Survival Retreat Consulting: How to Lead your Family to a Secure Homestead in Rural America, Part Two – Personal Threat Assessment

If you missed Part I of this guide please click HERE to read it!

Choosing to prepare for potential threats is a personal decision, and not everyone will prepare for the same types of threats. Some individuals may be concerned about localized disasters (wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, violent riots), a coordinated terrorist attack, or regional threats such as a nuclear power plant meltdown. National threats such as a limited or full-scale nuclear exchange or solar electromagnetic pulse (EMP) are of concern, while others may be more worried about a coordinated and rapid dollar devaluation and socioeconomic collapse.

However, most folks simply desire the peace and serenity of a slower pace of life that small town living affords. They want to be left alone to live the life they want, raising their children free from immoral public schools, high taxation, tyrannical local and state governments that have no respect for Constitutional rights and the rule of law and of course the extreme criminal activity that is inherent to highly populated sanctuary cities.

The state and locale you may currently reside in could be considered a direct threat to the lives of family members. Making a choice to flee the sanctuary city and begin a new life in a small rural town drastically lowers the possibility of the family being victims of violent crime, theft from government officials and moral decay of the children from ideologically corrupt state-run propaganda schools.

Depending on your circumstances, you may face additional threats due to your profession or personal moral and spiritual beliefs. Assessing your personal level of risk can help determine whether a permanent relocation to a rural homestead or acquisition of a bug-out survival property is the best course of action. For most folks, making the strategic relocation to rural America is the answer. In the long-run the benefits far outweigh the short-term sacrifices.

To develop an effective personal threat assessment, it is crucial to identify all assets that require protection. This includes both human and material assets, such as family, home, food and water supplies, livestock, and any equipment or weapons that may be necessary for defense. By considering the full spectrum of potential threats, you can make informed decisions about the best course of action for protecting yourself and your loved ones.

First and foremost, list the top three to five reasons that are motivating you to consider a rural relocation. This will be your ‘why’ and will keep the entire family motivated throughout the journey.

Then, in order to determine the best long-term course of action consider the following questions:

• Who are the people that need protection?
  • What are their ages and family relations?
  • Do they have or need to acquire useful skills for the homestead or during emergencies?
  • Are there any medical limitations that need to be taken into account?
  • Are there any interpersonal issues that could affect group dynamics?

• What material items need to be sheltered over what period of time?
  • What basic supplies will you need to survive after a collapse?
  • What advanced supplies will you need to sustain yourself and your group?
  • What time frame will you need to self-sustain without outside resupply?

• If purchasing or building a home what threats are anticipated?
  • Ballistic / EMP / Nuclear / Fire / Biological / Forced Entry – Explosive / other

It’s important to recognize that a wide range of events, from localized riots over police shootings to large-scale store thefts, street and drug gang violence, as well as terrorist and nuclear attacks, are overwhelmingly concentrated in and around densely populated areas. Therefore, where you choose to purchase a rural property can significantly impact your chances of survival, as well as your overall happiness by avoiding the stress of commuting and exposure to these threats. The catalyst of an event is not always the biggest threat. In fact, the result of all major events, will be a socioeconomic collapse. To get a better perspective on your personal threat assessment, let’s cover a few of the basic threats to consider;

Natural Disasters:

Natural disasters present the highest risk of loss of life, mostly due to poor planning and ignorance. It’s important to understand the local and regional threats and have standard preparations in place for hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanoes, flooding, house and high-rise fires, violent storms, tornadoes and others in your locale.

Even after enduring a flood event, supplies may be destroyed,
and all the prepping will be for not. Act accordingly.

News reports often show families drowning in flash floods or caught in wildfires due to a lack of awareness. The summer months bring wildfires in many rural regions. A recent experience of evacuating supplies from a client’s retreat lacking a safe storage room, due to a massive wildfire highlighted the importance of being prepared for natural disasters and having preps stored in a concrete, fireproof/waterproof room or bunker.

Waiting until the last minute to evacuate during natural disasters leads to mass chaos and physical violence from the ill-prepared. It’s essential to have a plan and act quickly when warning signs are evident. Lastly, it’s unrealistic to assume making it from NYC to a Montana survival property is possible unless reacts promptly to warning signs, to allow for vehicle travel or private/commercial travel if they are not on a ground stop due to the emergency. For those private pilots that own a plane there is a longer window to react but take note that limited supplies can be onboarded as fuel will be the priority in an evacuation flight.

In many western retreat states fire is a major concern.
Be sure to firewise your property and have firefighting capability on-site.

