Posted on 11/23/2010 12:30:33 PM PST by Jack L. Lee
Do you know what an EMP is, as in an EMP bomb? Great, then you're one of the few that does, but for the rest of us let me explain. It's an "electro-magnetic pulse" and EMP's come from a highly specialized bomb that delivers magnetic radiation that can fry electrical circuits, but does little else to humans, animals or buildings.
An EMP is a common occurence in nature. When it happens we call it a CME event or a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME's come from our sun - see photo on left). Just think of it as a solar storm of sorts. A moderately large event could take out half or more of all geosynchronous satellites and not just GPS. No more satellite navigation and for many of us no more cable TV..that would be a fate worse than death!So why should should we get our shorts in a bunch over something that is hardly likely to EVER happen, right? Well, heeeeere's why: It's actually likely to happenand probably not all that far into our future! This could be a mega-Katrina.
If you want to read the whole store, it's on Post Scripts and you can follow this link to get there:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/post_scripts/
It's a special report on EMP's.
(Excerpt) Read more at norcalblogs.com ...
Scary huh? But, that's not the whole story - not even close! You see right now Iran, North Korea, China and Russia have all demonstrated they can build and detonate an EMP weapon over almost any place in the world that they choose. Currently Iran is the one most motivated at present time to do something stupid because of their fanatical religious leadership, although one might argue North Korea is right up there too.
Okay, now we're back to the so what again. You say, hey if they tried to get us with some EMP bomb we would make short work of them with a real military strike that would do a lot more damage. Mmmm..well, maybe and maybe not. We might be able to retaliate with some submarine nukes located near them, but most of our arsenal at home would be knocked out of action for a time, some for a long time. So, it wouldn't be the massive response you might like to think. And would we really use a nuke to respond to an EMP bomb where no lives were lost?
Consider this - If an EMP weapon was to knock out our power grid in the USA and Canada and most of Mexico, scientist estimate that in 12 months time 90% of our population would die. That's right 90%! It's also estimated that 98% of all our electrical devices are currently not shielded and once they are fried it would be years before we could get them back up. Where do you get your water, from a well, right? And water is pumped to you by electricity. And how do grocery stores get food on the shelves and how is food made in our factories, that's right, everything depends on electricity and all that would come to a sudden, nationwide halt. Tell me, how many of you have more than a month's worth of food in your home in case of an emergency? About 2-3% is the latest DoD guess, so at least 98% of us are not prepared for a month without power let alone 12 months or even longer without power for basic services.
But, even if you say the chances of Iran or somebody else detonating an EMP bomb over America is extremely slight, then what about the biggest EMP generator of all, our sun? Every day the sun's ejecta causes CME storms that produce vast amounts of magnetic radiation that strikes the earth and If it were not for our own magnetic shield that blanket's the earth we would be exposed to enough current almost any day of the week to fry circuits on half the planet and in a matter of seconds! This would be an event that would virtually shut down all electrical machines and push us back to the horse and buggy days, in an instant.
Some day the sun will produce a large enough discharge at just the right moment that we will find ourselves at just the wrong place at just the wrong time and not even our magnetic shield will save us then. This is not a matter of if, but when. Fortunately we'll know in advance if such a storm is headed our way, but we'll only have about 8 minutes notice to take emergency action.
Our government knows all this and they have heard scientists testify in Congress about the probabilities of an EMP bomb hitting us or being in the wake of CME storm so large that it would knock out satellites and fry everything from toasters to computers over thousands of square miles in a massive voltage overload. They know and they have known all these potential risks for close to 30 years or more. And I'll bet you're saying well, that's a good thing, right? They probably have shielded a lot of our critical infrastructure, right? RIGHT? Nope, not even close friends - they've decided to roll the dice year after year and simply do. . . nothing. Oh, sure some of the power plants around D.C. have been protected, so at least our dear leaders and their secretaries will have a safe place to hide and shall be among the 10% of survivors, but for the rest of us we are left to fend for ourselves. But, you will have to consolation of knowing our leaders will be safe. And for us peons left alone in the dark it's Mad Max time, better lock and load and board up the windows angry looters are headed your way. Now you're getting a better idea of why only 10% of us are likely to survive after a year.
It is almost impossible to visualize all that would come to a complete halt if we were hit by a huge EMP, man-made or from a natural cause. Instantly, no radio, no television, no lights, no air conditioning, no heat, no cars, almost nothing moviing. Only those with a diesel engine and then they would have to be hand cranked to start. Gas stations would shut down and hospitals might as well close their doors. And to complicate matters further all those big generators would need specialized parts to restart. Most of the big stuff for power plants are not even made in the United States anymore, we've outsourced all that. Maybe our dear friends the Chinese would be glad to come to our rescue...for a price?
