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ParT VI 127 Temporary period of chaos requiring survival: Natural disas- ters, real or staged terror attacks, and nuclear or electronic warfare can damage infrastructure and heavily disrupt the modern way of life. Food, water, and energy distribution, transportation, and communication would all be impaired. For example, extreme so- lar activity could collapse modern civilization by frying out vital electronics, with effects similar to an EMP attack and results simi- lar to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, except nationwide.” ‘The response would be a combination of people coming together to support each other, others descending into anarchy as despera- tion sets in, and harsh measures by the authorities to maintain order, distribute supplies, and round up troublemakers into in- ternment camps. Division of survivors into “in-system” and “out-system” groups: Social chaos never lasts long, even the Dark Ages eventually re- turned to order. The question is which type of order, under whose authority, and at what cost. If modern life is disrupted for several months or years and the government and military retain their continuity, then the restored order would likely be on the authoritarian side, though limited in geographic reach due to lo- gistical limitations. This suggests there would be limited pockets where order is restored under an authoritarian regime, where sur- vivors make heavy concessions to live within those territories. The rest of the remaining population would be cut off from the system and forced to fend for itself, eventually forming a parallel culture to the technocratic one. Science fiction has depicted this ne * The government-funded EMP Commission analyzed the potential consequences of electromagnetic disruptions caused by solar activity or high altitude nuclear weapons. Their report may be read at http://empcommission.org. Some researchers are predicting the next solar cycle will be among the most active in history, peaking 2010-2013. If solar activity depends on planetary positions, then the next catastrophic solar flare is predictable. In that case, savvy elements in the military and government aware of this catastrophe might already be preparing opportunistic contingencies for this event. possibility in many instances.