FL Survival / A Survival Community
General Forum => General Discussion => : Alas Babylon July 16, 2014, 01:31:00 PM
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Its been a while since we have talked this one to death, but it is one of my biggets concerns. I saw this on facebook, and its not from a prepper related site.
http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/emp-attack-on-us-power-grid-could-kill-9-in-10-americans
EMP Attack On US Power Grid Could Kill 9-In-10 Americans
By Steve Straub On July 14, 2014
This is something most people are unaware of, even if the treat is remote, it makes sense to be prepared, just in case!
Via Investors Business Daily:
Expert testimony before Congress on Thursday warned that an electromagnetic pulse attack on our power grid and electronic infrastructure could leave most Americans dead and the U.S. in another century.
That dire warning came from Peter Vincent Pry, a member of the Congressional EMP Commission and executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security.
He testified in front of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event could wipe out 90% of America’s population.
Most people’s eyes might glaze over upon mention of the committee name, the title of the hearing — “Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP): Threat to Critical Infrastructure” — and the general subject of EMP. But it is a real threat and not the stuff of science fiction.
Some attention has been paid to the potential cataclysmic effects of a natural phenomenon such as a massive solar storm, an event that has occurred in America’s horse-and-buggy era when it did not matter.
Today an electromagnetic pulse event would be devastating. It wouldn’t need a solar storm, just a solitary nuke detonated in the atmosphere above the American heartland. We would envy the horse-and-buggy era.
“Natural EMP from a geomagnetic superstorm, like the 1859 Carrington Event or 1921 Railroad Storm, and nuclear EMP attack from terrorists or rogue states, as practiced by North Korea during the nuclear crisis of 2013, are both existential threats that could kill 9-of-10 Americans through starvation, disease and societal collapse,” the Washington Free Beacon quoted Pry as saying.
As we reported early last year, Pry, a former CIA nuclear weapons analyst, believes that North Korea’s recent seemingly low-yield nuclear tests and launch of a low-orbit satellite may in fact be preparations for a future electromagnetic pulse attack.
As the Heritage Foundation has reported, an EMP attack with a warhead detonated 25 to 300 miles above the U.S. mainland “would fundamentally change the world:”
“Airplanes would fall from the sky; most cars would be inoperable; electrical devices would fail. Water, sewer and electrical networks would fail simultaneously. Systems of banking, energy, transportation, food production and delivery, water, emergency services and even cyberspace would collapse.”
Not many are killed or harmed by the blast itself, but as the EMP pulse spreads across America, life changes in an instant, coming to a screeching halt as a country dependent on cutting-edge 21st century technology regresses at least a century in time instantaneously.
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., told the Free Beacon that Americans are unaware of the devastation that would occur if the country experienced a solar storm similar to the Carrington Event. Named after British astronomer Richard Carrington, that 1859 solar storm was the largest on record.
Franks has introduced H.R. 3410, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, which would let Homeland Security take practical steps to protect the electric grid. This bill has been called a "necessary first step" in protecting the nation's power grid.
At a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the end of the Nuclear Security Summit in March, President Obama said he didn't believe Russia was our greatest national security threat.
"I continue to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan," Obama said.
Maybe he should be concerned about a nuclear weapon going off over Iowa
Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/050914-700375-electric-grid-vulnerable-to-emp-attack.htm#ixzz37eagzvlO
Follow us: @IBDinvestors on Twitter | InvestorsBusinessDaily on Facebook
Do you think the threat of an EMP attack is a real threat, or is this an overblown fantasy?
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If it is a real threat, there is nothing I can do about it.
"God, grant me the serinity to accept the things I can not change,
Courage to change the things I can
And wisdom to know the difference."
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If you want an pretty realistic idea of what would happen, read the book One Second After.
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Thanks for posting that, AB.
If anyone is interested here is a link for a site run by a guy named Jerry Emanuelson. The guy knows quite a bit about EMPs and has some cred/quals. http://www.flsurvival.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=200
He has a lot of interesting info that could be useful in a SHTF situation.