If you want to read the whole store, it's on Post Scripts and you can follow this link to get there:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/post_scripts/
It's a special report on EMP's with video.
If that mysterious “contrail” had been an EMP, we’d be in a lot of trouble.
And diesel generators probably won’t meet EPA standards so we’ll all just have to freeze to death.
priorities , ya know.
Iran has threatened an EMP attack against the US. They’d only need a few nukes to accomplish it. With Mr Sissy-Pants in the Oval Office, he’d probably bow to the mullahs and ask forgiveness.
One nuclear blast over Kansas, 300 miles above round is all it would take. Pow...we’re back in the Stone Age.
Funny...Iran has practiced firing missles off the back of cargo ships in the Caspian Sea...and then detonating the missles at their apex. And, then claiming the launches were successful.
Now, all Iran needs is a nuclear weapon...uh...never mind.
” that it could knock out all the electrical devices for hundreds of miles.”
The Devil is in the details.
Define “all”.
Not everything has a microchip.
EMP and it’s impact has been extensively discussed on FRreepublic for some time.
This blog is OK, but kinda late to the party.
Check these sites out, FYI.
http://www.onesecondafter.com/pb/wp_194d9c9d/wp_194d9c9d.html
http://apps.onesecondafter.com/Forum/topic/index.cfm?topicgroupID=10569&start=0
Also recently Travis McGee (FReeper) posted a good link to a ‘new’ movie about a post-natural EMP world. Can’t find that thread ATM.
If we had a REAL president, just a threat from Iran would evoke a Trident sub turning Iran into a nuclear parking lot - end of problem.
France would be the first to go since they can't manage to get themselves out of locked bathrooms followed closely by those who can't figure out how to get water out of a well without electricity. Liberals will be the next when there's no more hand outs. Where's the down side?
EMP is for the nerdy conspiracy theory crowd, not any one that understands science.
Here ya go.
REMNANTS: The best TEOTWAWKI movie trailer ever!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2629243/posts
http://www.remnants-movie.com/v2/trailer2.html
courtesy of Travis McGee
12? I would say more like six; even that is being gracious. If it happens BEFORE the dead of winter, people have time to migrate. If it happens in the dead of Winter; well, we saw what happened in Katrina; people can't take care of themselves and they will freeze or starve (most likely starve first)
Only those that are prepared will be able to move and survive.
I’m pretty good on understanding the potential of thermonuclear dual wave Compton effects, as well as the sociological aspects of EMP-caused disruption.
That might make me a bit nerdy, but hardly a conspiracy nut.
It’s not so much that EVERYTHING gets fried, but rather enough things, particularly the controls for long line electrical distribution (i.e. the grid) get fried, and then social order as we know it breaks down quickly in the absence of electric power and all that is enabled by it..
It’s plausible, not conspiratorial.
P.S. Warning, some Profanity.
“but rather enough things, particularly the controls for long line electrical distribution (i.e. the grid) get fried”
No. They’ve already factored into the grid. You and your fellow EMP smarter-than-the-rest-of-us crowd obviously haven’t a clue what you are talking about, but it sure sounds like a drama queen’s wet dream.
We do need a shield no doubt about it but unless the politicians do something about it all you can do is prepare as best as you can. I suggest becoming a prepper, do some research build up some supplies. Some helpful information for any kind of disaster if you can set up at least some power (see below) and then protect it with a Faraday cage or shielding you would be OK for a time.
How To Power Appliances After A Disaster
http://secretsofurbansurvival.com/512/how-to-power-appliances-after-a-disaster/
The EMP Threat and How to Deal With It
http://www.set2survive.com/EMP_survivors_notebook_1.html
” 70’s when the Ruskies tested both nuclear and non-nuclear EMP bombs on all sorts of electrical things. They were the first to discovered that an airburst from a fairly small nuclear device produces enough electromagnetism that it could knock out all the electrical devices for hundreds of miles.”
You might want to get your facts straight before sounding the nerd alarm on EMP. The US noticed this decades before the 1970’s. We also dismissed it soon afterward.
Katrina should have been our wake up call but too many hit the snooze.
Migration is not good. How much supplies can you (the general “you”)carry on your back? Can you migrate very far before being killed? Do you have any idea where you’re migrating to? Do you have any idea what you’re going to do when you get there? It’s best to already be where you intend on hunkering down with all your provisions and knowlege of the area.
ping for me for when I get home...will answer then.
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.