emp-over-cleveland

EMP – Can This Happen?

EMP

Is the following scenario plausible?

A well financed proxy terrorist group has struck the United States.

They have successfully launched a modified Scud short range ballistic missile which was hidden inside a specifically and purposely designed shipping container positioned on top of ‘the stack’ aboard a freight ship. Many days ago it left from a foreign port and transitioned to a location just off the east coast of the United States – heading towards the Port Newark container terminal in New Jersey.

More of the story:

 
In a matter of minutes, the modified Scud missile reached it’s detonation ‘target’ 400 miles away, and more than 50 miles above the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where a nuclear warhead exploded in the atmosphere. The resulting electro-magnetic-pulse, or EMP, instantaneously fried nearly all electronic devices within line-of-sight, reaching out nearly 700 miles from the detonation, spreading into Canada to Boston down the east coast to Jacksonville, and over to Kansas City and Minneapolis. The nearly 1,400 mile diameter EMP blast zone covered the majority of the U.S. population as they were instantly plummeted into darkness while the electrical power grid failed and electronic circuits and components fried in a single instant. A cascading effect coupled out beyond the blast radius and blew out large custom made ultra (extra) high-voltage transformers (EHV) along much of the electric power grid network – sending all three of the major power grids of the entire United States into blackout.

 
While this fictional event did not actually happen today, it is a real vulnerability, and one that would absolutely devastate our way of life, whereby our very survival would be threatened.

In such a scenario, where would you be safe? Who would be the most likely to survive and get through the ensuing chaos?

There would potentially be so much damage to the electronic /electrical infrastructure that it might literally take a year or more to replace just the essentials such as the specially built custom power grid ultra high-voltage transformers – which currently have a production lead time of at least one year – more likely two to three years. (And that’s when the electricity is ‘on’) Even if these specialized transformers could be re-wound within months, would it be too late for our ‘way of life’? Could we last that long without self-destructing?

We could essentially be thrown back into the age before electricity and electronics – but during an age where EVERYONE depends on electricity and electronics. Most everyone would be on their own, with little to no help from their government. Some say that nearly every vehicle within the initial EMP blast radius zone might not start. Many theorize that nearly all computers and most all electronic devices will be ‘fried’. Transportation systems down. Water and sewage treatment systems down. Gas pumps down. Financial systems down. Distribution systems down. Grocery stores down. It would truly be a nightmare scenario where millions would surely lose their lives from the resultant follow-on effects in a world without electricity.

While no one will remain untouched, those who are living in population-dense regions will be in especially dire straits, while those away from cities and population centers might have a better chance if they have prepared in any way, or those who are already living somewhat self-sufficient.

After one week of such an event, I wouldn’t expect there to be much of anything available in ‘stores’, while the reality of the situation really sets in. Then what? Desperate times will lead to desperate measures, and that will include chaos and desperate violence.

Do you think that something this extreme will never happen? Is it too far-fetched?

Is an EMP ‘event’ such an outrageous possibility that it’s silly to contemplate?

Or are there those out there who would do this if and when they could?

66 Comments

  1. “Do you think that something this extreme will never happen?” IT WILL HAPPEN

    “Is it too far-fetched?” NOPE

    “Is an EMP ‘event’ such an outrageous possibility that it’s silly to contemplate? NOPE

    “Or are there those out there who would do this if and when they could?” YEP

    Back to work in my backyard. That’s where I’ll be when it happens.
    My newest hens have just started laying. :)

  2. Although fiction, the book “one second after” was very eye opening for me as it went through the life of a man and town after this specific event occurred. It sent chills down my spine and started me on the path of being more aware and prepared.

  3. Absolutely it can happen. THEN the govs of the world could no longer spy on everything we do. People would be forced to work together in order to survive, instead of the “it’s all about me” attitude we now live by. But if it does happen we are doomed to die as all the nuclear plants would go into meltdown and we would have Fukushima a 100 times over. I have always said technology will be the death of man. Sure it has made our lives easier, but in the long run it will kill us all. The rush to invent nuclear bombs and energy will end up being the biggest mistake man has ever made.

