PART 1 – How to Survive a Cyber Attack | Preparing Your Home for Survival After an EMP Wave

What does the threat of a cyber-attack or possible EMP mean to you? Are you prepared? How do you prepare for communications and power going down? A massive local EMP wave from either bombing or a solar flare could send civilization temporarily back into the 1800s. Anything connected to a circuit is likely to fry and the power lines themselves will drop for weeks, possibly months, before repairs are complete. While no single EMP wave can take out all technological progress, your family could be waiting months before aid and restoration efforts are able to complete. In a bomb EMP scenario, the theoretical war conditions may even prevent aid from reaching you for years.

Do you know how to survive like it’s 1822? Does your homestead have the mechanical tools, supplies, and agricultural capacity to get by when the power lines, internet, cell signal, and supply chains are interrupted? Fortunately, there’s a way to plan for everything. 

Here at Survive It Gear, we’re constantly thinking about survival and long-term conditions without electricity. Let’s focus on how to prepare supplies, kits, and a plan for family survival should an EMP attack take out all the electronics in your region.

Plan for One Week – Like You’re Living In the 1800s

One Hurricane/Snowstorm Survival Kit

• Powerless Lantern Kit
• Camping Stove and Food Supplies
• First Aid Kits
• Weather/Seasonal Survival Gear
• Emergency Insulation/Repair Supplies

One of the best ways to prepare for the chance of an EMP wave is to prepare for other powerline-downing natural disasters. If your region is subject to bad snowstorms, hurricanes, or tornadoes, then a one-week (or longer) survival kit of this nature can also help to prepare you to essentially “camp out” power-free in your home after an EMP attack if help is on the way, or if you will soon be able to evacuate. Extend the depth of your supplies if you expect longer durations of post-EMP isolation.

Stock Mechanical Devices

Stock up on a number of useful mechanical devices. Handheld mixers, push lawn mowers, and dust devil vacuums are just a few of the essentials that you can find as simple machines instead of devices that may be wiped by EMP.  Inventory your home devices and secure useful, modern mechanical versions from charcoal camp stoves to oil lanterns.

Keep Disconnected Devices and Batteries

EMP only affects solid-state devices and complete, live circuits by overloading the active circuits. Spare parts in drawers and disconnected batteries are less likely to be affected. By keeping unused devices un-powered and batteries separate, you can reduce the impact of an EMP wave on the household. However, most modern devices are ‘smart’ and solid-state.

Cooking Without Power

Your camp stove and/or grill is very important during an extended power outage. Make sure you have a real plan for cooking meals after EMP takes out both the power lines and your electric stove. A grate for the fireplace and plenty of charcoal or propane for the back patio grill are both good answers. Many people pack a small camp stove and a few weeks or months of fuel to ensure quick hot meals in an emergency.

Collect Water

Rain barrels and other water collection methods may become essential if the local water processing plant (your source of tap water) goes out. If you are on land with a well, you may need to install a manual pump, as yours will likely be both connected and fried at the time of the EMP wave.

Can You Bug Out?

Many (most) modern cars will stop working after a direct EMP wave, but you will have several days warning before a sun flare and may be able to secure evacuation after an attack. Prepare a bug-out bag that will work even if digital devices like cellphones may have all been burned out.

Know Your Evac Destinations & Routes

Tell your family where to meet. Know the first checkpoint destination and your ultimate safety locations if you have to evacuate the city. Just in case you don’t all leave together, make sure you meet up somewhere know that doesn’t require phone calls and texts to coordinate.

Continue to Part 2