Probably most of us are aware of the possibility of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) being created by a nuclear bomb detonating above our major cities, or of bombs that have probably been developed, or are under development, which are designed to take out the electric grid. Several books and movies have been published and produced that have, as its setting, a world in which we no longer have electricity. I know that at least some of us have wondered what life would be like without electricity. I once spent a year at a camp that my family owned that was twenty miles from the nearest home, forty miles from the nearest town, and at least five miles from the nearest power line. The camp itself was about a quarter mile from the road, which was a gravel road. This was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where the winters are rough. Of course, I started out with a good supply of food and water, and we had a small river that ran near the camp. I also had a car, and wasn't stranded there for a whole year either, although I was snowed in for an extended period of time, given that the roads in that area were not priorities for the county plow trucks. Given a place to live, a water supply, and a source of food, I think I could do well without electricity, and might even come to find much that I liked about it. We are told, and I believe that it is true, that a large portion of the population would die within a short time because they are dependent upon the availability of grocery deliveries, a paycheck, and medical facilities that may not be available. Plus, many of us have never had to do without electricity and would be wholly incapable of surviving without being able to plug something in. However, the actual situation would go far beyond our own personal addiction to electricity, or even the infrastructure. We have nuclear power plants all over the country, and even the ones - such as we have in Maine Yankee - that have been shut down for years require a constant supply of electricity in order to avert disaster. Certainly, there are external generators that would kick in, and it is quite likely that they are set up in such a way that they would continue to operate for quite some time. But not forever. That's the problem. Some of you, I am sure, know more about this than I do, but I believe that, at some point, large portions of the earth will be uninhabitable. I won't matter whether you can get along without electricity if you're dying from radiation poisoning. What do. you think?
Anything is possible and if there ever is such a catastrophe I hope I'm one of the lucky ones that died instantly. Ive lived long enough and had a happy life....don't want to scrounge around in filthy crappy painful conditions to probably die later anyway. If I did survive and made it to my daughter's house I'd do my best to help them and even sacrifice my life if it meant saving theirs. The same would apply to my son and grandsons but chances are I wouldn't be near them when shtf.
Although it might be fun to fantasize sometimes, I am past the time when I could retreat into the wilderness and live off the land, if indeed I were ever capable of it. For one thing, I'd have to return every thirty days to refill my medications and that might just defeat the purpose. Still, whatever the situation, most people do whatever they can to survive.
True about the medications...many people would have problems...diabetics for one. Some meds are life saving, some just kind of helpful but lots of people take something. Then there are the people who can't see very well without glasses...they could break, might not be the worst thing to see a bit blurry but there would be lots of similar type problems, issues.
I totally agree with what you wrote, Chrissy, and Bobby and I have talked about some kind of attack on America . We live near the Redstone arsenal; so if it was an actual bomb dropped, we would definitely be one of the main targets, and would probably never know what hit us. An EMP attack, however would probably not work like that. We would simply lose power on our whole power grid, so no one would die immediately, we just would not have any power, probably no water, no food or gas beyond what we have in our home, and no way to get any more. At first, homes and businesses could use generators for power, and there would be emergency agencies available; but that would not last long. With no way to transport fuel, gas stations would be closed. Grocery stores would be closed for the same reason, and places like hospitals would not even be able to run on generators for power. Anyone who lived in an apartment, especially older or disabled people, would pretty much be doomed, but if it happened in the dead of winter, they might get lucky and freeze to death right away, thus avoiding a drawn-out death from starvation and water deprivation. Anyone who needed an elevator would be trapped unless they had stairs and could use them. Like Ken said, a whole lot of people would die right away, but even the ones who are “preppers” will probably die, too; because this would completely disable us for probably years to come. Even if that didn’t happen, we would suddenly become a third world country, or worse. It is a really scary thing to think about , and a future that I hope no one has to deal with.
Anybody stupid enough to destroy the power grid of the US or any other major country, would probably cause the annihilation of most of the human race. I hope our world leaders work together to prevent such a disaster. In this case, we are all in this together.
@Yvonne Smith What you wrote is a good assessment of what might play out if we lose the 'grid'. Agree it would be hard, if not impossible, for most people to stockpile enough fuel and food for a year or more. All we do is have a short-term stockpile of food, water, fuel for storms and such. When I know one is heading our way, I'll fill the 5 gallon 'jerry' cans ( 4 of them ) with fuel to run the generator if need be. Have MRE's and other Freeze Dried food, etc. to get by for the short term. Anything longer than a week or so, will cross that bridge when we get to it.