  4. Ken, I do believe this could happen one day, but lets be realistic here, The few people that will survive this type of tragedy will be basically the people who are living without the modern conveniences today. I could see some of the preppers making through, but most will be so caught off guard that it doesn’t matter what you have prepared for, kind of like hindsight is 20/20. I would say start practicing now, go a week with the thought of this has actually happened and you need to live this way for a week to see HOW prepared you really are.

    Just my thought, ANY feedback is welcome

    1. I really believe those who are mentally prepared to quickly transition to the mindset for such a new reality will have a huge advantage over others, even some preppers. The way we gather resources, live in community, battle the elements, interact with those in and out of our group. All of the old ways will be gone. Those clinging to them will be gone too. Many will waste precious hours, days and weeks waiting for the government to help. They will make excuses and deny what really happened. Their normalcy bias will kill them. All the while, we will be taking unclaimed resources (this is not looting grocery stores. There are many non-business places people do not think about that house food and supplies. These places will be ransacked days or weeks after the grocery stores. People will not think of them at first. I run one type of facility and can make the determination to move and house those items in a more secure area… namely my homestead. This will be done within the first hours of day one, before the town descends into total chaos.), building fortifications and defense, bringing in skilled and prepped people, etc.

    2. I prepared without knowing about emp’s when I went primitive camping and ate from the wild on weekends and sometimes weeks at a time for decades without electricity. There is no time but now to get this experience under your hat.

      My daughter went fishing with me 2 weeks ago and I showed her some of the edible foods found in the wild and made her eat them. She didn’t expect them to taste so good so now she is sharing natures supermarket with her fishing buddies when they get out in the wilds.

  5. Mike, not to mention all the laboratories, chemical plants, refineries, etc., spewing who knows what into the air when the melt down.

  6. Oh Ken, thank you for sparing me and all the idiotic people that inhabit the great land mass of CA.

    I still wonder if we have our military running around with orange tip guns in Jade Helm, how easy it would be for them to be attacked. Hopefully, the bad guys don’t think of these things.

    If not this scenario, it will be something else. I still think the economic collapse will be what sets it off.

  7. Sure, it’s absolutely a possibility! But, think about what it would take to survive given what little the public knows or understands about EMP aftermath.

    The problem is two-fold with a grid being down and the necessity to stay sheltered in place with quality air for at least 30 days.

    Of course, to truly survive an electronic meltdown you’d have to have a hardened bunker or site that is fully stocked with backup electronics inside a commercial or military grade Faraday cage.

    Suddenly, this sure feels out of reach for pretty much everyone. It’s the illusion of security just like the door on most of our homes. Once we learn how easy it is to pick locks, the reality sets in. I have never felt safe from EMP. Never…

    I think the reality for EMP is that not many are going to get through it. Not many at all…

    Cleveland was an interesting choice. Sweet spot in between Chicago, Toronto, Buffalo, Columbus, Detroit, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis. Lots of damage aftermath in such a dense region of the country!

  8. Has anyone here built a working Faraday cage? Or have experience hardening electrical devices against an EMP? For instance, how much of the electronics would need to be protected in a modern car if all you wanted to ensure was that it would start and be drivable? Would protecting the ECU be enough? Or if you wanted to protect the AC unit and backup generator on your house? How about turning your garage into a Faraday cage so all item within would be protected?

    1. Chris,
      A couple of years ago I came up with an idea for a car cover that is made of a conductive cloth and grounding wire. You can use an existing car cover and add the conductive cloth layer on the outside. Wherever you park your car, you can pound a small metal stake in the ground as your grounding rod if there is not a suitable metal fence post or metal water pipe nearby.

      For a home-made Faraday cage you can try a metal trash can that has a wire running to a suitable ground. This may protect your sensative electronics. But it is difficult to test.

