CAM Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Tsar Bomba was a 50 Megaton device that has to be dropped from a plane and so powerful the Russians daren't test another (they were going to make it a 100 megaton yield but bottled it). Nuclear bombs are yesterday's news, ICBMs and tactical missiles are the current threat launched from concealed facilities and hidden submarines.
Garacesh Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Building shelter? Hunting Berries? Would lack of electricity really return us to the stone age? We survived quite well without it uptil what, the latter part of the 19th century. It's only been the past 100 years we've been totally reliant on it. Would society really full apart that completely? How long would it take the government to declare marshall law? They could declare it all they want, but we A) Don't have the military presence to pull it off and B) How would they even communicate that order? How many carrier pigeons do we have left? Would anyone even care about Martial Law? I think plenty of people would ignore it entirely. It wouldn't return us to the stone age, no, and society wouldn't completely fall apart, but it wouldn't just be something we could mop up overnight. How would we get our military forces overseas home without power? We'd have to stick them on boats - and not ships, because they require power, so sailboats. I recon order will be restablished inside of a month at most. I think desease and famine will be the biggest killers during the first couple of years a society shifts back to be more agricultural based and large cities down size. I don't think danger from looters and anarchists would last all that long to be a significant threat to life, and I think hunting would probably land you in serious trouble with the miltary state (end of a noose?). For shelter - there's nothing wrong with existing housing stock. For food - rationing would be back for the better part of a decade. Certainly illness would be the biggest killers, children and elderly mostly. I do wonder how us 'city folk' would manage it though, food would run out within, I'd hazard two weeks, and we don't have the space to farm (and even if we did, crops have a habit of growing rather slowly). Again, communication would be sporadic where it would or wouldn't work, so getting out government mandated rations wouldn't be too fluid. There's almost certainly offline desiel/gas backup generators that'd get electricity back to key stratigic areas that will allow government to continue functioning. And it wouldn't take that long to rebuild working gas/coal generators for the national grid. True, but the idea I got from this thread was an EMP-type-incident that knackered all machineries, so backup generators wouldn't work (though I'd guess manual ones would)
tmcd35 Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 A) Don't have the military presence to pull it off Police? Reservists - TA? and B) How would they even communicate that order? What did we do pre-1792? Before the telegraph? How did we fight the American Revolution War? Would anyone even care about Martial Law? I think plenty of people would ignore it entirely. Some oaf empowered by the state points a gun at you... you ignore him? Again, communication would be sporadic where it would or wouldn't work, so getting out government mandated rations wouldn't be too fluid. Might not be fluid, but lines of communication can easilly be re-established (messangers on horseback (Okay push-bikes)). We're not exactly the largest of land masses. True, but the idea I got from this thread was an EMP-type-incident that knackered all machineries, so backup generators wouldn't work (though I'd guess manual ones would) It's also were I have a problem. For it to be a real issue, then pretty much the whole globe has to be effected. Other wise, why doesn't aid agencies and the UN swoop down and rescue us? For an event to take out all the electricity aross the the entire globe - As species we'd be extremely unlucky to survive what ever it was. About the only thing capable, without wiping out the species, is a freak solar flaire. If that happened. Would it also take out a switched off desiel powered backup generator in Parliaments basements? Might not last very long, but long enough to re-establish some kind of order?
localzuk Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 If you add police, regular and reserve armed forces together, we have about 500,000 potential personnel who could enforce martial law. 50k of that are probably deployed somewhere other than the UK though. However, 450k people is plenty to enforce martial law on our small isle. That said, they'd still have the issue of transport and communication. They don't have a lot of horses any more. But, that just means communication is slow rather than not possible.
