Experts warn civilian world not ready for massive EMP-caused blackout

Quote:The catastrophic effects of an electromagnetic pulse-caused blackout could be preventable, but experts warn the civilian world is still not ready.

Peter Vincent Pry, executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and director of the U.S. Nuclear Strategy Forum, both congressional advisory boards, said the technology to avoid disaster from electromagnetic pulses exists, and upgrading the nation's electrical grid is financially viable.

"The problem is not the technology," Pry said. "We know how to protect against it. It's not the money, it doesn't cost that much. The problem is the politics. It always seems to be the politics that gets in the way."

He said the more officials plan, the lower the estimated cost gets.

"If you do a smart plan - the Congressional EMP Commission estimated that you could protect the whole country for about $2 billion," Pry told Watchdog.org. "That's what we give away in foreign aid to Pakistan every year."

In the first few minutes of an EMP, nearly half a million people would die. That's the worst-case scenario that author William R. Forstchen estimated in 2011 would be the result of an EMP on the electric grid - whether by an act of God, or a nuclear missile detonating in Earth's upper atmosphere.

An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic energy strong enough to disable, and even destroy, nearby electronic devices.

Obama will care about this when electricity is required to play golf.

As long as it gets espn and the ACA website, I think I'm good with it.

Think about all the planes that would fall out of the sky, ships stuck at sea, people trapped in elevators, surgeries that would stop without being completed, and so on. But I tell ya, with all those fossil fuel powered things stopping on a dime, Al Gore will probably crack a smile.

(04-21-2014 10:50 PM)smn1256 Wrote:  Think about all the planes that would fall out of the sky, ships stuck at sea, people trapped in elevators, surgeries that would stop without being completed, and so on. But I tell ya, with all those fossil fuel powered things stopping on a dime, Al Gore will probably crack a smile.

Back in the early 80s, the company I worked for had a division that manufactured cockpit avionic systems for the military. At that time (30 years ago) they were required to provide EMP shielding on all sub-systems.

Fear mongering. There are many things the world isn't prepared for. That's b/c they're exceedingly rare, and it doesn't make sense to invest all our resources to prepare for them.

(04-22-2014 07:26 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(04-21-2014 10:50 PM)smn1256 Wrote:  Think about all the planes that would fall out of the sky, ships stuck at sea, people trapped in elevators, surgeries that would stop without being completed, and so on. But I tell ya, with all those fossil fuel powered things stopping on a dime, Al Gore will probably crack a smile.

Back in the early 80s, the company I worked for had a division that manufactured cockpit avionic systems for the military. At that time (30 years ago) they were required to provide EMP shielding on all sub-systems.

Around the same time I had head that Russian fighter jets wouldn't be impacted by EMP because their critical components used vacuum tubes rather than printed circuits, op amps, etc. The thing is, I never understood why vacuum tubes would be impervious to EMP since their elements are extremely thin and could very well fry when hit with a good dose.

An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic energy strong enough to disable, and even destroy, nearby electronic devices. (quote)


You mean no more cell phone service. That will make a LOT of people go crazy. Maybe it's the only time they won't be having car crashes where they're on the phone and driving.

(04-22-2014 07:41 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic energy strong enough to disable, and even destroy, nearby electronic devices. (quote)


You mean no more cell phone service. That will make a LOT of people go crazy. Maybe it's the only time they won't be having car crashes where they're on the phone and driving.

Hell, maybe that'd improve the working conditions in many offices

Except your computer would be a paperweight if an EMP hit.

A solar storm in 1859 caused an EMP that disabled telegraph systems. Telegraph operators got electric shocks, and telegraph pylons actually ignited.