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If you want an pretty realistic idea of what would happen, read the book One Second After.
Good book :D
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I have 2 copies of One Second After. I loan them out to friends when I hear them speak about anything related to prepping.
Just last week I loaned one to a friend that started talking about prepping and prepper shows during a group dinner with friends. A week later he went to the gun show with me because he was talking about getting some protection in case something like that ever happened. Slowly I'm getting some friends to at least start the thinking process.
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" “Natural EMP from a geomagnetic superstorm, like the 1859 Carrington Event or 1921 Railroad Storm, and nuclear EMP attack from terrorists or rogue states, as practiced by North Korea during the nuclear crisis of 2013, are both existential threats that could kill 9-of-10 Americans through starvation, disease and societal collapse,” the Washington Free Beacon quoted Pry as saying."
Im gonna miss most of yall. ;)
Im good to go on fat alone for at least 6 months!
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Well there has been a recent threat made, that they are not talking about. This might be it. It's already been put on the news that if NK were to bring a missile from our south there is nothing to stop it.
I think we may experience this sooner than later. Even one that effected the south would help the cause. Since the south I think is mostly republican but defiantly highly religious, it's a way for the democrats to fire a shot over the bow, in order to say shut the hell up, and get with the program.
You need govt, govt doesn't need you
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Good point Sentry. I think it may blow up in there face, if they try it.
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I sure do LOVE my air conditioning! Please don't let them take its power away!
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I sure do LOVE my air conditioning! Please don't let them take its power away!
Totally agree. May be the least of our worries.
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I sure do LOVE my air conditioning! Please don't let them take its power away!
I love my air conditioning, too. On the other hand, we didn't have it when I was growing up in south Florida - neither did my mother who was born there, nor my father who was raised in Alachua County (they didn't even have electricity there on the farm until after he came home from college). When the power went out after the 2004 hurricanes, I was surprised at how quickly I was able to adjust and adapt to doing without it. It sure wasn't fun, and the first chance I got to drive to a fast food place with air conditioning, I was right there. With that said though, it isn't as big a deal as we think it is.
Two things that made it a lot easier for me was that I had a PV system to power a fan at night, and I could crank up the generator for a few minutes to give me enough water to take a shower before bed. Those two things made life a lot better.
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this is a viable threat one i do take seriously.. but i also know i can only prepare as much as my resources will allow me to... that being in a limited supply i like RPD know it is out of my control so i can only do as much as i can... I pray it dosent happen it would be a life changing event even if it only happened in a limited sphere like the eastern seaboard area.... which i think would be the most likely target as its got the highest consentration of people, business and government...
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... even if it only happened in a limited sphere like the eastern seaboard area.... which i think would be the most likely target as its got the highest consentration of people, business and government...
My guess is that IF someone wanted to do an EMP on this country, it would NOT be limited to just one coast line. A wounded animal is a very dangerous thing - I seriously doubt that an EMP attack would happen unless they were able to hit both sides of the country. They know full well that leaving one whole section of the country intact would still leave America quite capable. An EMP attack (in my opinion) would not happen unless it could cover the entire nation.
The bigger threat, I think, is another Carrington Event. We tend to think of Man as being the all-powerful destroyer of nations. We're just playground bullies compared to the forces of nature. When God decides to rain down judgment, He doesn't fool around. The Bible tells us that when the earth is destroyed again, it will be by fire, rather than the flood that was used last time. The Sun is one giant ball of nuclear fire.
By the way, this is from an email alert that I received this morning from SpaceWeather.com :
SUDDEN QUIET: Less than two weeks ago, the sun was peppered with large active regions. Now, the face of the sun is almost completely blank. Suddenly, the sunspot number and the sun's x-ray output have dropped to their lowest levels in years. Is Solar Maximum finished? Probably not, but the ongoing quiet spell is remarkable. Check http://spaceweather.com for forecasts and further discussion.