      1. Interesting idea with the cover, however if it is outside and grounded it will likely become a lightning rod if a storm was to appear. We just can’t win. I’ve heard of people having a chain dragging in the rear of the vehicle and again same problem. I believe if you have a vehicle in a garage hooked to a grounding peg it may just save the computer by letting electricity take the easiest path to ground. But have not tested the idea. I do have a homemade Faraday cage with some critical electronics in it. But as far as travel after an emp its almost like what’s the point,nothing anywhere would work, most peoples jobs would not exist and fuel maybe hard to come by. Let alone the danger of driving a vehicle and someone seeing you. Emergency only situation. Just a thought.

      2. Whatever you are protecting must be 100 percent enclosed by an electric insulating material and then covered 100 percent with a conductive material. You do not ground the cage as you do not want current (electrons) passing through. The conductive material will hold a voltage charge that is dissapated into the air.

      3. Id like to see the details of this “Cloth”. Sounds interesting.

    2. Your modern car would be a door stop. 1973 vehicles or earlier to operate after the event. Of course you will be required to have the parts and expertise to tune a vehicle the old way.

      It is possible to build a garage that is EMP protected. Anything can be protected.

      Research it. Lots of good info out there.

    3. I thought maybe getting some old lead paint and painting the inside of the garage real thick. why wouldn’t that work?

  9. Ken,

    I believe an EMP event is indeed coming but more widespread than what you depicted. I know of three people who have had dreams/visions of EMP events. Maurice Sklar (a violinist) saw three long range missiles used in an EMP-type attack which preceded additional follow-up localized nuclear attacks on population centers. John Paul Jackson and Terry Bennett saw a solar storm event. Terry Bennett saw the solar storm cause machinery to fail all over the earth: hospital equipment, military hardware and all types of machinery.

    People will need to quickly revert to “Little House on the Prairie” days, living without the convienience of electricity and electronics.

    However, I think the most important thing to do is to understand why this “Coming Perfect Storm” is coming to America. If it is indeed judgment from God, we must understand why and what we need to do from God’s perspective.

    Good thing gardens are EMP proof. If we could get all our neighbors gardening we would all be much better off no mater what happens. Make sure you have a few EMP proof shovels stored away and some EMP proof heirloom tomato seeds stored away.

    No matter how bad things get, never give up! Be prepared to help your neighbors.

  10. North Korea has the EMP nukes and the delivery system.
    Iran is building nukes in North Korea near the Chinese border and is buying the rockets from North Korea.
    Sleep well tonight. Tomorrow may be different.

  11. “where would you be safe” in all reality, in the long run, nowhere. If the masses of “civilians” don’t find you and “get you” the military will.

    “Who would be the most likely to survive and get through the ensuing chaos?” those that have a small “network” of like minded patriots. A “lone” wolf will not make it very lone at all, a week or two, maybe.

    “would it be too late for our ‘way of life’?” If/When this happens, it will take decades to recover, with just the loss of life of oh let’s say 80% how long will it take just for a food chain to recover?

    “Could we last that long without self-destructing?” Some might, most wont, and I’m talking 90% won’t know how to “make it”.

    “Do you think that something this extreme will never happen?” I believe that it “may” happen, the technology is there, the crazies are there, the opportunity is there, I don’t believe it could be stopped if someone was to decide to “push the button”.

    “Is it too far-fetched?” Not at all, again all the pieces are in place, someday it WILL happen, all a matter of time.

    “Is an EMP ‘event’ such an outrageous possibility that it’s silly to contemplate?” Absolutely not, in fact, that is one of the three major events I foresee actually happening; EMP, Economic crash, and Zombies.

    “Or are there those out there who would do this if and when they could?” ISIS, Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, anyone and everyone that we have pizzed off in the past 200 years. Heck there are millions of people here in the US that would pull the trigger.

