Calling all doomsday preppers

I'm more concerned with an actual deliberate EMP designed weapon vs. the secondary effect of the current nukes. While I don't believe NK currently has a delivery means to "quite make it" to the center of the country (ICBM, last I checked, they could feasibly reach the Pacific Coast, but even that is a stretch), they could feasibly develop it within the next few years. Yes, Russia and China would be more likely capable from an ICBM delivery method (or Russia from a sub)...but I don't think China has the necessary sub capabilities yet. (though our intel from a civilian standpoint could be very wrong).

Granted, other nations have similar capabilities, but the ones mentioned would be the most likely contenders for such an act.

I'm not looking at actual countries and a war as such, I think the main threat would come from a "dirty bomb" and some Jihadists in a UK city centre, cities being the obvious target for maximum effect, or maybe they would just poison a city water supply.

The dirty bomd threat would kill a few from the initial blast then a few more from radiation poison , mabey contamanate hundreds more and make them sick or lingering death . The area would be contamanated wich would be off limits until a clean up and could displace part of a city . I think the jihadist will be sticking with more conventional methods like mass shootings , hostage taking , and bombings . If they could get thier hands on enough radioactive material you know they would use it .

Don't forget, we have a few russian nuclear suitcase bombs that's unaccounted for from the fall of the soviet union, these would eclipse any dirty bomb, these are equaling the power of smaller tactical nuclear warheads in the range of 6kt, the numbers that are missing are exactly the number of strategic targets in the West (where's waldo)

Maverick has a point. Good news is that these would be ground burst (most likely), same as most dirty bomb scenarios. In these cases, the only real defense is to not be in high target areas. If you are though, when it goes down, the best thing you can do is put as much material between you and the coming radiation, as you can.....

I'm not in a high target area, in fact there is nothing worth bombing here and the population numbers are low. I tend to stay out of cities and the largest place I go to a couple of times a year has a population of 20,000 and nothing worth bombing apart from a police station and the council offices.

sounds very similar to where I live jimLE, parish population is 1300, its one of theses places as we say over here "blink..and you miss it"!!

the town is one side of the river, where I live is the other side of the river, one road in-to a dead end-same road out again! no crime-last crime was 3 or 4 years ago-the last few years have been really quiet here.

I'm not concern with dirty bombs/suitcase bombs here, just ICBMs we have multiple primary and secondary targets within 200 miles of my location in a 360deg radius, the winds would be an issue since we get the southern, eastern and west winds depending on the season.

If the closest was even 50 miles away, I'd think you'd likely only see the very outermost ring (of a very large nuke) or windblown radiation...given the current armaments' yields. Of course, the real issue would be the contamination of soil and water sources....but even then, shouldn't be too long lasting (that far from the impact point).

Back to the EMP bit...something else to consider is the VERY limited amount of real testing that has been done on the subject. The largest official tests were quite some time ago, and even then, they tested a small sample of vehicles, etc. To be honest (if you read the report), the vehicles weren't even really all that affected, for the most part...and the vast majority started right back up after the EMP. You can find the report online pretty easy (google on EMP commission).

Gazrok said:

but even then, shouldn't be too long lasting.

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two weeks a month at the most in most cases, I think people don't have a very good understanding how survivable nuclear war is, nuclear power plants in melt-down have a longer negative affect on the environment and pose a far greater long term danger then a nuclear bomb. I'm not anti nuclear energy just that we need better containment facilities and not have them located in known seismic sensitive areas like along the coast.

Gazrok said:

Back to the EMP bit...something else to consider is the VERY limited amount of real testing that has been done on the subject. The largest official tests were quite some time ago, and even then, they tested a small sample of vehicles, etc. To be honest (if you read the report), the vehicles weren't even really all that affected, for the most part...and the vast majority started right back up after the EMP. You can find the report online pretty easy (google on EMP commission).

Click to expand...

Though, I wonder if that would apply to the newer vehicle having far more sensitive components and far more wiring acting as radios then when this report was done?

The last one was in 2008, so yeah, quite a bit more electronics these days. My big concern would be cars that have the new electronic steering (vs. a mechanical connection). Simply put, if driving during an EMP, they are going to crash...when the steering goes bye-bye.....and crash into other cars, etc.

