being of yourself and your loved ones. Keeping your level of preparedness secret safeguards your supplies and ensures that you can survive without becoming a target for those who were less foresighted.

5. Gorge on the perishable contents in your refrigerator

Post-EMP, your fifth rule of survival is to manage your perishable food effectively. The EMP’s disruption to power grids will render refrigerators and freezers non-functional, so it’s essential to consume perishable foods before they spoil.

Start by eating the foods in your refrigerator first. Dairy products, meats, and any cooked meals should be your priority, as they spoil the fastest. Limit how often you open the fridge to keep the internal temperature as low as possible for as long as possible.

Treat this situation as an opportunity to enjoy foods that require refrigeration and won’t be available once they spoil. For instance, savor the last of your ice cream. While it may seem trivial, it’s a small morale booster in a challenging situation.

Consider the ice in your freezer as a temporary water source. Transfer ice cubes into containers before they melt. This measure provides an additional water reserve which is crucial in the initial days following an EMP.

This strategy also involves a psychological aspect. By consuming these perishable items, you’re mentally preparing yourself for the transition to non-perishable and shelf-stable foods that will constitute your diet in the longer-term post-EMP scenario.

The process of gorging on refrigerated items should be balanced with the understanding that soon, you will need to shift to rationing your non-perishable food supply. Be mindful of your food consumption rates and start planning how to extend your food supplies, possibly through rationing and incorporating any fresh produce you can safely harvest or forage.

6. Begin Rationing Food and Water

The sixth rule emphasizes the critical importance of rationing your food and water supplies. In the wake of an EMP blast, supply chains will be disrupted, and resupplying your pantry will be a significant challenge, if not impossible.

Begin by assessing your stock of shelf-stable foods and water. Calculate how long these supplies can last based on the number of people in your group and their daily consumption rates. Start rationing immediately to extend your supplies as long as possible. This means controlling portion sizes and limiting consumption to only what is necessary.

For food, prioritize eating items that have the shortest shelf life or are already open. This approach helps to minimize waste. Store food in a way that you can easily access items that need to be consumed first. Keep an inventory of what you have and what you might need in the foreseeable future.

For water, establish a daily allowance for each person. This should cover drinking and essential hygiene practices. Be strict about this allowance to prevent running out of water too soon.

Additionally, consider alternative food sources that you can safely access. This might include foraging for edible plants, fishing, or hunting if you have the skills and resources. Similarly, identify additional water sources, such as streams or rainwater, and have a reliable method to purify this water, such as boiling or using purification tablets.

Surviving an EMP event requires careful management of resources. By rationing your food and water, you extend your ability to sustain yourself and your group until conditions improve or until you can find reliable resupply options.

7. Make the Decision to Survive

The final golden rule in surviving an EMP blast is to firmly decide to survive and maintain hope. An EMP event can thrust you into a world without modern conveniences and infrastructure, making it a daunting challenge to navigate through the aftermath. Your mental resilience and determination to survive are just as important as your physical preps.

This rule is about making a conscious decision to survive, no matter how bleak the situation might seem. It involves staying mentally strong and keeping hope alive for a future where normalcy returns. In these times, hope can be a powerful motivator and a source of mental strength