    Remembering that an EMP is totally harmless to animal life (Humans) there would still be a lot of fatalities during the initial occurrence, auto crashes at 80MPH, planes falling from the skies, hundreds of scenarios. Next, within hours or less all havoc will break out, people trying to “get home”, fighting, murders, people literally turning into animals (because they can), heart attacks and the like. Within a day hospitals, nursing homes, will have mass die offs. Lack of drugs/food/water the “crazy’s” will start almost immediately, there will be HUGE gang wars starting up within a day or two. Stores will be looted and burned. FEMA/Government help will be nonexistent, ABSOLUTELY NO HELP. People will be trying to “get out of town” by the millions, ALL trying to hunt that one last critter for food within a week. In that same week maybe two, there will be no food or water left for the masses, 310 million people will be looking for YOUR food, YOUR stores, YOUR survival supplies, YOUR bunker. What are you going to do to survive?

    If you could last 30 days, 60 days than what? The amount of disease would be overwhelming; Disposing of the human carnage would be almost imposable. The cities would be uninhabitable for years. Those left surviving would be almost imposable if you have little clue on 100% of what it takes to live without any outside resources, not just a day or a week, but permanently without.
    NRP

    1. NRP is spot on. Yes, it will happen. No, it is not far-fetched at all. I do not see this as a “one-off” type of launch, but the NORKS are definitely crazy enough to do a coordinated launch on the West Coast, Central US and the East Coast, using containerized shipping. The PRC has perfected this specific type of launch vehicle and leads the world in containerized cargo units, so, yes, we should expect them to do this. If not the NORKS, then the narcotrafficante cartels will do it under contract to Hamas, Hizbollah, ISIS or whomever.
      Will the Federal government get its’ act together and fund the EMP protection for the current infrastructure? Nope, they haven’t wanted to yet. So, maybe the NORKS can be talked into just hitting the local DC area with a low-level EMP for “practice?” Hopefully that would get the attention and action of the DC Weasels and Whores.

    2. Humans can be killed too by an EMP, everyone with a peacemaker for your heart.

  12. Dr. Peter Vincent Pry did a write up on Blackout Warfare on the site Family security matters. Everybody should read it.

    1. I’ve read this before and agree with you G Dog. Good reading! There’s also the “Family Security Matters” and “The Noah Project” websites if you dig a bit deeper and are curious.

      There are too few of people raising awareness about EMP for the greater good in society.

      Problem is that on the flip-side there are many more who would be just fine if society shrunk in size from just such an EMP event…

  13. do I think its possible hell yes does the possibly scare me hell yes can I do anything about it NO all I can is prepp for what is the best chance of happening the western world and the us would BE SCREWED if this where to happen

  14. As a Prepper I think this would be one of the easiest major events to survive through. Especially If you have a small amount of knowledge about native or Pioneer era skills and a moderate amount of preps. i would think the hoardes of non-prepared would be the biggest threat during a major power outage. I would rather face this than government Tyranny and a police state.

    1. This statement is incorrect. I believe you must be talking about your preps and being as a family intact after the event.

      Problem is,,,, the multitudes of people that were not prepared.

      They will come,,,, Is not going to be easy and you’ll have to do the unthinkable.

      1. I agree with hoards of people not prepared but the richer areas will be protected by military thus martial law\no go zones. Your thoughts ?

  15. I am only 150 miles from Cleveland.

    IF my 2003 Toyota Tundra wakes up, I take cash stash to purchase backhoe that is over priced and continues to not sell for asking price.

    IF my truck is dead, I take cash stash to purchase the 1968 Chevy Truck for the too high asking price.

    Once I return home, I will find out if my Honda Generators work, after exhuming them from trash can “faraday cages” (along with other electronic gizmos like laptop, radios, flahlights, etc.).

    It will take about an hour to secure my AO, and re-familiarize my wife with KelTec Sub 2K, and then I doubletime it down to the local, rural farm town, VFW to get a read on the townfolk.

    Things rarely go according to plan, so I have contingencies to back up redundant plans to either bug in, or bug out/fall back, etc.

    All activities involve deploying various firearms and force multipliers.

  16. To NRP,
    With all due respect I have a difference of opinion about one of your comments. Animals are not unaffected by man made EMPs, unlike solar flare type EMPs, is a statement that needs to be reconsidered.

    First, consider what an EMP will do to the metal frames of glasses, metal fillings, metal dental bridges, wedding rings and other small metal fixtures often placed inside the human body. As you know, magnetic induction is the physics behind an EMP.

