BGS over at Gab.ai shared a post with me last week on the chances of surviving an EMP or other even that destroys the power grid.
With nukes potentially in orbit already, plus a sun that is given to occasional violent outbursts, the chances of survival look grim for many of us – especially in the developed world.
Ken Jorgustin lays out the grim possibilities over at Modern Survival Blog:
“Any thinking person would have to admit that indeed there would be great loss of life if electricity (our life blood) were to vanish.
Why would there be such great loss of life? Because our modern society has become 100% reliant upon it. Most all of our infrastructure is dependent on electricity for it to work. It is a great challenge to come up with a list of infrastructure-related things that do not in some way depend upon a source of electricity.
How long would it take before a significant number of people begin to die off?
I believe that it would begin sooner than most people may think…
I have written about this scenario a number of times over the years and I really have not changed my view too much on this (except one). I have always felt that if the lights went out in America (grid-down), it is my opinion that ultimately 70% – 90% would not survive.
One major viewpoint that I’ve adjusted is how long this would take to occur (the 70% – 90%). When I first hypothesized this years ago, I felt that an approximate one year time frame would be required to finally reach those numbers. I believe that this thinking was incorrect. It would be much sooner than that.
Given the lack of drinking water after the pumps stop working and holding tanks drain,
Given that most people have less than one week’s worth of food at home,
Given that the majority of people live in urban areas,
I feel that these facts alone will seal their fate within one to three months. One month for many, and certainly within three months for most. There simply will not be enough food available within our just-in-time system and this will immediately begin the timeline to starvation. The lack of drinking water will bring about end-of-life even sooner.”
Having a few gallons of gas for your generator isn’t good enough. If you live in the city, you are at risk. If your well runs on an electric pump, you are at risk.
Back in the states we built backup systems. Roots in the ground, year-round, and buckets of beans and rice in the pantry. Canned chili, extra salt, ammo, backup rifles, extra first aid supplies.
It’s prudent to get some of these things now. And to have copies of important books in your survival library.
Of course, I’m rather partial to Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening, but I would also want to have a lot of other good reference books on food preservation, foraging, etc.
And MREs.
*Featured image by Christopher A. Dominic, CC license.