I think you should look at a website called money morning interview with Rickards who worked with CIA threat assessment and look at cryptocurrency you are young enough to see the implications of money not associated with a government.

First of all Welcome. However your request for information would have been better if you posted it in Man Made Disasters Nuclear War /Attack Section.

I shared these on another thread, but figured they may be good from a book standpoint.
I have some fun tactics I'll employ against any force threatening our bug in ranch. I can see these being useful in a story aspect though too.

1) I know my property, so we have certain landmarks that denote range increments. This makes it much easier for us to use scopes and hit our targets. The enemy will have no such references.

2) We're building these concrete planters, that come SHTF, we'll simply scoop out the dirt and plants, and have ready made pillboxes for sentry defense.

3) Use battery operated strobe lights to disorient the enemy, making it hard for them to aim, while lighting them up for us.

4) Footfall traps outside the fence, for a couple feet at the outer fence, a trench hidden by high growing grasses, that has flat boards on the bottom, with lots of 20 penny nails sticking up. Hobbling your enemy before they attack just lets them know that worse may lay ahead.

5) Providing "fake" cover. Come SHTF, we'll have some nice new rocks in the pastures, but they won't be rocks at all. They'll be shellacked paper mache' rocks that will provide no cover at all (so the enemy just exposed themselves, thinking they were making for cover). Rifle rounds will cut right through it. (oh, and the rocks are range markers too).

6) Battery powered motion alerts (think of a driveway alarm) can alert sentries to trouble. (rotate batteries that are charged with a solar charger).

7) If all seems lost, place some poisoned, designated foodstuffs and booze in easy to find, but kind of concealed places before bolting (you know the bandits will have a little victory celebration). Won't say type, but it has onset time of a couple of days (this will thwart our villain using a taste tester, and ensure that most have poisoned themselves, and probably with numerous doses) and no noticeable taste or smell. Death is pretty much assurred (coma at the very least, which is death when we come back days later to then pick off the unpoisoned, and clean up the bodies). An antidote and treatment regimen exist, for any accidental imbibing by us, but highly unlikely.

8) Dogs make great alarm systems.

9) Our interior bedrooms' doorknobs have been replaced with exterior, keyed doorknobs. (I can jimmy open a standard interior door in about 3 seconds, seriously). Outer doors are either metal or heavy wood with reinforced kickplates and top/bottom bolt locks in addition to deadbolts. Windows have decorative iron bars (well, all will in the next few years, only some do right now).

10) As good as the dogs are, we also have a Cockatoo bird, a Malucan Cockatoo, loudest bird on the planet. She's a great alarm too (and uses words, which really ought to throw them, especially as her go to phrase is "Hey Baby!....")

11) To get to the house, from just about any direction, you have to scale or go through at least two levels of fencing (often 3)...(we section our grazing pastures, and have a fenced off area when dogs are out, etc.). While climbing a fence, you're an excellent target. (at a range marker)

12) I have a tractor with a bulldozer bucket on the front. Lots of possibilities here. It's diesel also, so lots of fuel options.

13) False sentries. Sandbag dummies with helmets (I have a few old WWI and WWII helmets I could use) positioned in the right place, will certainly make it look like we have more sentries than we do, and cause the enemy to give themselves away when attacking these scarecrows.

14) House is concrete block and rebar, so pretty much going to stop most caliber firearms.

15) Lots of roof space, and post SHTF, can easily build some good reinforced sniper positions on the roofs of different buildings on the ranch. Everyone is on 8 hour shifts (post shtf), so always some sleeping, and some guarding, while another group cooks, cleans, hunts, eats, etc. Sentry duty is rotated, a couple hours on, a couple hours off, to keep sentries fresh and alert. Can communicate with charged, hand communicators, so they can report anything to others and talk to each other, or scout groups.

16) We have horses for scouting/supply/hunting duty. (currently down to one horse, but post SHTF, this wouldn't be hard). We have the facilities for up to 11 horses, but honestly, any more than 6 would be too taxing on the pastures. So, we'd convert unused stalls to nicer living quarters for those coming here, and those who possibly join up later.

Just some, lots more I'm not recalling offhand....