What is an EMP, where do they come from, what damage do they cause, and how can you protect yourself?

What is an EMP? An EMP attack may sound like a work of science fiction, but it is actually a very real threat. Some experts even claim that it is the #1 worst case SHTF disaster scenario. This article will highlight everything you need to know about and EMP attack so that you can be properly prepared for a long-term grid-down disaster without the modern conveniences we’ve grown so dependent on.

WHAT IS AN EMP ATTACK? - Introduction

Imagine that your power just went out.   At first, it might  consider it a welcomed novelty.   Soon you might get frustrated that you are missing your favorite reality TV show   After a few hours, you begin to get concerned about all your groceries in the fridge/freezer going bad.  You’d call the power company to find out what is taking so long, however, your cellphone seems to be dead and obviously can’t be charged.  You wake up the next morning to a blank alarm clock.  The power is still out.   

You hear from neighbors that it seems to be a massively widespread power outage.  You can’t go into the office today even if you wanted to because your car isn’t working.   All the stores in your town are closed due to the power outage so you can’t get any new supplies for awhile.  This is all quite inconvenient for you!    

Another day goes by.  Rumor has it that the entire country is without electricity.  How is this even possible?  Furthermore, anything that had a microchip has ceased to operate even if it was battery controlled.   You overhear someone mention an EMP attack. What is an EMP? It just doesn't make any sense!  

The thin veneer of civility is starting to erode.  Fear and confusion is leading to panic.  Looting has begun even in your small town.  People have been severely injured in fights over small things like toilet paper .  Things need to get back to normal quick, except you know they will only continue to get worse.

You are reminded of Hurricane Katrina and the reports of looting, rioting, assaults, rapes, and murders.    That was only a localized tragedy and the rest of the country was unaffected and rallied to their aid.   However, it was not quick enough to prevent a breakdown of law and order.   You soon realize that  the government is not coming to save or feed you!  This is going to get really bad!  

What most people fail to realize is that our society walks a cliff’s edge because we are fully dependent on technology and an insanely delicate interwoven infrastructure to feed our citizens and supply their daily needs.  Most Americans have NO IDEA how to survive without today’s modern amenities.  How many people do you know that know how to grow their own food and harvest the seeds for the following spring?   Without modern refrigeration, how many people know how to preserve food by canning, smoking, or dehydrating to make it last through a winter?  I would estimate that less than 1% of our population has the “homesteading” skills needed to survive.  The fact is that an EMP Attack will act like a giant time machine, taking our country back 150 years before electricity with 10 times the mouths to feed.

WHAT IS AN EMP: What are the Causes?

EMP simply stands for Electromagnetic pulse.  They can occur naturally and can also be manufactured to occur.  Either of these catastrophes has the potential to destroy the electric grid and could fry nearly every electrical device in its path. There are two main causes for EMP’s

1. Nuclear bombs are something we are all familiar with. Perhaps right now you are imagining the absolute decimation that occurs when they strike their target! However, with an EMP, what happens is that a nuclear device is purposely detonated high above our atmosphere.   The explosion’s interaction with the ionosphere creates a series of electromagnetic pulses that could create a coast to coast grid down situation. From a war perspective, it would be an ideal weapon to use on a civilized country such as ours. Not only would it cripple us as a country, but the land itself would remain uncontaminated by nuclear fallout (and ripe for the taking).

2.  A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), also known as a solar flare, is a large eruption of super-hot plasma from the sun’s surface that shoots charged particles across the solar system.  Earth has been struck and it is a statistical certainty that Earth will be struck again.  The average time in between each recorded solar flare is approximately 150 years.  The last major event was in 1859. We are due!  Back then the world wasn’t very dependent on electronics as we are today.  The only major damage back then occurred to telegraph machines that were in operation at the time.  They were completely fried (and some even caught fire). 

WHAT IS AN EMP - How Bad Would it Be?

THE 10 CRITICAL ACTION-STEPS YOU MUST TAKE IMMEDIATELY AFTER AN EMP ATTACK



WHAT IS AN EMP: How Likely is it to Happen?