Terrorist Attacks on CONUS Soil:

Despite being downplayed by the media, the possibility of terrorist attacks on US soil is always an issue, however, the probability of being involved as a victim is extremely low. Such attacks can take various forms, each causing panic and chaos among the general public. Here are the likely reactions and results of different types of attacks:

• Lone Wolf Shooting: This type of attack would likely create minimal panic, limited to a few city blocks. School and ‘party’ shootings fall under this heading.
• Multiple Shooters at Malls, Resorts, and Sporting Events: Although still localized to the affected area, such an attack could cause more panic than a lone wolf shooting.
• Coordinated Multiple City Shootings or Bombs: A coordinated attack on multiple cities with small bombs or shootings could create a mass panic, even more than the 9/11 attacks. This could lead to temporary local or regional martial law lockdowns.
• Any Type of Dirty Bomb (Radioactive), Especially Multiple Targets and Cities: For preppers, a dirty bomb may not be an issue unless in the immediate area. However, such an attack could cause a nationwide martial law lockdown and mass panic.

Considering being a victim is extremely low, any of these events may also result in a travel lockdown, limiting the time for preppers to get to their retreat, or even return home if away on business. In addition, understanding the safe distance from certain explosives is crucial for preppers to assess threats and stay safe during or upon a warning of an attack. Knowing your threats and being aware of how far away you need to stay to remain safe is essential if you suspect an imminent attack while in a large city in the US, during a civil war, or if the country is invaded and controlled by a foreign power. Yes, Red Dawn 1984. Yes, it’s a cult classic.

The chart below will cover the basic minimum safe distances for explosive threats. For vehicle threats to your retreat, the safe distance would be your ‘engagement decision range’ during an extreme societal collapse scenario.

Nuclear Power Generation Plants:

The map below shows the current locations of all US nuclear power plants. Be aware that the average age of U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors that were operational as of December 31, 2021, was about 40 years. The oldest operating reactor is Nine Mile Point 1 in New York, which entered commercial service in December 1969. The newest reactor to enter service is Tennessee’s Watts Bar Unit 2, which began operation in June 2016. The next-youngest operating reactor is Watts Bar Unit 1, also in Tennessee, which entered service in May 1996.

For those seeking a safe location for their rural property, it’s important to consider that almost all operating nuclear plants use outdated safety technology. This is a crucial factor to keep in mind, as the likelihood of a nuclear disaster resulting from a power plant meltdown due to maintenance issues or an attack is much higher than that of an actual nuclear war, despite what the media may suggest.

Lethal Engineered Pandemic:

While the death toll from recent outbreaks like the lab engineered Covid-19, H1N1 and Ebola viruses has been relatively low, it’s possible that a future intentional outbreak could be far more deadly. It’s not out of the question that some nefarious group could release a mutated virus. Surviving a real pandemic requires isolation, but that’s easier said than done.

While it’s tempting to retreat to a bunker or cave, the reality is that you’ll need contact with the outside world to survive. Supplies of perishable items such as life supporting medicines (insulin, antibiotics) and fresh meats and vegetables will need to be restocked.

The solution is to find a small rural community where you can integrate into, grow some of your own food and limit contact with others while still bartering and communicating. Living around a small rural town provides an opportunity to be part of a network of leaders who can rally the community to rally against totalitarian control allowing them to not only survive but prosper as the rest of the nation is locked down and pushed into internment camps for the ‘common good of all’. Oh, it ‘can’t happen here’, we are free…Sure.

Consider the disarmed Jewish population in 1939 and how that turned out. Never again.

Socio-Economic Collapse:

It’s important to consider the possibility of a socio-economic collapse and that this is the final result of ‘any’ large emergency event such as a limited nuclear strike, actual lethal pandemic and more. While small-scale disasters and infrastructure attacks may not have a major impact on the national or global economy, a series of smaller events could lead to the US dollar losing its status as the world’s reserve currency. This, combined with significant job losses due to the integration of advanced AI systems replacing high-end financial and service industry positions, could cause a major drop in GDP and a slow slide into a deep recession or depression.

Don’t ever let your family end up here. Prepare accordingly.

The Federal Reserve ‘may’ introduce a ‘solution’ to the engineered problem they created and implement a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and mandate that all employers use it for payroll. This could be a nightmare scenario for those who value personal freedom. Constructing a family farmstead can provide additional resources and some level of independence from the CBDC control system.

Although most people will still need to work and receive payment in CBDC, having the option to work remotely and/or grow goods and provide services for local bartering can provide additional income and enable the spouse to homeschool their children, thus helping people maintain their freedom despite changing political and economic conditions.

Furthermore, it is crucial to understand that a major economic collapse will have far-reaching consequences, particularly with regards to food production and distribution. In a society where money and resources are scarce and possibly controlled, people will turn to whatever means necessary to survive, including raiding supermarkets and supply stores in certain locales such as the poorer areas of sanctuary cities. We have already seen this type of lawlessness, and times are fairly good these days. This may lead to food shortages and even famine, as the transportation and distribution networks that sustain our current ‘just in time’ food systems could be ‘disrupted’ by cyber or physical attacks on failing infrastructure.

