Between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm, several dirty bombs are detonated in cities across the United States. Initially, these cities are reported to be New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC, Chicago……and Charleston, SC. Other information coming in is sketchy and other cities and attack-type may be involved.
There is mass panic as the news spreads quickly across radio, TV, and social media. Cell reliability is sketchy in many areas as circuits get overwhelmed. Reports of all kinds come out stating these attacks were conducted by Muslims or by Right Wing radicals although the truth really doesn’t matter at this point. News coverage portrays mass casualties with hundreds of thousands injured and dead. Widespread panic continued. Airports are closed and security is boosted at all major public facilities. AMTRACK is shut down.
Highways and most major roadways fill between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm as people head home from work. Highways decrease in traffic after 10:00 pm Friday night and remain passable with some stoppages through Saturday 10:00 am – and then get backed up again.
Grocery stores and gun shops are absolutely overwhelmed and by 8:00 pm most shelves are completely empty.
Electricity remains on in our immediate area although news reports state blackouts are scattered all over the country.
By Saturday there are reports of looting and some violence carried out by groups – mostly in inner cities and “bad” sections of cities/towns. Many businesses fail to open or close early on Saturday due to people calling in.
The DOW drops several thousand points before trading is shut down for the weekend. ATM’s are cleared of cash.
That’s what we know – the rest are educated guesses and assumptions.
How people react to this scenario will be dependent on proximity to dirty bombs, population density, area criminal activity, and level of readiness among other things.
You cannot read into the situation that which isn’t there. This is in fact what has occurred. The specifics other than what information has been provided is unknown and can certainly be up to you to interpret. Remember that other areas and cities may have been hit.
Consider your current state of readiness…right now. Not what you plan to do but right this minute. Given the knowledge of your area and your own preparedness plans – how would you react?
3….2….1…..Go!!
Rourke
That’s a good one, Rourke. First, I’d say I told you so to my wife, who refuses to prepare for anything. I’d get my firearms out and ready. Put on my local band radio. There are things I can’t do that I’d like. No bathtubs, only showers now here so can’t fill with water. Surrounded by old unarmed people and know only one armed like minded-prepper, not a good friend, who I’d call and see if we could help each other somehow. No phones?…he’s only a few miles, would consider driving to contact tho gas could be dicey and might want to save. Would get out my dosimeters and Geiger counter and make sure functioning and, depending on winds and location, prepare to seal off basement and haul stuff down there to live. Assuming stores empty and assuming no way to contact distant family. What have I missed? I would not be a happy camper.
My weakest preps are food and water… no excuses, that’s just the way it is.
I normally work form home, and keep cash on hand, so would head to the corner Dollar General for all the bottled water and canned food I can buy. I would top off all the vehicles.
My family is usually close by, so getting them home should not be a big deal.
I would make sure all the magazines are loaded and the toys are ready for use.
Most of my defensive stuff is segregated and labeled.
Battery up all the radios and scanners I have, but keep them in the metal trash can until needed.
Put my wife and daughter on the cells trying to call family. We are the only 3 in our state.
I keep a BOB loaded but would pack suitcases with clothes and necessities, in case we needed to leave.
I have a good supply of propane, lanterns, camping stoves and candles. And as of yesterday, the proud owner of 3 LifeStraws.
I know this scenario is to get people thinking and the more I type, the more I think about. This list could be endless.
I’d call my daughter to fill the tub (sorry, StevefromMA, but you have the cellar I want!), grab what cash I could get from the ATM outside my work, and quickly head for home. Once there, I think I’d rearrange the furniture to line the outside walls and move as many preps as possible to an interior room. After that, it’s up in the air. We have good neighbors on 3 sides, but there are too many questionable renters nearby who have already proven that they’re out for whatever they can get for free. I hope, if necessary, that some of us would band together. Thinking about our combined ages and infirmities, teamwork would be the only way to get through this. On a good note, we’re semi-rural with a low crime rate. Our primary weakness will always be the lack of natural water sources.
