Posted on 09/24/2018 5:09:22 PM PDT by upchuck
The United States is vulnerable to a devastating electromagnetic pulse event caused by a high-altitude nuclear blast or solar superstorm, according to a recently published book.
Peter Pry, a former CIA analyst and author of the book EMP Manhattan Project, is urging the government to rapidly harden the U.S. electric power system against EMP similar to the three-year crash program to build the first atomic bomb in 1942.
"Today the United States and the world faces another existential threat—from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) catastrophe that can be caused by nature or man, and topple the technological pillars of modern electronic civilization," said Pry, who served on a congressional EMP commission in the early 2000s.
The book contains fresh assessments of the EMP threat produced by a more recent congressional commission last year that concluded the United States would suffer millions of deaths from a major EMP incident.
EMP was discovered in the 1960s during above-ground nuclear tests. The tests showed a nuclear blast created a pulse capable of disrupting or destroying electronic devices over large areas, in some cases over 1,000 miles away.
The latest EMP commission found the United States is confronted with "a present and continuing existential threat from naturally occurring and manmade electromagnetic pulse assault and related attacks on military and critical national infrastructures."
An EMP event would produce an electric power outage over large areas of the country that could last for a year or longer.
Emergency systems, such as generators, also are vulnerable to damage from EMP.
EMP events would disable critical supply chains and plunge the entire country into living conditions similar to those of centuries ago prior the use of electric power.
"An extended blackout today could result in the death of a large fraction of the American people through the effects of societal collapse, disease, and starvation," the commission stated in its July 2017 report. "While national planning and preparation for such events could help mitigate the damage, few such actions are currently underway or even being contemplated."
William R. Graham, former head of the EMP commission, stated in a preface to the book that a nationwide electrical blackout of one year "could kill millions, perhaps prove fatal to most Americans, by starvation, disease, and societal collapse."
"EMP is a civilization killer," Graham said.
Read the rest at the link...
Those numbers are way too low.
You really should read “One Second After.” It will open your eyes.
For those of you who depend on a well with an electric pump (I do), How to build a well bucket. Works well (pun intended :).
Truly a very sobering read.
There's the rub - I wouldn't want to be in a city with the typical three days of food or less. I wouldn't want to be in the path of the city people flooding out into the surrounding suburbs. Yes, our rural areas that grow food will be more or less fine, as will our Mormon areas, but the majority of our population is in cities. In an EMP the far-left will be obliterated.
You really should read “One Second After.” It will open your eyes.
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I agree. This book presents the horrific consequences of an EMP attack to the individual, the community, society and the nation. Many go beyond an individual’s survival skills.
This book is a must read.
The elite still like having their expensive technical electric toys work too.
Silo living on emergency systems will get real old for them.
I have heard hardening the grid during construction or production of devices adds very little cost to the project, but retrofitting items is very costly.
No we would not adapt quickly.
Over 90% of folks back then knew how to grow crops and take care of animals. They knew how to deal with making clothing or even fixing clothing, knew and had respect for using fire for warmth, light and cooking. How not to freeze.
And most were not racked and stacked in urban cubicle prisons with no cross ventilation. And did not live 20-30 floors up or more in a building.
Nope.
Point is most people, even prepared ones, probably won’t last out the whole event. Many will last longer than other dimwits who don’t think past their noses. But eventually something will get them.
That’s for sure. The Elite think they are invulnerable.
The TV show, “Dark Angel” was based on such an attack: so we’ve been hearing about this through at least one President’s 8-year term. :-/
President Trump started doing this the first week he was in office, as I recall.
Yes. An EMP attack would destroy us totally. Estimated 90% death rate after one year.
I pray every night for God’s protection to the US from nuclear attack and EMP attack. Laugh at me if you wish. I don’t care.
retrofitting costly....
We would be wiped out in horror movie conditions in which to die. We absolutely must protect the US as soon as possible.
Crap will eventually happen.
Georgetown Hospital’s computer system was hijacked and held for ransom.
That’s bad what is worse their employees didn’t have any training on how to use the paper back up!! Baby docs were clueless on how to write a prescription!!
Crap Happens. Where are the adults???
P.s. Thanks for the book suggestion.
Maybe, maybe not. Some info is from 2008, even so, adjusted for inflation, you're looking at only $5 billion for basic protection.
"critical nodes (i.e., roughly 2,000 large and medium-sized transformers and their associated SCADA systems, etc.)"
https://securethegrid.com/emp-technologys-worst-nightmare/
I’ve read it again recently.
It is a good book.
Laugh at me if you wish. I don’t care.
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Why would anyone laugh at you? I think it’s wonderful that you make that prayer. I will add this to my list of supplications.
The so called Computer experts also said that all the computers would crash on Dec 31,1999 when we went to 2000. Didn’t happen. I took my home computer at the time and rolled the computer clock to Jan 1, 2000 nothing happened to computer worked fine!! The government spent all this taxpayers money on computer upgrades...
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