As discussed, it is vital to have a network of friends in the local area to barter with for food and other necessities that will be regulated by the CBDC, stockpile non-perishable food items, hard goods for barter and to cultivate a garden and greenhouse to produce fresh fruits and vegetables regardless of weather. By being as self-sufficient as possible on your rural property and in all areas of life you will be better equipped to survive and thrive in a world where the economy and social structures have been systematically collapsed and redesigned for ultimate control.

Ultimately, even if a major event never happens, having the knowledge that you raised your family in accordance with your beliefs and prepared them for various situations can give you a sense of peace that cannot be obtained by living in a sanctuary city. Be prepared and live a stress-free life.

Nuclear Exchange:

While a full-scale nuclear exchange between nations is of course possible, the probability is extremely low. The scenario with the highest likelihood of occurring is a very limited nuclear strike targeting several major cities or a single detonation event that would have severe social and economic consequences for the nation.

Even if individuals are physically distant from the event, the response to such an attack would likely result in a nationwide martial law lockdown, which would be difficult to enforce and could lead to widespread civil unrest, particularly in densely populated regions and possibly even in smaller locales. Know your neighbors and have a close network of communication and collaboration.

Surviving a nuclear war and its aftermath is undoubtedly one of the most daunting challenges for any prepper. In the low probability event of an actual full-scale nuclear exchange between nations, such as the U.S. and China or Russia, nearly 90% of the population would likely perish within six months of the initial strike if most targets were hit across the nation. The primary cause of death in such a scenario would be massive starvation due to the food production and supply chain collapsing, as well as massive violence as survivors fight for limited supplies.

The radius of the fallout zone is heavily influenced by the size of the device and weather conditions at the time of detonation, and future rainfall can also have a significant effect on the dispersal of radiation. Areas that receive contaminated rainfall may become hot regions with higher levels of radiation deposits days later.

In addition to the immediate and direct effects of a nuclear exchange, such as blast damage and thermal radiation, the long-term effects of radiation exposure pose significant threats to human health and food production over a vast region. Crops grown in contaminated soil will absorb radioactive particles, making them unsafe for consumption, and livestock that graze on contaminated vegetation will also become non-edible and need to be destroyed.

Therefore, food production and distribution will become a significant challenge in the aftermath of a nuclear war, and survivors will need to rely on pre-stocked supplies or develop new methods of food production in any of the uncontaminated areas.

In order to mitigate the impact of a societal collapse caused by a nuclear war scenario, you’ll need to plan for food production. This can include the use of indoor hydroponic systems, greenhouse gardening, and other techniques that allow for safe food production in a contaminated environment. Relying solely on canned goods is very detrimental to health.

Additionally, the use of livestock and other animals that can be raised for food may become more prevalent outside the hot zones in a post-nuclear exchange world depending upon the resources for uncontaminated feedstock supplies, however, this may be a major issue.

In summary, preparing for a nuclear exchange should be a low priority for most people, however, having a small working farmstead will help alleviate most concerns.

However, if this is at the top of your threat assessment then planning and preparation for this scenario should include factors such as the selection and acquisition of a rural retreat or bunker in a remote and safe location along with long-term food storage, access to clean water or filtration for radioactive fallout and the development of alternative methods of food production in contaminated areas.

Nuclear Safe Zones:

To be clear, in a full exchange where fallout circles the globe, you’ll need to be south of the equator, preferable far south in the lower portions of South America, the hinterlands of Australia or many of the thousands of islands around the world. This is simply not realistic. Living full-time at your rural homestead or close access to your bug-out property is key for survival and mental health regardless of the times.

Unfortunately, some of the safest locations in the United States are in extremely socialist / communist states like California, Oregon and Washington. Their coast lines are far enough from nuclear targets to the north, south and east. As the weather predominately blows southeast and eastward, these locations are optimal for survival but not for ‘lifestyle’. Choose happiness, not fear.

Better to prepare according to your threat analysis and budget, relax and enjoy life and not be too concerned about this aspect unless you have substantial financial resources.

Travel for work? Have a plan so your family is prepared.

EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Solar Storm Effects: This is a quick guide to the EMP threat

Recent NASA data shows that there is a significant chance, between 8% to 10%, of a major solar electromagnetic pulse event striking Earth within the next decade. Should it hit our side of the Earth, this event could cause catastrophic damage to the infrastructure of the national power grid. While most solar storms would mainly impact the power grid and would not likely harm computers or communications equipment not connected, low-level solar storms could cause temporary disruptions to communications.