Outside jobs first. You don’t want to have to go out once area is contaminated. Install hurricane covers over all windows and doors except front door and one back window. Fill all of our stored cat litter buckets and what ever else we have with water. Seal around garage door and park van across drive in front of garage. Back SUV up in front of front door to keep anyone from ramming it. While I am outside, wife would be inside trying to reach family and make sure they know what to do while filling tubs and what ever else may need to be done. Once inside move washer and dryer out of laundry room/safe room to make more room to be comfortable, start sealing all windows and doors from inside and making things as accessible and comfortable as possible. We are fortunate that we live in a concrete block house and have a reinforced laundry room in the center of the house for use as a safe room and with all the war threats going on, we have already added sand bags and sand boxes all the way around the outside for additional shielding. All of our security equipment including cameras are controlled from within this room, so we can monitor what is happening around the property from inside.
I’d crack a beer and toss a hunk of meat into my KBQ C-60 BBQ pit. No hitch in the giddy-up at my place. I would say a prayer for those affected.
No direct affect but certainly ripple in Financial, and shipping …
Call in deathly sick… for 2 – 3 days. ( if it resolves you want the job if you can keep it for benefits, if any remain)
You have about 3 days to see what the REAL affect is.. not knee jerk.. and then a few more.
I’d hit the more remote ATM and get what it will allow.
Id hit the teller for cashiers check and go to swap it for assets leaving enough to pay bills, in the event it resolves.
Write a property taxes check and send it after making a copy.
I’d hit local wholesale and use credit as many times as the market and internet will allow.
Top off gas and buy additional diesel, as many as containers and pumps allow.
Top off LP tank is available.
Local markets for bulk foods … trade or barter .. depends on duration.
By end of day one I’m at my solar panel vendor
Day two cash to electrical supply and pluming for copper wire and repair extras.
Extra chain saw and parts.. as well as fasteners and nails. Maybe a small generator if available still. As much feed as the co-op and other sources will sell me.
Here they might have put in credit and banking limitations.. so it gets iffy.
The international markets and lenders will likely expressed no confidence or about to in fiscal wherewithal of the US
Day three:
Extra tires if available and whatever I discover is needed along the way.
by day three’s end .. if more occurs and people STAY stupid I expect martial law in some form limited or full.
I don’t think you will know the effects until after day three based on Stock market breaker rules.. Day/Level1. Day/Level2 , Day/Level 3 (below)
The price of Gold and similar assets will tell you what the markets think as opposed to news.
FYI:
7% decline
If the S&P 500 falls 7% from the previous session’s close before 3:25 p.m. Eastern, all stock-market trading halts for 15 minutes.
The S&P 500 set a session low of 1,866.86 earlier Monday, for a 5.3% drop. It would have to fall to 1,832.92 to trigger a so-called Level 1 trading halt.
13% decline
After stocks reopen, it would then take a 13% decline by the S&P 500 before 3:25 p.m. to trigger a second trading halt, which would also last 15 minutes. For Monday’s session, that would mean a decline to 1,714.67.
20% decline
After a second trading halt, it would take a decline of 20% to trigger a so-called Level 3 circuit breaker. That would take an S&P 500 drop to 1,576.71 on Monday. Once a 20% drop occurs, that’s all she wrote. Trading is halted for the remainder of the day.
Also note that after 3:25 p.m., stocks only stop trading in the event of a 20% drop.
Everything goes in to t a cocked hat based on location and local LEO’s and citizenry.
Day 4 if internet still up.. will work from home and have everyone here that can be.
(in case the Job is still an option)
SW On and listening for real news.. and intel..
Defensive posture until it is time to leave .. which I doubt will happen depending on what happens next.
Immediately in conservation mode of all things.. Everything is used.
We do that now with our animals .. but I can say the trash has more in it than it needs to..
If the power is still on .. start using out of the freezers.. if not, Cook or preserve it all.
Wait and see … No travel at all.. initially.
Of course that says I can predict how the first few days will be .. Well I can’t .. but you have a plan and execute until something makes you change and you adjust.
GG58
Not too worried about a dirty bomb(s). The effected area will only be the blast area. Unlike a Nuclear detonation a dirty bomb will not radiate debris. Dirty bombs are more psychological than a means of mass killing. The HE part of the bomb will do all the killing based on its yield.
So, to survive the effects of a dirty bomb, stay out of the blast radius!!!
The psychological effect could cause major issues though if the .gov doesn’t get accurate information to the public in a timely manner before the sheep go into full panic mode.
So, the bottom line is to be educated about these type of issues before they happen.
