Until that day comes, and it will come, it is almost impossible for us to wrap our head around the effects of a massive EMP on our lives.
We have built a technological society that all depends on the sun’s CMESs missing our planet and our satellites time and time again. It’s like some kind of strange galactic Russian roulette.
Even if the enemies of freedom don’t use nuclear capabilities to debilitate or totally wreck the power grid, eventually the sun is going to hit us with a powerful CME and the subsequent EMP is going to power down billions of people.
What happens next?
Well, we get to see a worldwide experiment in adaptability. As many of you already know, it won’t be pretty.
However, there are some things you can learn to DIY that will make a post grid life much easier to live. Not to mention, you might make the jump to off grid living on your own accord.
Home Systems
Plumbing
Basic plumbing is essential even if you are not planning on using water from the grid. Knowing how to move water around a home and a property has to be something that you can DIY.
With the right tools managing plumbing systems can be much easier than you think.
I would stockpile plumbers cement, channel locks, shark bites, and a variety of fittings.
Electrical
It’s true that the power grid could be dramatically affected by an EMP. The major sources of electricity may no longer be producing power. Still, with a basic understanding of how to wire a circuit, how to use a charge controller, and how to rig some solar panels then you could DIY your own electrical system.
You can use this step-by-step guide to build your own backyard power plant for 24/7 free electricity. Of course, you don’t have to wait for an EMP to start taking advantage of this knowledge.
By building your own power plant now, you can save money, become more self-sufficient, and ensure you have a reliable source of energy no matter what happens.
Doors and Windows
Access points into your home are always going to be important after an EMP.
Learn how to frame windows and replace panes.
Remember, if things get crazy these are your man entryways into the home.
You do not want them to be damaged or inoperable.
Also, knowing how to fortify windows and doors is a great bit of learning.
Waste Management
Human Waste
There are some things that won’t stop just because an EMP occurs. One is human waste.
However, when your septic system or your water system gets backed up you will need an answer. A DIY human waste solution can be as simple as a 5-gallon bucket with a lid on it and enough saw dust or peat moss to cover up the waste after each use.
Related: 12 Plants That Make Soft Toilet Paper
This mixture can even become the basis for humanure composting, should you be so inclined.
Craftsman Skills
Manipulating Metal
In order to manipulate metal, you need heat, and you need hammers. It doesn’t hurt to have some tongs and an anvil. Just being able to heat and bend metal can solve all kinds of problems. You can fix locks, make tent stakes, metal bars for windows, hangers, hooks, even nails. Simple blacksmithing is not nearly as hard as you might think.
If you can bend metal, forge weld tools, and make knives then you are going to be a very valuable person post EMP.
Processing Wood
Maybe one of the most important DIYs to master is the processing of wood. Processing wood from tree to lumber will not only give you the ability to build, repair, and heat your home but it will also make you a very valuable person in the post EMP world. But make sure to never burn or work with these types of wood.
Fiber Work
Learning to work with fibers and create things like clothing, gloves, hats, and blankets is a great DIY skill to learn before an EMP.
While it might sound intimidating, I took a class last year at Prepper Camp on Fibers for Survival that showed every part of the process, and I left that class feeling like I could make cloth from scratch with some practice.
Personal Hygiene
Store baking soda. If you have baking soda and essential oils then you are going to be able to make things like toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, and even a crude conditioner.
Turning your wood ash into lye is another great skill to consider as you will be able to make soap.
Of course this is another skill that requires some practice.
DIY Off Grid Comms
The worst time to try and learn how to use that Baofeng is immediately after a serious disaster. My friend Phil Rabalais says it best, “Comms is sorcery.” So, you should spend some time in the spell book now, while the grid is operable.
You should store your off-grid comms inside an EMP-Proof Cloth. This assures you that when the time comes, EMP or not, you will have the option to listen and broadcast.
Food and Water
Gardening & Fertilizing
Think about your gardening process. How you build beds, how you fill beds, how you seed that soil, all of that will need to happen without transportation. In other words, you cannot get dirt trucked in or go buy bags of topsoil and materials to create new garden beds.
DIY compost is an easy way to get headed in the right direction with this. Start a compost pile this year so you have a means of feeding your garden.
Canning
Common air conditioning and refrigeration are going to be drastically missed in a post EMP world. Without electricity you are not going to be able to keep things cold like you used to. Food preservation will go back to canning.
Related: Canning Pasta Sauce for Long Term Preservation
You will need a canning setup and some great books with recipes on the topics. The Canning Bible is one of the best for this.
Off Grid Cooking
We take our electric stoves and oven for granted and when the grid goes down it’s not going to work anymore.
How will you prepare all of your survival food without a stove? Lean here how to build the oven that cooks without fire, fuel, smell, or smoke.
Learning to cook in cast iron Dutch ovens can be very helpful, too!
Rain Catchment
Should the taps run dry you will need a rapid solution for hydration. Rainfall is a great opportunity to harvest a lot of water, but you need a rainwater catchment system. Even if you already own rain barrels, ask yourself the question: Did you buy or make them?
If you do not know how to make a rain barrel, then you should learn. You should also have barrels on hand for this. They are affordable and pretty easy to come by. You will also want things like metal hose bibs for installation at the base of the rain barrel to easily get the water out.
Water Sanitization
Having access to water is one thing but you need to be able to make sure that water is safe.
DIY water sanitization is likely going to include some kind of filter and a purification method.
Related: I Lived Without Running Water For One Year. Here’s What I Learned
You can create a simple sand and charcoal filter to remove large particles and impurities, followed by boiling the water or using solar disinfection to kill harmful pathogens.
Remedies
DIY Medicine
In your yard, on the fence line, around your neighborhood and in parks there are all kinds of plants and trees that can be used as medicine. As I write this, I have common plantain growing amidst the grass at arm’s length.
I used this same plant with some mint to brew up tea for a hot towel compress on my eyes. This relieved the inflammation of conjunctivitis that I was suffering from.
Protecting Your Electronics
Although not needing electronics at all might be the goal, we all know that life after an EMP will be considerably easier with at least some essential devices still working.
The best way to protect them is to cover them with an EMP cloth, a conductive fabric you can use to wrap items. The cloth acts the same way as a Faraday cage and will protect electronics from the damaging effects of EMP.
Developed by top-notch U.S. scientists after years of hard work, the EMP cloth outperforms a Faraday cage. It’s not just flexible and portable, but a reliable shield for your electronics during an EMP attack. You can get yours here, before they’re out of stock.
We have just gone over all kinds of skills. I am sure a list like this is intimidating. Nearly every skill on this list could be a lifetime study.
It has taken me every bit of a decade to become proficient at most of these skills. I can say that I know more about them now than I did when I started. The truth is there are no substitutes for time and reps.
What you can do is start those reps today. Pick a skill and either learn about it or start fooling with it. Don’t wait till the weekend. Don’t wait till school lets out. Just get started.
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