Is something building up deep inside the Sun like the stress that leads to a massive earthquake? When something suddenly changes without any logical explanation, then it is time to stand up and take notice. It may be nothing, but I for one, plan to stay alert to the solar activity. In addition to spaceweather.com, you can find a quick status report here - http://n3kl.org/
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I'm not holding my breath for a solar flare. The cycle is almost done now. Now emp? Yip
Within 2 years.
Sad thing, you'll never get to tell me I was right. Unless we start our own message service ;D
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The Capt Express?
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I'm not holding my breath for a solar flare. The cycle is almost done now. Now emp? Yip
Within 2 years.
Sad thing, you'll never get to tell me I was right. Unless we start our own message service ;D
The thing about a Carrington Event vs a man-made EMP attack is that a Carrington Event has happened before; it has happened again but missed the Earth; the probability that it will happen again over some period of time is virtually 100%. An EMP attack is, at this point, a theoretical event. I'm confident that EMP will be used in the next wide-scale super power war. It's just a matter of which one gets us first. That is why my focus is not on maintaining current technology, but on older technology.
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1894 (I think) carrington event. First discovery. Burned down telegraph stations.
1984 canada shut down half the country
I forget date, emp wiped out Hawaii (first discovery) nuke testing
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Just saw this one:
http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/24/the-sun-couldve-destroyed-civilization-two-years-ago/
The Sun Could’ve Destroyed Civilization Two Years Ago
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/24/the-sun-couldve-destroyed-civilization-two-years-ago/#ixzz38PyHykQm
Being Irish, I have an innate hatred of the sun. That’s why I spend all my time online. But now it turns out the fiery bastard wants to take that away from me.
NASA Science News:
If an asteroid big enough to knock modern civilization back to the 18th century appeared out of deep space and buzzed the Earth-Moon system, the near-miss would be instant worldwide headline news.
Two years ago, Earth experienced a close shave just as perilous, but most newspapers didn’t mention it. The “impactor” was an extreme solar storm, the most powerful in as much as 150+ years…
Extreme solar storms pose a threat to all forms of high-technology. They begin with an explosion–a “solar flare”—in the magnetic canopy of a sunspot. X-rays and extreme UV radiation reach Earth at light speed, ionizing the upper layers of our atmosphere; side-effects of this “solar EMP” include radio blackouts and GPS navigation errors. Minutes to hours later, the energetic particles arrive. Moving only slightly slower than light itself, electrons and protons accelerated by the blast can electrify satellites and damage their electronics. Then come the CMEs, billion-ton clouds of magnetized plasma that take a day or more to cross the Sun-Earth divide. Analysts believe that a direct hit by an extreme CME such as the one that missed Earth in July 2012 could cause widespread power blackouts, disabling everything that plugs into a wall socket. Most people wouldn’t even be able to flush their toilet because urban water supplies largely rely on electric pumps…
According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, the total economic impact could exceed $2 trillion or 20 times greater than the costs of a Hurricane Katrina. Multi-ton transformers damaged by such a storm might take years to repair.
I blame George Bush.
That sounds like a really bad time. It would be kind of like that show Revolution, except you’d have no choice but to notice it.
Just imagine the impact on our everyday modern life… Dead cellphones! No e-mail! No Netflix! No BuzzFeed listicles! No tweeting about global warming! Also, society suddenly collapsing into roving bands of cannibalistic savages. But whatever.
Thanks for cutting us a break, Sol. This time
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/24/the-sun-couldve-destroyed-civilization-two-years-ago/#ixzz38PyNQgZd
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it would be mad kayos immediately when the lights didn't come back on within 3 days.... it would make that show revolution look like Mr Robinsons Neighborhood....
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did a thread elsewhere on emp an e bomb .. yes E Bomb. A "HMP"
Link 1 for learnin' good stuff. Maybe Russia has something like this or china.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/hpm.htm
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/e-bomb-electromagnetic-bomb
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Although I would enjoy the lack of technology, the chaos and death wouldn't be worth it. Its scary how quickly this great nation can become disabled. Also how vulnerable we truly are for us to be a super-power. To think of what would be brought down upon us from other countries after an EMP is a very scary thing to think about as well. Although I feel this is our biggest threat, I pray it never happens.
