Do you know what the Government and Big Corporations say about the danger of an EMP? When was the last time you researched blackout survival? Do you think we should keep a lookout on solar flares or man made nukes?
Most of us preppers have surpassed the newbies status when it comes to EMP. We know about the threats to the grid, have some pretty detailed scenarios about what might happen after a strike, and some guidelines on how to act.
But how prepared are we, really? All these and more in this week’s prep blog review.
1. Government, Industry Studying Threat of Nuclear EMP Attack on Electric Grid
“American power companies are studying ways to protect electric grids against a high-altitude nuclear blast and other directed energy attacks that could severely disrupt electricity transmission, an industry representative told a Senate hearing Wednesday.
Scott Aaronson, managing director for cyber and infrastructure security at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), stated in testimony that a consortium of U.S. electric companies is working with the Energy Department to study how to protect power grids from a nuclear blast-produced electromagnetic pulse attack or solar flares that could damage transformers and other electric components and shut down power for millions of Americans.”
Read more on Free Beacon.
2. You Will Not Survive an EMP Strike Without This
“More than 180 Americans have left America for Syria to join ISIS. These are born and raised American citizens. And at some point, they will come back! But don’t worry. These peace-loving American patriots will settle back into their homes and mind their own business. Right!
During the international Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, even Barack Hussein Obama warned that the prospect of ISIS getting a hold of a nuclear bomb is one of the most serious threats faced by the world. He said it was clear that “these mad men” would use such a device to kill as many people as they could.”
Read more on Ask a Prepper.
3. Officials Worry US ‘Falling Behind’ In Race to Prepare for Electromagnetic Pulse Attacks
“Electromagnetic pulses and violent space weather outbursts might seem like national security threats straight out of science fiction. But the House Homeland Security Committee wants to ensure federal agencies are doing their best to prepare for them.
During an Oversight and Management Efficiency subcommittee hearing Tuesday, legislators reviewed the possible ramifications that a man-made EMP weapon, detonated nuclear device or even space weather phenomena could have on the nation’s power grid. While seemingly remote, the threats drew comparisons to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
While unlikely, being unprepared could mean loss of life and could be devastating to the nation’s telecommunications and power grid, lawmakers said. One report estimates the potential cost of a large-scale solar storm, emanating from a large release of energy by the sun, could exceed $2 trillion and leave large portions of the population without power for months or longer.
“Investigations determined the attack on Pearl Harbor was possible, not probable,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga. “Same thing for 9/11.”
Read more on Next Gov.
4. The Question Is Not ”IF” But ”WHEN”: How The World Would Look Like When The Grid Goes Down
“Have you ever thought about how fragile the US power grid is? And how would you survive if the power grid went down? What would be like in the dark? Have you ever wondered ’’what would we do if the lights went out’’? Who could have foreseen the 9/11 come? The difference between 9/11 and what I am about to tell you is that we know that this is going to happen; the question is not ’’would it happen?” but ”when is going to happen’’? If this happens the consequences would be a million times worse than 9/11.”
Read more on Bio Prepper.
5. EMP Prepping: What To Do After Blackout
“We’ve already discussed how you can prepare yourself for an EMP before it happens, so now we’re going to cover what happens after the lights go out.
An electromagnetic pulse is different than the aftermath of a tornado, hurricane, tsunami or wild fire because in those disasters, the lights will come back on and eventually an emergency crew will help the people who weren’t prepared.”
Read more and on Survival Hax.
This article has been written by Brenda E. Walsh for Survivopedia.
