Stage 3: Replanting Civilization

One day the sky will thin out and some sunlight will begin to stream through the haze. Someone will call, and everyone will leave the shelter to gaze at the beautiful thin ribbon of light. The few minutes of light will be short, but each day it will increase. The warmth will start to return. The snow and ice will begin to melt. Soon it will be time to plant and sow. The first few years may be harsh growing seasons. Don’t use all your seeds at once. I expect that 1 to 3 years from the impact event may pass before Stage 3 begins. Stage 3 is a time to plant, a time to build communities, a time to establish civilization. All the goods that you buried in Stage 1 will find a use. Even the electric toaster oven that Aunt Mabel packed away.

One of the first items to be constructed in Stage 3 is a greenhouse. This can be fashioned out of lumber used in Stage 1 shelters and rolls of clear plastic.

In Stage 3, the ozone layer will be gone. As a result, high levels of ultraviolet radiation will reach the surface of the Earth. Ultraviolet radiation can cause serious sunburn, increased incidences of skin cancer and eye damage. Exposed skin should be protected with clothing or sunscreen lotion. Eyes should be protected with UV sunglasses. Ultraviolet radiation can cause some genetic damage in plants, but the damage will be limited. The ozone molecules will be steadily regenerated by solar radiation after the impact. Complete regeneration and recovery could take several years.⁵³

The surface of the earth will be covered by a thin layer of ash and soot. This layer will contain heavy metals and other toxins from the fallout of the impact event. These heavy metals can be absorbed by plant life and enter the food chain. I recommend this layer be scraped away on garden plots and on the fields used for planting, prior to the initial planting of seeds.

Another problem which you will face in this stage, is how to grind the grains and corn to make flour for food. Small hand grinders can only go so far here. A small mill will need to be constructed.

Since surviving animal life may graze on contaminated lands, eating meat may be hazardous because it will be contaminated with heavy metals passed up the food chain.

Archieved written knowledge will come into play in Stage 3. It will be important to reconstitute key industries, such as the medical industry. Compiling information prior to the impact, such as the manufacture of penicillin, will aid in the recovery of civilization.

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