I do have my laptop stored in a bag that is supposed to protect it from EMP. Hopefully it works lol. :-\
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"Being Irish, I have an innate hatred of the sun. That’s why I spend all my time online. But now it turns out the fiery bastard wants to take that away from me."
heh heh
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Ok I have a question that I'm not sure if anybody can answer. UTP is unshielded twisted pair it is the most common cabling used in small networks, STP is shielded twisted pair for high EMI areas. How is STP made shielded and can it be applied to other electronics?
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Ok I have a question that I'm not sure if anybody can answer. UTP is unshielded twisted pair it is the most common cabling used in small networks, STP is shielded twisted pair for high EMI areas. How is STP made shielded and can it be applied to other electronics?
Each pair of wiring is covered with an additional wrapping of foil or a copper braided jacket which helps protect it against RF and EMI.
Not sure if this type of shielding can be used on other cables. I would imagine so but it's probably dependent on the metals of the wires etc.
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So in essence the cable is wrapped in its own Faraday Cage? Just wondering since I've never had to use STP before and the article seemed like a good place to ask.
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I wouldn't put a whole lot of faith in any conventional shielding on wire to stop EMP. That is designed to shield against things like electric motor noise and the sorts of RFI that is typically found in a building. The levels in an EMP, whether natural or man-made, are orders of magnitude larger than that. I doubt that conventional shielded wire would provide any protection.
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I know but it is a starting place to come up with an idea. Every big discovery had an apple, just ask Newton.
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Same concept but it won't protect against EMP :) STP is used for businesses for the most part due to the amount obstacles you have to face that can cause serious frequency issues when running wires.
There's a write up of creating a faraday cage out of a steel 30gallon trashcan. It's down near the bottom of the post. Not a huge fan of survival mom but I thought this was a neat idea.
http://thesurvivalmom.com/why-and-how-to-protect-your-gear-from-emp/
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Thanks he only pictures I could see were diagrams this really helps.
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That shielding really wouldn't matter anyway since it is plugged into a system of some sort that is at some point plugged into a wall socket, which is fed by main power lines. Anything plugged into a socket will for the most part be dead. A fuse cannot blow fast enough to stop it, thus surge protectors are useless.
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That shielding really wouldn't matter anyway since it is plugged into a system of some sort that is at some point plugged into a wall socket, which is fed by main power lines. Anything plugged into a socket will for the most part be dead. A fuse cannot blow fast enough to stop it, thus surge protectors are useless.
that is true i do believe the whole principle of the farady cage is that is not connected to the system and is shielded from the pulse moving thru the atmosphere.... anything connected to the grid will get fried... their is still debate on the total destruction on most systems some times its the same logic as a tornado a hit and miss thing same same with cars... the only thing we have to use is the effects of the emp pulse on the hawaii islands during the 60's and even than it wasnt complete grid down it was still hit and miss.. granted they were quite a distance from ground zero but the speculation is consistant with what some experts think.....
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I was also thinking along backups for self contained systems like Solar and wind. That way if you have a small back up system separated into parts you wouldn't to worry so much. Also if we got hit with a full solar storm I think(I'm no expert) that there would be a chance of temporary changes to the magnetic field
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An article I just read from a few days ago.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2551513
interesting that they are saying 90% inside a year. First I have heard of such a high number.
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iv got to say this is an interesting article considering what iv read the past 2 days.. russian bombers penatrating US air space in the pacific northwest, the West coast and a lot of USSR bomber activity around the asian pacific theater, japan, and korea... lots of interesting sabre rattleing here... only problem is the IDOT in office he's no Reagan thats for sure... this even made the MSM imagine that....
http://www.westernjournalism.com/nuclear-alert-russian-bombers-penetrate-us-airspace-16-times-last-10-days/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/us/pentagon-russian-bombers/index.html