[Webstral]

The concept of a wood gas generator being described in detail by FEMA (see the link above) brings me back to the age-old question of preparation prior to the nuclear exchange. How much preparation really gets done in any given country between August 1995 and July-November 1997? Obviously, no uniform description is possible. Nonetheless, it's hard to believe that the US or any of the NATO allies is caught flat footed by the first nuclear exchange in July 1997.

I wonder if the survivalist movement would not go semi-mainstream in that civilians we wouldn't ordinarily categorize as "survivalist" organize clubs and even local political movements to address issues of self sufficiency in the event of a major nuclear exchange. Certainly the Dept. of Agriculture would take an active interest in thinking through post-Exchange agriculture, which may be an excuse for having 48% of the US population still be alive in early 2001. While a significant percentage of the US civilian population would be in total denial until the last minute, and while a significant percentage of the population would head for hills and not come back as soon as the Soviets and the Chinese started fighting, a vast swath of the population would fit into the shades of gray category.