    2nd, a not so often discussed feature of nuclear weapons is what is the frequency that most of the RF energy of an exploding weapon radiating at. Well, a weapon designed to create an EMP is designed to radiate much of its RF near the same frequency that our microwave ovens work at. This makes my blood boil and my nerves roast.

    1. Due respect appreciated and returned, a conversation is always a good thing

      I will rephrase the statement; an EMP will not directly injure tissue, animal or human. The effects on metallic items from the Nano second of electron radiation (EMP) will have little effect on the pieces of “metal” you may have on or in your person, it would be minimal if at all, the sheer size of let’s say a filing or hip replacement is absolutely huge compared to “electronic computer equipment”. No different than its effect on a metal desk or a car, an EMP would not “melt” a vehicle or even warn it up at all. The effect on microelectronics, were talking microns or Nano microns, will be the problem, such as computers. Additionally the “pulsing” effects as the electrons travel across electrical transmission wires is what will “fry” transformers. Yes if you happen to be touching a transformer your also toast. Now agreed if you happen to have a pace maker and it’s run by a computer chip, you’re going to have a very large problem.

      Also agreed the pulse form an EMP will assimilate the RF factor of a microwave, fortunately or unfortunately the time duration is measured in Nano seconds, not minuets as a Microwave. I defiantly agree if I stick my hand with a ring in it I will probably have a few problems, with or without a ring on.

      NRP

  17. No reason to limit the quality of the lifting missle to a SCUD, the same container could easily launch a newer missle, which could easily achieve a proper detonation altitude for it’s EMP device. If you are going to go as far as the above example, why limit your effect? If all you wanted was to damage a small area of the U.S., you could just use a gas BALLOON, get upwind, and detonate the device at 32 miles high.

    But the EMP effect needs high altitude to really take place, a few hundred miles up at least, else you don’t get the magnified effects. A terrorist might simply forget about EMP and deliver the SCUD device on target as a tactical nuke. Just lob your small yield nuke into New York harbor, for example. No need for a big boom..any nuclear size boom will do.

    Of course, the guys on the container ship would all be toast.

    So, why use the SCUD, when you can just park the ship INSIDE the harbor? Why not just port your ship, get off it, take a flight home, and detonate via a simple timing device? Possibly the reason this doesn’t happen is because our ports are screened for radiation signatures from all entering ships…

    Just a few thoughts.

  18. In terms of Scuds and EMPs, the optimum altitude for long distance EMP propagation is 220 to 248 miles high. I don’t remember why, but this is apparently some kind of widely accepted data. A ballistic missile generally has an max altitude that is one-half of it’s max range. That would mean a missile with a range of 450-500 miles would be optimum for EMP altitude. The more recent N.Korean and Iranian Scuds have a max range of 700 miles, or up to 350 miles in altitude. These units are approx. 3 feet wide, 31 feet long – something easily configured inside a large container of semi trailer.

  19. I could say so much about prepping for EMP. Seems everyone’s on board with the impact of this possibility (sorry probability).

    I’ve mentioned in a past comment the importance of the Faraday Cage. I’m sure Ken has too.

    It would be interesting to get odds from Las Vegas on who will destroy America first. Barry and his minions or an outside source.

    I’m betting on within.

  20. You are not doomed,,,, read up on protecting electronics.

    An EMP is no more dangerous than a collapse of our economy.

    They are propping the dollar (FED) which is creating a bubble which will blow to a degree which will make 2008 look like a small firecracker.

    A simple steal trash can wrapped at the top with metal tape will protect all essential electronics. If your not strapped for cash,,,, sky’s the limit.

    Start buying metals. Only real money regardless of the event.

    1. Agreed. We are not doomed.
      If we were, governments wouldn’t be prepping to survive, themselves.
      They’ve run ALL the scenarios.
      I have a faraday steel can, like the one you described. Its been tested and works. As well as any of the others.
      NO one knows for sure.
      I think preparing is the way to go…then, we will see. At least you can try.
      I have two daughters.
      I have prayed a lot over the years, as to what to do…I am constantly expanding my prep materials. So. There is my answer. Many will survive this.
      I hope to be one of them.
      So. We will see.