Interesting thoughts. Haven't thought much about this question since I was a young man. Supposing some country had been studying the problem, had agents living and working for decades in this country, knew where our missiles silos are located, worked out where electoral grids could be knocked out, and did so, could we then retaliate? Could we fire our icbm's. I suppose that's be worked out with generators. But. I couldn't survive. My roommate couldn't. I am too much dependent on medical oxygen and medications. It would present such problems as to test the medal of this nation. If it lasted long! there would be massive Chaos. As I think of it now, most phones would not likely work, and if it lasted for a lengthy period, crime might become rampant. Even with out an attack on the country You can imagine it from there...
@Ken Anderson "Given a place to live, a water supply, and a source of food, I think I could do well without electricity, and might even come to find much that I liked about it." "What do. you think?" Beyond think, I know, as my wife and I holed-up in the woods of Northern Arizona, on 40 acres we had bought for summertime camping, at 6700 ft. altitude. I was laid off from the highest-paying position I had ever had, during the Reagan Recession, so we moved all our belongings from Phoenix up to the woods, no electricity, phone, or water. I traded a car for a big school bus, which we slept in during building of a two-story barn-type cabin with gambrel roof. We hauled water from the town of Show Low twice weekly, 26 miles one way. Had a milk goat, chickens laying plenty of eggs, raised rabbits for meat. Chief source of energy was Pinon Pine and Cedar, burned in our cookstove: The year spent there was likely the best of our total of 39 years together, so far........Been there, did it, loved it! Frank
Beyond the physical aspects of living without the comforts of electricity are those psychological problems which would arise causing the near complete collapse of half of the population of the U.S. not to mention the western world. Trying not to take the situation too lightly, I do see many people still sitting in their chairs and in front of their computer screens who died out waiting for the internet to come back on. Phone deprivation would cause many to simply go mentally comatose and the once agile thumbs of the habitual texters would go into muscular atrophy. The "awakening" of the masses who once believed that all milk, eggs, meat, and grain products actually grow somewhere in a commissary environment connected with the grocery system will, once the truth be found out that indeed most edible products come from animals, will suffer from the dreaded "duh" syndrome and go into shock and quickly die. As for my wife and I, neither one of us fears the lack of electricity, but in an environment such as ours, the tribal mentality that would soon develop would be the main cause for alarm. Added to the fact that we are indeed ill prepared, food wise, for such a disaster as an emp would provide, we could relocate and hunt and fish as our ancestors did but the move itself might prove a bit more than we are presently prepared to do. Neither one of us is a defeatist, but our present situation does call for an immediate but untimely demise at the behest of an atomic blast but if that doesn't get us then the fight for survival, however painful, will begin.
Besides the more obvious lack of lighting, refrigeration, heat and air conditioning, and small appliances, you would not be able to get gas for your car or charge the battery. When you run out of ammo for your guns that will curtail hunting for food. Staples like flour, sugar, coffee, and such will not be available.
The Amish people would have the best chance of surviving to me, since many of them already live without electricity, and pretty much live off the land, etc. But if everyone lost electricity the Amish would probably have to fight off poachers, etc....and they being peace loving people who don't believe in fighting would probably not last long either. Yet these same Amish people, if given the chance could probably teach a lot of us how to survive without electricity...if they were given the chance. As for me, I do believe if this scenerio ever happens...there will be those who survive...and some who even end up thriving. At our age I don't think we will be among those but I definitely pray my kids and grandkids would be.
Gosh, ya mean that folks will have to learn to fish, trap and even use roots for a flour and coffee substitute and learn how to cure and dry their meat? Those kind of activities would surely chip a fingernail or two!
Which is why it might be important, particularly for younger people, to have a sizable cache of food and supplies on hand, so that they can live long enough to learn to do these things. It's one thing to have read the books or watched movies, and another to be able to be self-sufficient successfully, and I know that I would have a lot to learn. Thinking of that kid, Christopher McCandless, who was the subject of Into the Wild, he thought he had learned to cure moose meat, and brought a book on edible wild plants with him when he decided to go off by himself into the wilds of Alaska. Although he had shelter, and a gun, he ended up starving to death in the abandoned bus where he was living. He had shot a moose, only to learn that he didn't really know how to cure moose meat, as it all spoiled. Then he ate a plant that proved not to be the edible one that he thought it was, from his book. As for myself, I have never been in a position where it was a matter of life or death, but I can think of numerous things that I had thought I knew how to do, having read the instructions or watched a video, only to find that it didn't quite work out that way in practice - or perhaps that it required some actual practice.