I have not (yet) read any of your referral articles, but a serious EMP that knocks out major USA regional areas of the grid may also knock out nuclear power plants leading to Fukishima type fallout downwind from their locations that may last for years (following a melt-down). So, Preps for EMP should also include fallout preps for nuclear disasters throughout USA; and nuclear disasters (like Fukishima) involves consideration of potential of nuclear war strikes against the USA. According to the 1980, 1982 publishing of Nuclear War Survival Skills (originally by Cresson H. Kearny, [ISBN: 0-939002-02-7] (now deceased. but who served in WWII primarily in generating survival gear for soldiers in environments rare in USA;, and then later Kearny worked at classified USA nuclear testing facilities, and then later (with a focus on Civil Defense Preparations that were being ignored by USA mid-20th Century Gov’t) he wrote a book about how to survive fallout by creating a backyard fallout shelter from info he acquired during his day) [I got my copies off Amazon in Jan 2016]…According to Kearny Russia has over 3,000 warheads designated for every USA town/city over 35,000 population. My town of about 35,000 has 3 strikes against it already according to his presented 1980 model, one industry, it is at a highways cross location, and its population meets criteria. Unfortunately my home is just under 1 mile from the ground-zero target industry, which means it is close enough to become buried under a mountain of dirt (from the 550 foot deep nuclear blast crater of the nuke size he mentions in his book), or become a home adjacent to the newest Big Hill in my area. For average people like me the book is wonderful, explaining 1980s era nuclear attack criteria on USA soil, how to survive blast and fallout; and with what is today considered to be nuclear weapons larger than what was used in WWII, but smaller than what is available today. But here’s the thing about that. I live in a small town (though too close for comfort to my town’s ground zero target). My small town would not get a big nuke when a small one would fit all disruptive activity in my small town area. All militaries use smaller weapons against smaller targets, just like USA sells or gives away a lot of military equipment after its combat wars on foreign soil (I saw it with my own eyes in my own unit as an active duty Desert Storm combat vet). Kresson’s focus was on shelter that can withstand nuclear radiation fall-out (like through a 3 mo period, and hopefully a couple weeks) that could be built by a few people within 48 hrs, as well as on homemade mechanical (non-electrical) equipment (a fan) to keep air movement thru the dug-out to maintain comfort. That was his life’s work from WWII onward…how the average person (and deployed combat soldier) could survive war (in jungles, etc.) and fallout and live to see a new chapter in national life. So, the unknowns are really unknown. Every discussion of EMP begs for additional discussion of either a nuclear melt down (for those downwind a nuclear power plant) or an all-out nuclear war, which if it would come to USA would result in an Empire End for at least 20 years, if not permanently. I know (as an insider) how a lot of people just hate hearing about biblical prophecies (and they presume that “them type of people are ingrown crazies”)… still, there remains a prophecy about a symbolic country, called: Babylon (referring to a world power that has major influence in every part of the known world of “its day”), that will go down suddenly, kind of like how people talk today—“It will go dark” and stay there in the dark (inability to communicate) place, and the whole world will grieve about it. There can be only one reason for the whole world to grieve about its fall, and that is that this nation’s former monetary system and commerce was beneficial in every other nation of the world. The real ancient Babylon was this type of nation–it had this powerful reach through the world within its reach. USA does fit precisely or exactly the symbolism of Babylon (the ancient nation); but on the other had, other nations before there was a USA were sitting in the same place as USA today. So, a prophecy unfulfilled is unfulfilled…and no one can say whether it is going to be the fall of USA or another nation that becomes greater than what we in the USA have been. What can be said about USA is that we are the first nation in world history that (though it seems to be frequently run by crooks), elevates its citizenry (though my Black friends would balk at my allegation even though their lives are seriously better than even the lives of their parents in the mid 20th Century). Enough! An EMP is a nuclear class weapon (without a radiation fallout hazzard, because it happens in the upper atmosphere, and the time it takes for the radiation to hit earth drastically reduces the fallout danger)…but if it knocks out a nuclear power plant, there will be a radiation hazard coming quickly depending upon how fast the wind is blowing and how far one is downwind from any plant affected. I have looked at maps of where our nuke facilities are located (should they melt down) and there are only a few places in USA that are relatively safe from meltdown hazards (though they have their own regional hazards). So my over-generalization is this (without knowing for sure whether Gov’t is protecting itself from EMP), then EMP = Nuke, and Nuke = Emp. Nuke and EMP are so aligned that preparing for one without the other is like trying to be fish out of water.