Oh, I’m a first responder trained in responding to these type of situations.
Living in FLA, does pose some problems during a SHTF event. Roadways going North turn into parking lots really damn quick (any hurricane that comes by proves that).
After getting in contact with my wife my next step would be to hit the ATM which is literally next to my office. Then work my way home, stopping at ZooMart (WalMart), and Home Depot/Lowes. My wife and kid know our SHTF plans, they’ll have the house ready by the time I get home. My two brother do too. Rally at my house and bring your gear (hit the Bass Pro & Dicks for more Guns, Ammo and stuff). My neighborhood cul-de-sac is all preppers of some sort.
More long-term Food is always something I could get more of.
I told the only local prepper I know about the challenge and he suggested tarps on the outside supplanted by expanding foam, used as well inside. Good idea.
Way Northern Wi., Will be unaffected – short term. Retired, built new house in the piney woods. Energy efficient, all led, hydronic heat, (LP, Wood). 2000 gal of LP, LP gen, (17 kw), Our own well, and we do Woodman’s twice a year so have 3+ or so months of food and supplies. Dogs, firearms, and 15 acres in the woods away from people. 2– 100 gal tanks -diesel and gas for cars. So short term life as almost normal.
Long term–could be a problem, as with everybody else. Fresh food in winter, medical, and roving looters. Neighbors far away, so mutual protection could be a problem – wife proficient in firearms and alert dogs always helps. 2 dogs, weenie for ankles and pitbull mix for knees up.:) One has to be inventive, remain flexible, …after that depends on the disaster.
As I am retired, I have no obligations to a job, can live wherever I choose, which really helps the survival thing. Being away from high density populations and the problems gangs cause is probably the most important benefit living where I do.
1. Nature of the threat: “dirty bombs” are very localized and rely upon denial of areas or targeting of densely populated areas. Casualties from the blast, delayed from the radionuclides. They do not generate a fall out cloud like ground burst nukes.
2. Expect panic buying of food and fuel.
3. Expect martial law level / access restrictions to other potential targets such as govt offices, transportation centers, food distribution centers, etc.
Understanding this, then my local response would be to jack preparation readiness up to RED (family personal codes). This increases monitoring of multiple news sources, setting up of alternative comms, keeping fueled and watered up. Increased personal and family security etc.
Identify the potential targets in area and avoid.
No change in activities here. I’m not on the path of the fall out. Anything that happens on the left coast is of no interest to me. Atlanta is within 150 miles but the prevailing winds from the parking lot on the interstates miss me. Charleston is over 200 miles away and will be a loss to suffer, but I can live with it. If in winter time, I’ll tend the winter garden. If in the summer, I’ll tend the summer garden and fish. Not worried about water, I have a submersible pump as well as a stand by hand pump. Don’t need power, I can heat and cook with wood. Not worried about the curse of TV and cell phones, can do without both.
I’m stocked, I’m armed and I’m comfortable. Let it rip!
PS:
Like Mark in WI, I’m retired. Not worried about bills and mortgages and if need be, I’ll also pay ahead on taxes. No big deal.
Big problem is that I am 75 years of age. I have been a prepper for over forty years. I live in a small community where most of the people know each other. I have food packages in 5/6 gal. buckets for many people. I have hundreds of pounds of rice, pinto beans, black beans, white beans, wheat hard and soft kinds, wheat grinding machine (elec./manual) to make flour. Several hundred of sealed buckets with mylar packaging with oxygen absorbers that contain many different food items. Also, I have hundreds of canned Morman prepared cans of cereal, powered milk, fruits, vegetables and over 200 cases of MRE’S both military and civilian. Guns and ammo in huge amounts, even armed the local county sheriff’s deputies with 8 PTR-91’s in .308. As a group, we have at least six months of personal preparedness. Water in many forms are available and we have storage ability for hundreds of gallons. We rely on coal/wood stoves and have a large number of filled 20lb. propane tanks for emergency situations and mobility needs. I have over1,500 cans of ham, hundreds of cans of beef, hundreds of cans of bacon both commercial and home canned. And last, I have canning ability for over 2,000 quarts of additional food (five pressure canners and five propane turkey cookers) to can meat, fruit, vegetables and all the lids, bands and jars needed to accomplish food preservation.