[Jonty30]

The rural population will be fine. Most of the deaths will be in the cities.

[BenLurkin]

I figure about 80% fatalities for cities located in the blue parts of this map. Lower percentage outside of the cities in the blue parts. 10% in the red parts:

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And yes -- I'm pulling all of this out of thin air.

[CrazyIvan]

“The rural population will be fine. Most of the deaths will be in the cities.”

And when the info structure dependent city dwellers descend upon the rural areas like a plague of locusts? Read “One Minute After” some time. Very informative and disturbing.

[USCG SimTech]

I’m most certain the power companies, under probably sealed federal orders and payment, have been installing surge sink stations and equipment nation-wide for years. You’ll notice them along (lower) high voltage 3-phase runs everywhere, where they never were just a couple years ago. The 90% dead within a year is now probably not going to happen as power won’t be out nationally, just locally and spotty. Project Starfish provided more propaganda fuel than reality requirements for prevention.