Posted on 09/05/2011 5:56:24 AM PDT by Kaslin
“You’ll be able to syphon it out of the hundreds of millions of dead cars”
Uh, no you really won’t. Gas has a shelf life of about 6 months, and much less than that if it has ethanol. The ethanol absorbs moisture from the air.
Diesel is the safe bet. If you have a diesel generator you’re set.
None
Anything shielded by a Faraday cage or a Faraday room as in the film Enemy of the State.
The best bet is to look for a marina. Boat gas doesn’t have ethanol.
“What kind of computer system backups will survive an EMP?”
Univac.
You are right there won’t be any gas pumping at the gas stations after an EMP or solar flare.
Generators are a good plan for short term and we are getting one that runs on propane but the 17KW Generac burns through about 2.65 gallons per hour so a 1000 gallon propane tank which only actually holds about 800 gallons will last approx. 12 days. Then you will be SOL.
A solar system, wind mill or micro hydro if you have running water on your property is a must for long term survival after an EMP. You need lights and a well pump at the very least.
We are looking at retreat properties now and most do not have fast running water so we are settling on a solar system which we will keep as back up only. We are going to keep the panels covered with mylar film and keep the inverter wrapped in mylar and in a farrady cage.
There is a solar generator on the market now for about $1,500 that puts out 1.8KW and will keep your lights on and run your fridge or your well pump. It only weighs 65 lbs and has places to plug in 5 things at a time. www.mysolarbackup.com
I need confirmation: Isn’t the problem ethanol in the gasoline. Unless you have a stabilizer in the gasoline, it will degrade quickly. So all the gasoline in the stalled cars will be useless after a while.
Please confirm this observation.
So backup tapes will not survive.
It appears to me that these new “smart meters” that the power companies are installing would also be doa. Would that mean you get no juice or they just can’t bill you for it?
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States could end modern life in America overnight. Whether caused by an enemy attack (a nuclear device detonated above the atmosphere) or by a natural phenomenon (a geomagnetic storm), an EMP can cause entire regions of the country to lose electricity—permanently.
Despite the EMP Commission’s recommendations in 2004 and 2008, hardly any progress has been made in protecting the country from an EMP attack and its catastrophic results. The U.S. must prepare to deal with an EMP—now.
Yes you are probably right about the meters being DOA. We are installing an off grid system so it won’t get fried in an EMP or solar flare.
If it is a commercial generator, it is unlikely the thing will work if it is within the range of an EMP pulse. In fact, it is unlikely anything with unshielded micro electrical circuits will ever work again.
You might be better off planning for a "low tech" lifestyle.
The gas will go bad after some months, but until then there will be plenty.
“One Second After” by William R. Forstchen, although a poorly written novel, is chillingly effective at describing what the aftermath of an EMP attack by rogue nations would look like in our country - AND, how easy and likely it is to happen.
Read it if you haven’t, and start re-evaluating everything you thought you knew about prepping for the breakdown of society.
What, maybe five people out of 300,000,000 in the US will read my little recommendation here at the end of this thread’s half-life, and give any serious thought to what it says. Those who do will be unlikely to regret it.
Backup tapes should be fine. The problem is with things that contain “chips”, such as thumb drives.
But honestly, if we did suffer an EMP attack, I suspect that your data won’t be useful by the time the infrastructure was repaired enough for you to access it again.
A single large EMP pulse generated at 10,000 feet above the heartland would change life in the US for decades. This is no joking matter.
Most gas has ethanol - including “boat” gas. But, contrary to a prior post, gas doesn’t have a “shelf life” so to speak. Even crap ethanol gas can be treated with a number of available stabilizers. Or just dump some naptha in the gas.
And... magnetic tape isn’t affected by EM radiation. All early EMD resistant memory used to be made from extremely small magnetic material doughnuts for this reason. Good luck finding a tape reader though!
Just figure your future communications will be via old CB’s and shortwave radios powered by your own gas generator. No memory chips or devices that contain them; digital discs will be fine.
Those shielded by 2 inches of lead.
Carry, excellent idea on the microwave oven substitute for a Faraday cage.
The problem is not ethanol. Gasoline has limited stability—6 mos or so and it turns a variety of useless liquids. Stabilizer will prolong the life for several more months.
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