Let's just say that the unthinkable becomes the real and happening.  Let's take this article and go over it.  This will be a segment in three parts, the next ones being immediate actions taken at work and at home.  I'm hitting on traveling first, as there are so many vacationers jaunting around happily over the landscape.  All kidding aside, traffic is congested during the summer, extending traveling time on the commutes.  Let's game the scenario, and here it is.

Here's the scenario:

You're cruising down the highway in your 2013 four-door sedan, having just dropped the kids off twenty minutes ago to the swim club.  Now you're on the open highway with a heavy traffic flow…about 5 miles from the edge of town and 7 miles from work.  You're listening to the radio, when suddenly it crackles and goes dead, along with your engine.  You look around and pumping the brakes manage to slow down and then drive off the road onto the shoulder, just feet away from the back bumper of another vehicle.

The vehicle comes to a stop, and you try the ignition again.  You look at your watch, a Casio G-Shock, to find there is no display.  You reach for your cell phone.  Nothing.  It's dead.  There are perhaps a dozen cars around you…half to your front and half to your rear.  All of them have stopped, and most of the drivers have gotten out.  You hear the sound of an engine, and looking up, see a '58 Ford pickup truck weaving in and out of the stalled traffic, moving toward your rear, away from town.  The book "One Second After" has just played out in real life.  The United States has been attacked by an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) weapon.  You're 15 miles from home, and the "S" has hit the fan.

On Friday 7/29/17, North Korea just successfully tested an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) and experts from four different countries including the U.S. have determined that they have the capability of striking the U.S. anywhere.  That means the optimal point for an EMP strike (dead center of the continental U.S., at 300 km above ground) is not only their prime target but also attainable.

15 Tips to Get Safely Home Following an EMP

Back to our scenario.  Most will be clueless and unprepared.  Let's do it up, down and dirty with the steps that you should take if you are "Citizen X" outlined in the scenario:

1. Have a plan already in place: That means to formulate one right now, f you haven't already done so.

2. If there are a lot of people around, such as in the scenario, then immediately grab your gear and get out of there. What gear, you may ask?  We've "gamed" much of this to the point of nausea, but let's list out those essentials:

"Go/Bug Out Bag": This guy already needs to be packed and ready, in that vehicle that will become a 3,000-lb. paperweight. Three days' supply of ready-to-eat food, one day's worth of water and the means to filter more.  Compass, flashlight, knife, first aid kit, poncho, jacket/sweatshirt, extra socks, map, light sleeping bag, fire starting material, small fishing kit (hooks, line, bobber), sewing kit, MSW (Minor Surgical Wound) kit, extra cash ($20 denominations and smaller), ground pad, extra clothing (hat, OG bandana, etc.), and ammo. An EMP may be followed by radiological and nuclear consequences. Having an NBC gas mask and anti-radiation pills in your vehicle could be a lifesaver.