    2. Could you explain how to wrap the trash can at the top with metal tape?
      What about the lid of the can? Put the lid on and hold it on tight with metal tape? Do you have a photo of how to wrap? Thank you so much, just wasn’t clear on how to do this.

  21. Prepare to live without power
    Figure out what that means to you.
    No phone, internet, refrigeration, whatever.
    How will you live without it all?
    Plans folks, plans.

  22. I believe this too would cause calamity & chaos beyond belief. I think an attack like this would not be just a spare of the moment. But rather a well planned out, in order to impact many as possible.
    I further believe the east coast would be the main target, in order to bring USA to its knees, creating such mayhem that no one has ever seen. I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I hope this will never happens.. But fear the USA has created more enemies than it realizes over the centuries. So in short I do believe this could happen.

  23. Ok here is my opinion . The USA has never been defeated in war ! We have won because of supply logistics . An EMP destroys our ability to manufacture planes, ships, tanks, bullets and with the chaos at home no new soldiers. So an EMP is a must for any country that wants a major war. It limits the military to arms and munitions on hand. The effect on this country would mandate all military recalled from overseas and no military influence beyond the continental U.S. Our leaders have, for 60+ years, had a measured response policy. An EMP from us in Arab or Asia has less an effect outside of cites . So yes they can ,will and want to do exactly this!!! There is no IF its a when .

  24. who has the smarts to answer this and who does not Makes a difference YA?

  25. If some very bad people had two or three nuclear weapons, why would they detonate them high altitude? Sure that would put the lights out, but realistically there would be places that would be back up in a short amount of time, and the government/military, I am sure has hardened power generation units. Also there are bunkers underground, those generation systems wouldn’t be effected. But for the sake of this scenario, the whole country is without power, other countries would lend a hand to the US. It would have to be a world event for this to be as serious, like this scenario.

    Besides if bad people like ISIS had two or three nukes they would detonate them low altitude, to kill as many people and destroy as much infrastructure as possible. It would cause every bit as much chaos as this scenario and more, plus it would permanently destroy areas of the US, and kill millions.

    1. If they use a bomb to destroy people and infrastructure, they make the land uninhabitable for years or longer. China wants the land to relocate some of their teeming population. They just want to get rid of the people, Not the infrastructure and they want to keep the land for their people to use, to till, to provide for their people.

  26. Heads up people I just read on the daily collapse about the US government buying enough smallpox vaccines for 66 million people, what about the other 244 million people. We now know how they intend to kill us. Canada bought 67,500 doses at least we aren’t Canadian. China dumped half a trillion of US treasury bonds. God help us.

  27. The EMP Commission report estimates a 90% die off in one year. Interesting that leaves the almost the exact percent alive on earth that Agenda 21 says is sustainable. EMP would be a great means for the global elite to accomplish their population goals. Maybe it won’t be a rogue group that pulls the trigger…

  28. As I was checking my preps this morning, I thought I would share one of them that was done just in case there is a very prolonged loss of power. EMP could be one culprit of this. I keep a medium sized chest freezer in the basement. Different types of oils (mostly cooking) that would normally spoil are kept in it along with dozens of frozen water containers. When frozen, oil will not spoil and water does not need rotated. When the power goes out, we will simply use or barter the items. Don’t let this be your only water storage. It is more of a back up just in case our other storage is contaminated or life happens and I don’t get it rotated.

  29. Ken:
    In some areas of the country, individuals and small companies are producing electricity via solar panels, wind turbines and small water mill generators for their own consumption and selling extra back into the grid. Here’s a question for you.

    In an electric shutdown such as an EMP event or major grid brown out could the local/state or federal governments, compel the above small producers of electricity to now produce exclusive for said governments and their needs? Any thoughts?

    1. The electronic controls for these generators, especially solar, will fail during an EMP. The conversion of the DC to AC from the sources will be ended, even the control diodes in the generators will burn out. The critical elements of your inverters will fail, as will rectifiers.