Garacesh Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 If this was a freak solar flare and boom, all electrics failed, even steam trains wouldn't be an option because tracks would be littered here-and-there with trains that had stopped. So that's not possible. Cars are no good because they don't work anymore. We don't tend to have many mounted divisions anymore, so only a few horses are available. We don't (to my knowledge) have a stock of carrier pigeons anymore. Probably still have some, I know hobbyists train them still, but overall not a lot to cover the mass communication we need. Leaving just one option: Courier/Snail Mail Until Martial Law was in place, would the postmen even be working? (Given that everything's going to Hell in a handbasket, I probably wouldn't show up for work, either!) so it would be government mandated couriers on bicycles. Even then, there's still only so much ground that can be covered. It would take weeks to re-establish proper communications.
happymeal Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) Kinda, you've usually got a peg leg and at least a parrot.. just a hat this time. You're slipping. You saw X-13 with just a hat on, doing his/her/it's/Squlee's pirate thing? Pics or it never happened... There's a lot of ideas of how we'd react to it on this thread, but if anyone's seen Jericho - that's a very scary reality of how things would happen on a town-sized scale. Looting and how to combat it, fuel supplies, gathering supplies and distribution, effects of EMP-waves/nuclear dispersal, survivors from nearby towns flocking, getting back to planting seeds and harvesting crops, etc. It's also been used as a guide by several pointy-head types as a near-accurate guide on what would happen and how to survive it. There was a short-lived TV series by Chris Ryan a few years back (Back when he was the in-thing with Ultimate Force, and his survival shows) which covered "disasters" and there was one that focused on a typical street during a pro-longer power failure, which turned out to be an EMP. Basically they rolled cars onto the ends of the streets to form a baracade to slow down looters, sealed houses up and fortified them using interior doors and shelving, moved the elderly/ill/infirm into more populated houses to prevent them being killed off by looters, used the fresh meats/supplies, formed patrols day and night to stop looters - it was a pretty good insight into how things may go down... That being said - I'm stealing a boat and attacking humanitarian relief convoys at sea... Edited March 18, 2014 by happymeal Amended to include the many forms of X-13...
CAM Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 If this was a freak solar flare and boom, all electrics failed, even steam trains wouldn't be an option because tracks would be littered here-and-there with trains that had stopped. So that's not possible. Cars are no good because they don't work anymore. We don't tend to have many mounted divisions anymore, so only a few horses are available. We don't (to my knowledge) have a stock of carrier pigeons anymore. Probably still have some, I know hobbyists train them still, but overall not a lot to cover the mass communication we need. Leaving just one option: Courier/Snail Mail Until Martial Law was in place, would the postmen even be working? (Given that everything's going to Hell in a handbasket, I probably wouldn't show up for work, either!) so it would be government mandated couriers on bicycles. Even then, there's still only so much ground that can be covered. It would take weeks to re-establish proper communications. Easily possible. Government would seize the heritage rail industry assets which is connected to the mainline and use them with old signalling techniques to clear the priority routes. I dare say some of the trained steam drivers would relish in the irony of the old beasts being used on the mainline once more.
Popular Post Domino Posted March 18, 2014 Popular Post Posted March 18, 2014 You saw X-13 with just a hat on, doing her pirate thing? Pics or it never happened... You're going to be VERY disappointed by the pictures.... 5
happymeal Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 If anyone wants to see what happens when a world super-power falls though, have a read of John Birmingham's Without Warning. It's a very good (fictional) read of what happened when the bulk of America just "vanishes" on the eve of the Iraqi war - both on a local/domestic scale with looting, continunity of government, and so on, as well as an international look at things when there's no longer a deterrent to prevent countries from settling scores with each other.
localzuk Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 If this was a freak solar flare and boom, all electrics failed, even steam trains wouldn't be an option because tracks would be littered here-and-there with trains that had stopped. So that's not possible. Steam trains are amazingly strong. They would easily be able to pull the dead electric trains out of the way into sidings etc... Its what they did when the electric ones got stuck during snow a few years ago. Cars are no good because they don't work anymore. Not all cars. We don't tend to have many mounted divisions anymore, so only a few horses are available. We do have bicycles though. Lots of them. We don't (to my knowledge) have a stock of carrier pigeons anymore. Probably still have some, I know hobbyists train them still, but overall not a lot to cover the mass communication we need. There's a heck of a lot of carrier pigeons and the like in private hands in the country - they could be confiscated. Leaving just one option: Courier/Snail Mail Until Martial Law was in place, would the postmen even be working? (Given that everything's going to Hell in a handbasket, I probably wouldn't show up for work, either!) so it would be government mandated couriers on bicycles. Even then, there's still only so much ground that can be covered. It would take weeks to re-establish proper communications. Nope. Mail wouldn't be running - until things had settled enough for someone to start it up again. Running a new telegraph system wouldn't take all that long. We have cables all over the place already.
