What Would Life Really Be Like After an EMP Attack?

Would an EMP attack really be that bad? How would life change for you?

Yes, it really would be that bad. Today’s society is totally unprepared to live in an environment akin to the 19th century.

There are three specific consequences of an EMP attack that we will discuss here to establish how life would truly change for you:

Consequence #1: The Power Grid Really Would Be Down

The power grid really would be down

An EMP attack would either take down a large portion of our nation’s power grid or the entire grid as a whole.
Most of your electronics would not work, including your TV, computers, tablets, phones, and cars.

The only cars that would work in a large-scale EMP attack are a few models made before 1990 such as the Toyota Hilux truck, Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Bronco, or a few models of Jeeps and Land Rovers.

You could expect long term outages to last for several months, if not years. Estimates are that it would take the United States a good decade at the bare minimum to remotely cover from an EMP attack.

The damaged power transformers would take several years to be repaired

Because most of our electronic equipment is produced overseas, the damaged power transformers would take several years to be repaired.

There would also be no more electronic payments, and you would be unable to access the money in your bank account. You need to have cash on hand, which, as we discussed previously, is going to lose value so it would be advisable to spend as much of it as you can on supplies and necessities in the hours after the EMP attack.

My advice would be to have a cash emergency fund consisting of at least $1,000 in your home at all times.

Consequence #2: There Would Be Chaos in the Streets

There would be chaos in the streets

Once people realized what was going on, there would be panic on a mass scale. The first twenty-four to seventy-two hours after the EMP would be the worst.

There would be a massive spike in crime, including home invasions and robberies. Rioting would take place in the streets as people form angry mobs and set fire to buildings and public establishments.

The rioting would die down after a few days, but the home invasions and robbers would never cease

Eventually, the rioting would die down after a few days, but the home invasions and robbers would never cease.

Your best bet to stay alive would be to keep yourself locked in your home rather than venturing outside. Put your security plan from Step #3 into action.

Consequence #3: Martial Law Will Be Declared

You can expect National Guard soldiers or police officers to come to your home and take whatever they choose

Finally, the third consequence of an EMP attack is that the state or Federal government (or both) would declare martial law, which means that your rights would be suspended as the government takes control.

The government would begin to confiscate firearms just like they did after Hurricane Katrina, and there would be a nationwide curfew and heavy restrictions on travel.

The government may also go door to door to confiscate food and then redistribute it around the population to ration it. The idea is that the authorities would want to make the population dependent on them, and long food and water lines would occur to create that dependence.

You can therefore fully expect National Guard soldiers or police officers to come to your home and take whatever they choose.

Leave the bulk of your food and water storage in places that are much harder to find (such as in a secret room or under the floors in your basement)

My advice would be to leave some of your food out in the open or in easy-to-find places so they’ll be satisfied with taking that, but leave the bulk of your food and water storage in places that are much harder to find (such as in a secret room or under the floors in your basement).

You wouldn’t be able to trust any media sources as the government will take control of them (i.e. don’t trust your daily newspaper).

Martial law is an entirely separate subject and one that you should definitely research if you have not yet already.

For now, just know that it means you would no longer have freedom of speech or assembly, much of your supplies and all of the guns that the government knows you have would be confiscated, the government would be transmitting false information through the media, checkpoints would be set up throughout your city, and the government would attempt to make people dependent on them through confiscating food and creating food lines.

Again, this is why forming a survival group is so important so you can turn to other people for resources and help. The old saying goes that there is safety in numbers, and this could not be any more true in the case of an EMP attack.