      1. Even if anything worked the government would send enough force to take what they want.

    2. There would be no grid to sell the power back to. All distribution transfromers would likely be toast.

      Perhapse a good prep would be to stock up on the transformer wire that you would need to re-wind the transformers in your area. Lern how the transformers are built, how to trouble shoot and repair. Typical distribution transformers for residential areas are between 4,000 volts and 25,000 volts on the primary side and 120/240 volts on the secondary side which feeds your property (two hots and a neutal). Hot to hot voltage is 240 volts. Hot to neutral voltage is 120 volts.

      Perhaps small local power producers could perform repairs and be back up and running to serve thier local areas without connecting to the rest of the grid. If communities could pull together to provide food and security for those who are trying to repair the power distribution it could work at a local level.

  30. Not sure I follow your reasoning on the cartels helping China. If they did they would destroy most of their customer base as well as their distribution system.

  31. There has been a lot of work done on this scenario – see the ‘Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack’ at http://www.empcommission.org/

    Page 115 of the report explains why most cars will work after an EMP – there’s a lot of explanation about critical infrastructure and how it would fare

  32. this an economic collapse are what we prep for, I do believe this could an will happen, but not one, it will be 3 east, cost gulf of mexico, an west coast.

  33. I don’t think Cleveland would be the more efficient target. Clarksburg, WV would be a better choice. It is closer to the Atlantic Ocean and closer to some really nice targets. At 50 miles up the horizon is right at 514 miles.(For the Rf horizon add about 10%.) From Clarksburg it is 350 miles to New York City, 444 miles to Atlanta, and 422 miles to Chicago. All well within the 514 miles pseudo line-of-sight. This way the central part of the “Eastern Grid” would have an approximate minimum of 350 mile gap of dead space. And I don’t think the remainder of power generating facilities can handle the load changes. There would be a lot of lights not come on after sundown.

    But, of course, this is all hypothetical. I’m not suggesting that Clarksburg be a target, just that those with only one nuclear device might do the same math.

  34. A true EMP nuclear device is hard to acquire so it is unlikely. It is 1000 times more likely that terrorists could get a small nuke. A simple nuclear bomb intended to cause the most human death would be placed in the most populated part of a high population city like New York city. Using a small missile to deliver it is possible but for more stealth and better chance of success a simple car or truck delivery would be more likely. In my humble opinion the chances of a nuke being set off in a large Western city is very high perhaps even odds in the next five toten years. The chances of the terrorists acquiring a EMP device are far less likely probably a million to one against them.

  35. I have said 2 years ago something will happen to prevent the next Presidential election giving an excuse to declare Martial Law. Alaska will be invaded by Russia (the King is pulling troops out of Alaska) because there wont be enough troops to defend it.

  36. My question is, what would the rest of the world be doing if we were hit, and it took down our grid? Would Europe just let us rot? Would Canada, Mexico, Australia, etc. Just sit back while we starved and died?

    This is why I don’t see this as a viable scenario. It would have to be a world event to be believable, if an entity couldn’t pull this off as at least a most of the world event. Then there would be ships full of supplies, gas, diesel, food, generators, etc. coming to our aid from the countries not hit. They wouldn’t even have to do it out of kindness, in that crisis, our country would pay. Sure, things would be tough for a while, as we fixed the grid, but it wouldn’t be doomsday.

    This being the case, the entity with the nukes would detonate them low altitude to kill as many people as they could and destroy infrastructure and radiate the land, because most entities who would do this wouldn’t care about the land, because most likely it would be a terrorist attack.

  37. When the world goes to shit like that, it’s going to be time to learn how to safely eat people. That’s going to be the most reliable food source and they will be coming to take anything that you have. Gross, I know but when you get hungry…

  38. I believe we have to all die sometime, and dieing is usually never a very pleasant thing no matter how we die. It is absolutely foolish to try to survive after an EMP attack, your wasting your money. The survivalist will end up cannibalizing each other. The living will envy the dead.

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