ICTDirect_Dave Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 For a start, not all electronics would be ruined. Generators could be fixed really really easily, and well shielded devices would be fine. Oh and as a species we're clever, very clever, we made all this before. Honestly, i reckon people would be using radio connumication with radios they'd knocked together within a few hours. Power generation is incredibly simple, on a local level at least (plus the gridlines will still be fine, so we'd get those back soon after). Purely mechanical things that require an electronic charge to start would be running again within a couple of days. So some older cars back on the road. within a few months we'd be well on our way to normalcy (with the exception of the economy, that'd be shot) but that's not a problem, because money, in a situation like this would be worthless anyhow so we'd just get on and get sorted and worry about everything else later. Yes, there would be some local disorder, but not a whole lot and certainly not a nationwide movement (there's only so many idiots).
Earthling Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Ok, I am a member of a few forums, and this topic has come up a lot recently. If there was a global EMP (such as the style of the TV show Revolution), how would you cope and what would you do?[/quote I'd turn feral.
Andrew_C Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 remote Scottish island, Nah, head south. Less fuel required in the first winter, better growing conditions over all. I'd start with one of the forts in the Solent, and expand to the Isle of Wight when conditions permitted. ie, when all the war-like ones had killed themselves off.
Garacesh Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 I'd start with one of the forts in the Solent Looks like Fort Boyard.
Bompalompalomp Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Do a Day of the Triffids and head to the Isle of Wight.
bushby Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 NEVER touch the isle of wight!, its boring and shrinking and no large game to hunt unless its cannibalism your into:S il keep my local view of it quiet.
featured_spectre Posted March 18, 2014 Author Posted March 18, 2014 to be fair, for game to hunt you are better off near streams, rivers and lakes, as that is where they'll likely congregate for drinking. As for types of game, well within 5 miles of my house, we have muntjac deer, red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer. Also have pheasant, guinea fowl, partridge, wild pigeon, ducks, geese...so not bad for animals for hunting.
ICTDirect_Dave Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 We've got plenty of cows you know. You could just walk up to them too. I'll go for that
localzuk Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 We've got plenty of cows you know. You could just walk up to them too. I'll go for that Everyone knows cows explode when hit by an EMP...
ICTDirect_Dave Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Everyone knows cows explode when hit by an EMP... Why did nobody tell me this? We need to do exploding cow dominos now. Sod the EMP this will be much more worthwhile
mthomas08 Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 I am sure in the event of an EMP blast, everyone will still ask IT is there anything we can do to fix it.
happymeal Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 Am I the only one thinking of Rat Burger from Demolition Man? 1
featured_spectre Posted March 18, 2014 Author Posted March 18, 2014 In a survival type situation, you need any protein you can. Hamster, Rat, Mouse, Snake, Lemming, as long as there weren't flies on the meat, and it was cooked very thoroughly, it would be fine.
Garacesh Posted March 18, 2014 Posted March 18, 2014 I am sure in the event of an EMP blast, everyone will still ask IT is there anything we can do to fix it. "When will the network be back up?" "Are you kidding me?! That was a worldwide EMP. Literally nothing works!" "Yeah... But I only want the Internet.." 1
featured_spectre Posted March 18, 2014 Author Posted March 18, 2014 "When will the network be back up?" "Are you kidding me?! That was a worldwide EMP. Literally nothing works!" "Yeah... But I only want the Internet.." Yeh I could well imagine that happening. lol
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