Posted on 06/20/2011 10:09:45 AM PDT by justlittleoleme
North Korea’s last round of tests, conducted in May 2009, appear to have included a “super-EMP” weapon, capable of emitting enough gamma rays to disable the electric power grid across most of the lower 48 states, says Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, a former CIA nuclear weapons analyst and president of EMPact America, a citizens lobbying group.
Samore, who handles arms control and non-proliferation issues, warned that “additional strong sanctions will be imposed on the North with the support of Russia and China."
North Korea’s nuclear tests have been dismissed as failures by some analysts because of their low explosive yield. But Dr. Pry believes they bore the “signature” of the Russian-designed “super-EMP” weapon, capable of emitting more gamma radiation than a 25-megaton nuclear weapon.
Rep. Trent Franks, who authored the SHIELD Act, warned of “catastrophic consequences” should Congress fail to act.
“The U.S. society and economy are so critically dependent upon the availability of electricity that a significant collapse of the grid, precipitated by a major natural or man-made EMP event, could result in catastrophic civilian casualties,” he said. “This vulnerability, if left unaddressed, could have grave, societal altering consequences.”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
S. Korean Lawmaker, “Russia might have given N. Korea know-how of miniature nukes”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1717327/posts
WikiLeaks: North Korea Shipped 19 Advanced Nuclear-Capable Missiles to Tehran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2634540/posts
And the life expectancy in nork would be under 15 minutes when Boomers retaliate. So yeah it’s a first strike weapon.
I saw one of those military tv shows saying that a EMP burst in the air, I forget the exact altitude, could essentially turn the lower 48 states into the Dark Ages over night. You can protect your stuff with faraday cages but they are pretty expensive. Just imagine the chaos that would ensue if the lights everywhere suddenly went off.
This is why the administration is talking to google. Google wants to connect us all to an electrical grid so our electricity can be monitored and rationed down the road.
By doing that, a smaller weapon could fry the grid. They wouldn’t have to launch something to impact the entire country. Feasible it could be done by sabotage of a few monitoring locations.
China could already knock out satellites. A coordinated attack that blinds us and then hits selected targets has the same impact and it could be brought back relatively quickly.
The Grid is a very complex control loop. That’s why a single mishap in New York; that only affects a small sub-station can bring the entire city to it’s knees. It’s happened not that long ago.
Your point is very well taken; you don’t need to destroy a power generation system, you can unbalance the load, and cause this instability to trip safety breakers - and if you do it ‘smart’ you can bring down a huge area, for long enough to really do some damage. And the damage need not be physical, you can do a lot of damage to the morale of the population by removing something they depend upon, and take for granted.
faraday cages are not really expensive just very cumbersome. A faraday cage is just a box made out of conductive material. This prevents the electrical pulse from impacting whatever is inside.
On a small scale a simple metal box will protect small electronic items. Of course its hard to use them while they are in the box.
A Faraday cage doesn’t have to be expensive... All you need is a wooden ammo crate, some aluminum foil, aluminum tape (used for sealing ductwork), and a ground wire. Place the items to be protected inside, cover the box with the foil, secure the foil with the aluminum tape, and then fasten the ground wire to the aluminum covering the box and then to a ground rod. It is important that you run the ground wire to a good ground, and do not use the ground circuit found in you home. Use a separate gound rod. Easy...
Im confused at those alititude numbers.. its approx only 60 miles from sea level to space.. so these would be detonated from outer space??
20 Things I learned from the book “One Second After”
This is also usable information if a Red Dawn scenario ever happened.
You cannot totally prepare for every possible situation. There are too many variables: weather, where you are at the time it occurs, who you are with. You never know how those around you have prepared or how they will react – where will they be mentally, emotionally, and physically. Being prepared, at whatever level, just gives you better odds of survival.
1. Eventually you will have to kill somebody. The “Its them or you” decisions will happen.
2. Eventually someone will find you no matter where you are. All you can do is pick the most strategic location possible.
3. Disease will become a part of life.
4. You’re going to run out of bullets, eventually.
5. If or when the government comes to help, they may not be very helpful, and you won’t be anywhere near their top priority.
6. Any gun is better than no gun as long as you have ammo.
7. The 22LR will be the most useful weapon of all. You can buy years worth of ammo now for a small investment. It will bring down all small game, wild and domestic (there won’t be much big game to bring down after a few weeks). The report does not carry far, giving away your position, and all members of the family can use it. (see #9)
8. Having an understanding of military battle tactics would be a good idea.
9. Children need to learn how to shoot and defend themselves early on.
10. Some medical training and knowledge would be beneficial, even if it’s just first aid.
11. Big cities will become kill zones. Get away from them early.
12. Learn how to build an outdoor privy.
13. Buy an extra dose of medication whenever you can.
14. Evil people without any fear of authority or restraint will become more evil.
15. If you have more food than everyone else, stay on near-starvation rations so you don’t appear to be more healthy and become a target.
16. If it is in you to do so, be one of the first ‘looters’, but pay for what you can, however you can. Being an honest person by nature – I don’t like #16, but if the SHTF this may be a matter of life & death for you and your family)
17. Having to move from one safe location to another safe location, remember you’ll be in danger the entire way. Movement is dangerous.
18. White collar skills will be worthless. Blue collar skills will be more valuable.
19. Learn how the Native people survived in your area. The plants or roots they ate and used for medicine, how they trapped and cooked fish. Lots of books available now on the subject. Buy them now.
20. Survival will become a fulltime job.
“In the 1850s, people had the skills, knowledge and infrastructure to live in a functioning 1850s level society.”
It’s amazing how many people today don’t even know how to use a manual can opener.
Interestingly enough, Florida hurricane code requires the use of rebar in the walls to connect the roof to the ground. So about every 2 feet there is a metal bar from the roof to the ground.
Not a perfect cage but I bet it offers some protection.
You beat me by 9 seconds... It is important to note that the item to be protected must be insulated from the outside metal of the cage, though...
You beat me by 9 seconds... It is important to note that the item to be protected must be insulated from the outside metal of the cage, though...
Good point, the reddish or silver ESD bags work well for that.
Riiiight. Suuuure they did. We are supposed to believe this EMP crap, and yet So. Korea still has a functioning electrical grid? Puh-lease.
I am guessing at least 75% of the American population would not know how to obtain potable water if the faucets went dry. Cholera and typhus would run rampant within six months of the loss of sanitary facilities. I’d say 90+% of the populace would not know how to obtain food at a subsistence level. The eco-freaks like to paint a romanticized version of a 19th century lifestyle, simpler, more “peacefulâ€, few wants or needs. In fact, most people, maybe 90% of the population today, would not survive it, it would be too arduous. And those that did would be clamoring for a return to the “decadent†21st century lifestyle.
Yes.
Hence the US being rather wound up about 3rd-world psychopaths making viable attempts at putting nukes in orbit: they succeed once, we’re toast.
“We are supposed to believe this EMP crap”
Money talks and the Norks have enough to pay foreign scientists to do the job with materials obtained from other countries.
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