Chaos at the Big Box Supermarkets in Emergency Conditions

How would your family be set on the food front with your big box supermarket closed? I would give the subject your immediate attention because a day after EMP attack or related national disaster, your big box outlet would likely be out of food and overrun. And if it is still operating for a few days, it would most likely be on a cash-and-carry basis with charge cards useless and ATMs down. First on your simple preparation list is a nice supply of cash. The Report of the Commission to Assess Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack devotes an entire chapter to Food Infrastructure. I sure do not like what I read and doubt you would. Supermarkets today stock only enough food to supply local populations for 1 to 3 days. That’s days not weeks, and my guess is that the jig would be up in less than 24 hours, with only well-armed cash holders in the game for even that long. I live on an island and have ridden out many the hurricane. Trust me, the minute the electricity blinks off, conditions begin to deteriorate at warp speed. In the event of an EMP attack, transportation and distribution is shown to be the weakest link in the food infrastructure chain. The same condition is true for all natural disasters, including hurricanes.

The Commission report makes clear that an EMP attack could potentially disrupt or collapse the food infrastructure over a large region encompassing many cities for a protracted period of weeks or months or even longer. Getting the message here? At the least figure out where you hit first to stock up, how you would get there, how you would pay, and how you would transport a large amount of food home. Don’t forget, most forms of transportation will be useless, as electrical systems will be instantly knocked out. Your car or truck will not start.  Still with me here? There may be a tendency to brush off my warnings, but please remember, the preceding is 100% in line with the picture painted by the EMP commission.