Longer Term Reconstruction

Reestablishment of Infrastructure

The title of this section is the MAIN subject of the book

Society AFTER Doomsday
and the goal of the SAFE system.

By the 'reconstruction' of society, we mean the forming of society in a new, better, and different way than the society that it is replacing, because it was the ills of that society that caused it to collapse. The details of how it is recommended that reconstruction should take place are spelled out in the book.

Much of the reconstruction of society is dependent upon the 'recovery' of society and the reestablishment of the infrastructure. Tools, methods, and means for recovery are spelled out in their own section of this web site. While all these things are interrelated, and important, it is social structure at the various stages that we are concerned with in this section. Specifically, we are addressing here an intermediate period of reconstruction between the collapse and chaos immediately after Doomsday and a greatly desired future time when society will again be well ordered, peaceful and productive. We must work for and toward that future time and that is why this intermediate time is so important and is what is addressed by the book Society AFTER Doomsday and the SAFE system.

An initial primary task during this period will be the compiling of an inventory of resources that have survived. Not just physical objects but what is called human capital so that recovery and reconstruction coordinators can best utilize both materials and skills. The primary concerns will be:

      Agricultural Recovery

      Food Preservation

      Energy

      Transportation

      Fuel

      Communication

      Manufacture

      Medicine

      Education

These may all be very primitive to begin with. To take just one example from the list above, communications may initially have to be as simple as establishing runners or a localized postal system. On the other hand there may be the capability of charging batteries for battery powered radios and even HAM radio for more distant communication. If a local transmitter can be brought back on the air this would provide one way communication to battery powered car radios, the batteries for which could be charged by a variety of methods. Local phone lines may be undamaged and it again becomes a matter of charging the system. As with any system it may be necessary to restrict or ration usage to those points with the highest social priority.

As another example from the above list, while alternate fuel sources are described at length in these web pages, initially it may be as primitive as salvaging and distributing wood for heating and cooking. Salvaging combustible fuels for internal combustion engines will be a high priority.

Transportation is highly necessary for security, fire defense, salvaging, distribution and getting the labor force where it is needed. A busing system may have high priority in this latter regard.

The reestablishment of manufacture is an important goal, in fact next to security - the most important goal. Support and incentive should be given to those trying to do so. Large scale manufacture may come considerably later but what should be done first is to identify the immediate needs, and the means there are of fulfilling them. Two lists, one of priorities, the other of resources and capabilities, can be drawn up. High priority items have a first call upon resources. Lower priority items that can be easily fulfilled without detriment to high priority items can also be readily met. The challenge will be in allocating resources to priorities in the middle range which are not so essential but are not so easily met either.

The larger scales of manufacture require large functioning reconstructed communities. To support the reconstruction of a refinery, for instance, with its requirements for energy, raw material, transportation of product, expert operators, and so forth would very likely require a functioning surrounding community of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. Once again a reason for extending the perimeters of the supporting communities. While such reestablishment may be a considerable time coming in many areas, nevertheless all such resources should be protected, as much as possible, for the future. In the meantime, all presently usable resources should be utilized to the maximum. This particularly applies to the human capital.

At the earliest possible time intense attention should be paid to education. Not only to the education of children, which is very important, but also to retaining skills in every technology and art. Just one example of this is the training of medical personnel. A traumatized society will probably collectively go through the seven stages of grief. Intense, purposeful and meaningful activity is probably the best therapy available, both individually and collectively. The reestablishment of social institutions for security, justice, health, education, all depend upon the functioning political / economic system. Whoever or whatever controls the economic, production, distribution system will also control the security and other systems. This writer's preference is for that which he describes in conjunction with the LERN system, but most any functioning system will be better than none.