However, an exceptionally massive solar storm could induce geomagnetic currents that would destroy a significant fraction of the largest transformers on the power grid, potentially impacting a large portion of the world. In the event of such a catastrophic solar storm, power outages could last for several years or more in the US and decades in third world nations due to the manufacturing issues and delivery timeframes for these massive items. It is important for Preppers to take appropriate precautions against this inevitable occurrence, as unlike a nuclear EMP, this is an unavoidable event on the timeline.

How to protect critical Sustainability infrastructure and Tactical Communications Gear:

A Faraday cage is an enclosure made of conductive material, such as metal, that is designed to block electromagnetic fields. When an electromagnetic wave, such as a radio wave, encounters the Faraday cage, the electrons in the conductive material rearrange themselves in such a way that the wave is cancelled out, and the interior of the cage becomes shielded from electromagnetic radiation. In the case of a Faraday cage, the enclosure acts as a shield that reflects and absorbs electromagnetic waves, preventing them from entering the enclosed space. This makes Faraday cages useful in protecting electronic devices from electromagnetic interference, such as that caused by lightning strikes, solar EMP flares, or electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) from nuclear detonations or other sources.

We have heard of people using plastic 5-gallon buckets; however, they cannot be used as an effective electromagnetic shield or Faraday cage. This is because plastic is not a good conductor of electricity, and therefore cannot block or absorb electromagnetic waves. To effectively shield against electromagnetic radiation, the enclosure must be made of a conductive material such as metal, which can reflect and absorb electromagnetic waves.

If you are looking to create a Faraday cage for your electronic comms devices or other sensitive equipment, such as NVG’s, IR/WHT lights, et cetera, it’s recommended to use a metal container, such as a metal trash can or a metal ammo storage container. You can also use conductive fabrics, such as copper mesh, to line the inside of the container to further enhance the shielding effect.

It’s important to ensure that the container is properly sealed with conductive material to prevent any gaps or openings that may allow electromagnetic waves to penetrate the enclosure.

There are many commercially manufactured EMP resistant boxes on the market. Understanding the level of protection will be paramount to achieving the best protection for your sensitive equipment.

NUCLEAR EMP Review

Causes: EMP can be caused by various factors, including:

• High altitude nuclear explosion.
• Line-of-sight effects.
• A simple fission bomb is more effective than a hydrogen bomb.
• Geomagnetic solar storm (Only E3 pulse)

Effects of EMP on Electronics: EMP can have significant impacts on electronic systems, with the following effects:

E1 Pulse:

• Extremely high amplitude up to 50,000 volts/meter.
• Normal circuit breakers cannot work this fast.
• Will cause integrated circuits connected to cables to overheat and give false readings and be damaged or destroyed.

E2 Pulse:

• Effect similar to thousands of lightning strikes hitting power lines simultaneously.
• Because of the widespread use of lightning protection technology, E2 is the least dangerous type of EMP.

E3 Pulse:

• Can produce direct current Ground Induced Currents (GIC) in conductors.
• Long-distance electrical power transmission lines make excellent conductors.
• Direct currents of hundreds to thousands of amperes can flow into transformers, potentially causing overheating and fires.

Everyone, regardless of owning a retreat or not should employ techniques to safeguard electronic assets including communications equipment, night / thermal vison goggles and scopes, HAM radios as well as any other electronic items needed for a successful exfil or use at the retreat.

Personal Threat Assessment Review:

Initially, it’s important to have a practical approach regarding the rationale behind wanting to strategically relocate to a rural property. While there are various potential threats that can cause concern and anxiety, the main drivers for relocation for many individuals are escaping high crime rates, taxes, and oppressive local government rather than unlikely events such as nuclear disasters.

1. Identify the top three threats that are most important and focus the property search region, state and locale best suited to mitigate those threats within budget. This is your ‘Why’ and will be the basis for your relocation.
2. Who are the people that need protection? Consider their ages, family relations, special skills, medical limitations, and any interpersonal issues that may affect their safety and the core operational readiness of the group and retreat.
3. Identify the material items that require shelter to survive after an event. This includes food, water, tools, weapons, building materials, vehicles, fuel, and other many other essentials.
4. List any special circumstances that may pose a threat and require purchasing a rural property with tight operational security (OPSEC) or avoiding a property within one tank of gas from your current location.

Prioritize the threats based on significance to your family, considering personal beliefs and physical factors you have identified such as population density, demographics, nuclear facilities, sanctuary cities, ability to homeschool, moral threats, weather and seismic issues, major flood areas and dams and other aspects critical to you and your family.

We hope you have enjoyed Part II of the Secure Rural Relocation Guide. If you have interest in our services, please contact us at Survival Retreat Consulting.

In Part III we will be covering the basics of searching for the right rural property.