David Sarti is a character. Since watching this episode of Doomsday Preppers I have looked into his youtube channel and found all sorts of great information. He’s such a jolly, friendly guy with a desire to teach others. Unfortunately, he has come upon some hard times lately, having his right to bear arms taken away by the state after a mishap with a doctor diagnosis. It’s a real shame and I wish him the best but I’d still like to go over the tactics which he went over in the show.

1. EMP

The show went over the possibility of an EMP event caused by solar flares, referencing the 1859 Carrington Event as an example. This was the only solar flare of large scale that has happened since the introduction of electricity, but there are records of solar flares occurring before. By analyzing ice cores drilled from areas where snow never melts (such as Antarctica) climate records have shown that solar flares of a Carrington event level happen roughly every 500 years.

However, smaller events can happen several times a century, and other events in 1929 and 1960 were reported, coinciding with radio disruption. In 1989, a solar caused a rolling blackout in Quebec but it was restored in 9 hours.

2. Trucking industry

David is particularly concerned with the trucking industry coming to a halt. The majority of cargo in the US is delivered by overland delivery and if an EMP were to disrupt truckers we would be in the all too familiar three days of grocery food situation.

If the 1989 solar flare event is any indication, this is not a valid fear. While the power is disrupted during the solar flare, it doesn’t ‘kill’ the electronic devices. If a solar flare hit and trucking was disrupted for a day, it would be bad but wouldn’t threaten national stability on a long term

3. Drum storage

David had a pretty interesting storage method for his food. He was focused primarily on dried goods such as corn and beans, sealed up in 55 gallon drums. In order to prevent mold, he threw in several hand warmers into each drum to absorb the oxygen.

There is a difference in the oxygen absorbers you would find in a package of store bought beef jerky or vitamins for a reason. There are food grade preservatives and non-food grade preservatives. There is no telling what could be leaching into David’s food supply.

4. Farming and food supply

David has a very impressive homestead going on in this episode. For those of you lucky enough to live in a rural area with fertile soil and a temperate climate, homesteading is probably the only sustainable way to maintain a large group of people. It’s unfortunate that David lives alone, his farm could be a great place for a community if the SHTF.

6. Security 

The quality of David’s property and supplies is a double edged sword, however. With such an attractive store of food, guns and ammunition, David’s homestead would make a tempting target to hungry raiders. While he has a level of security with his barbed wire and dogs, these would be no match for an armed and organized group.

8. Communication 

The thought of operating a HAM radio is very interesting for a post SHTF world. While it is unlikely that an EMP would ‘kill’ all of the world’s radios, being able to communicate would be essential if the power grid went off for other reasons or centralized government was destabilized. Hey, if it could get some people to help David defend his farm it would be great too.

9. Health criticism

The main criticism that NatGeo’s experts has was the state of David’s health. I am in agreement – he’s going to have a difficult time defending his homestead effectively at his weight. He’s under the impression that he needs surgery in order to lose it due to joint problems.

One of the main benefits of paleo diets is reduction of inflammation. David would be able to help out his mobility and move more. In addition, low carb paleo variations work like magic for shedding weight. It wouldn’t be the end all be all for his health problems but it would be a great start.