Posted on 09/06/2009 7:04:14 PM PDT by immadashell
I have just finished reading William R. Forstchen's new novel One Second After. Briefly, it is about the instantaneous breakdown of American way of life as the result of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which disables the nation's electrical grid as well as all sophisticated electrical components in cars (they stop), planes (they crash), telecomunications of every sort, etc. leaving the population in a world similar to that of the Eighteenth Century. Shortages of every variety create societal strains, chaos, death and destruction in a matter of weeks and months. Forstchen's book (with a forward written by Newt Gingrich), while fiction, creates a scenario which can happen to us today, since the technology already exists. The possibility of this devastation has been largely ignored by our politicians and media, and, to a lesser extent, by the military. Only a very small proportion of our citizens has ever heard about EMP. Even fewer have taken measures to deal with it. Experts on the subject have no doubt about whether we will have to eventually face such an attack. They only question when it will occur.
After reading this book, my first thought was we spend billions (potentially trillions) of dollars preparing for a hypothetical calamity we are powerless over like global warming and yet ignore preparing for this ultimate weapon of asymmetrical warfare.
I highly recommend this very frightening but readable new book. It is science fiction (#1 on Amazon) today but could be reality One Second After.
“NOW you’re buying into the hype.”
Okay, I was operating under the assumption that what was in the book was realistic. I’m not a power guy or any kind of engineer, so I don’t know if the danger is overblown or what. But if there is the possibility that a power spike could come down the line and jump standard surge protectors then things could get...interesting.
I have a shortwave radio that I want to protect from EMP. Can I place it in a grounded ammo can to achieve this? Thanks in advance.
so I dont know if the danger is overblown or what. But if there is the possibility that a power spike could come down the lineSo, let's take a look at a paper written by somebody who has taken a closer look at this issue (than me even).
Effect of the FAST NUCLEAR ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE on the Electric Power Grid Nationwide: A Different View (pdf)
Mario Rabinowitz
Electric Power Research Institute
Here is the abstract:
AbstractThis paper primarily considers the potential effects of a single high-altitude nuclear burst on the U.S. power grid.
A comparison is made between EMP and natural phenomena such as lightning. This paper concludes that EMP is no more harmful to the power grid than its counterparts in nature.
An upper limit of the electric field of the very fast, high-amplitude EMP is derived from first principles.
The resulting values are significantly lower than the commonly presented values.
Additional calculations show that the ionization produced by a nuclear burst severely attenuates the EMP.
I have a shortwave radio that I want to protect from EMP.Bury it. Best to bury it. And don't mark where it is buried, you don't want someone unearthing it in the middle of an attack ...
bookmark
Okay, maybe it wouldn’t turn us all into Amish.
I’m still going to squirrel away some food and ammo. And toilet paper.
:)
And toilet paper.Right; Running out is never any fun ...
TREE?
How high can small airplanes go? Could they get high enough to do evoke an emp response?
I’ll ping you to a warning article next - but could a private jet get high enough to trigger the EMP effect?
It is not the radiation itself ... which would obey inverse square ... but a cascade of secondary radiation effects triggered in the ionosphere ... which in turn produces the giant current ... which in turn produces the electromagnetic pulse ... which is what comes down from the sky above. It is line-of-site to the upper atmosphere, from what I gather. there is a large publicly available report by the Congress, recently published I believe, available for download in .pdf format.
When I finished the book this weekend, I bought three large bags of high quality dog food and put them in 2 metal garbage cans for deep storage. That will be about 4 1/2 months kibble for my yellow dogs to survive on, but I will be putting aside more, until I have a year's worth of food for them.
I beg God we have enough time, money, and for me, space, to keep enough vital stores for all of us.
Sunday night, I started reading On the Beach. I had it for years, but postponed opening it. The light particles of nuclear diffusion are making their way to Australia.I'm only on page 34, and already I am so depressed, I don't think I can finish it.
From suggestions on this thread, I ordered Alas Babylon this weekend. Are we all doomed? I just keep prepping and praying, and insist that my distant family do the same.
“Quick question: Is the damage done after an EMP permanent or temporary? That is is the cars computer and circuity and alternator fried completely, or is it stunned and then resets and can be used again. What about computer circuitry?”
Done like dinner, fried to a crisp, you get the idea.
And what is worse the EMP takes out the huge transformers that our power grid uses. OH, yea, they aren’t made in the USA.
Government study;
http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission-7MB.pdf
Done like dinner, fried to a crisp, you get the idea.Bzzzt wrong!
See above study by EPRI researcher ...
” Done like dinner, fried to a crisp, you get the idea.
Bzzzt wrong!
See above study by EPRI researcher ...”
For what purpose would the EMP Commission lie?
Even if E1 and E2 pulse were negligible there’s that E3 pulse. Go to page 33 of the report and see the effects of the 1989 Geomagnetic storm. Tell me why that wouldn’t be happening?
(Not to mention the fact that the earth’s magnetic poles have shifted in the past, assuming that sometime in the future they will shift again. Can you imagine the E3 pulse induced into every piece of metal on earth when that happens?)
(oh yea, and what about the 1859 Carrington event?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859
That was in the days of the most primitive communications!)
How many spares of these transformers do we have? (none)
Are they built in the USA? (no)
Why is Washington D. C. being prepared but not the rest of the United States citizens?
http://thehill.com/special-reports/defense-july2009/51779-protect-everyone-not-just-president-from-emp-attack
Yea, I can be snookered just like the next guy, but if it were a real threat (and I believe it is) and the media were quiet about it (which they are)then I would have more reason to believe it is possible. The “powers that be” are trying to use the global warming scam to advance their agenda so why wouldn’t they also use the false scare of an EMP attack for the same reason?
What possible reason would there be for scaring the public about an EMP attack if it were not possible?
If it is possible but very difficult and expensive to prevent why not ignore it? After all if D. C. and the elites can be protected then that is all that matters anyway.
*ping* to freeper _Jim's interesting comments in this thread about the book ONE SECOND AFTER.
Don't miss the fascinating article in the link _Jim provided -- thank you, Jim!!
>>>>> "A perspective with a little more science and engineering behind it:
nextbigfuture.com/2008/08/electromagnetic-pulse-risk-not-total.html
The 1962 bomb affected street lamps, circuit breakers, cars and radio stations in Hawaiian, 800 miles to the north. Still, even there the effect was far from comprehensive. Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist Michael P. Bernardin said that "the 30 strings of failed streetlights [from Starfish Prime's EMP] represented only about one percent of the streetlamps on Oahu at the time."
And noted physicist Richard Garwin said the Starfish detonation "had barely noticeable effects on military systems."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.