Manufactured EMP

In a report to congress in 2004, the non-partisan congressional EMP Commission found that several potential adversaries have or can acquired the capability to attack the United States with a high altitude nuclear weapons generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Instead of nuking the land and making it unusable, it would be advantageous for an adversarial country to just take out the power grid, wait for a 90% die-off, and then easily seize control of an entire continent of pristine and uncontaminated land .

Natural Solar Flare from the Sun

Historical records show that every 100 to 150 years, the earth takes a direct hit from a solar flare produced by the sun. We are due. The last event was over 150 years ago in 1859 known as the “Carrington” event. It lit up the night sky all the way from Colorado to New York. Without modern electronics, it had little effect on the population of the day outside of an interesting lightshow.

WHAT IS AN EMP: What Would Still Work After an EMP?

In short, not much. Living without electricity means saying goodbye to modern conveniences.

Everything electronic that contains micro-processors or electronics would be essentially “fried.” All forms of electronic communication like the internet and cell phones would not work. Anything that requires computer element would be toast. Banks operate on electronic records. Therefore, any money you have in the bank is gone forever.  It goes without saying that ATM’s would not work either.   All of your memories and pictures of your loved ones that are saved via digital format are likely also gone forever. The biggest blow would come in terms of modern automobiles being inoperable. This includes all of the freight trucks that drive miles upon miles to stock up your local stores’ shelves each week (better start getting to know your local farmers)..

The few things that experts postulate would still work are:

• Pre-1990 automobiles should still work as they are purely mechanical in nature.

• Batteries, but not necessarily battery operated electronics.

• Solar Panels themselves would still work, but not necessarily solar charge controllers or inverters.

• Anything protected by a proper faraday cage

WHAT IS AN EMP: How to Prepare

There are two main methods to prepare for an EMP Attack:

1) Protect Important Electrical Devices with a Faraday Cage.

In short, a faraday cage is a specialized metal container that redirects the electrical pulse around (instead of through) your item. Luckily, a faraday cage can be easily made DIY style from a galvanized metal trash can from your local big box hardware store. Similarly, experiments show that wrapping items in aluminum foil also has faraday like effects. The key is to have as many different layers as possible (think of a Russian Doll). There are also professional products on the market such as faraday bags that you should also consider using to protect your electrical items.

In between each layer of aluminum foil or faraday bag, cover the item in a non-metal material such as paper or a placing in a sandwich ziplock bag. After several layers, you can finally place the item in the main faraday cage. Once all of your items are inside of the faraday cage, you will want to tape over any and all seams of the galvanized metal trash can with metallic HVAC foil tape. Any uncovered seam could render your efforts a huge waste of time. Therefore, do not skip this step!

Ideally, anything you place in your faraday cage isn’t anything you use on a consistent basis. You want to avoid unsealing and resealing the can) unless absolutely necessary. A solution to this is to simply have doubles of items. For example, in mine I have a duplicate external hard-drive with all my survival documents and family photos. I have an old laptop, an old mp3 player, an old portable DVD player, an old power drill and extra battery charger, etc.

2) Learn Self-Reliant Skill Sets

An EMP attack would transport us back to the 1800’s without the self-reliant skillsets that our pioneer forefathers used to survive. These skillsets may be forgotten, but they are not lost forever. You need not uproot from the city, buy several acres in the country, and become a homesteader. However, you can EMPower yourself by getting back-to-basics and learn how to be self-sufficient. Simply learn everything you can about self-sustainable skill sets that would advantageous for living without electricity.

• Learn How to Create ENDLESS FOOD

  • Learn How to Grow a Survival Garden

  • Learn How to Preserve the Harvest

  • Learn How to Save Seeds for Next Year

  • Learn How to Raise Chickens for Eggs and Meat

  • Learn How to Raise Rabbits for Meat, Compost, and Hides

  • Learn How to Make an Edible Insect Farm

  • Learn How to Identify Wild Edibles

• Learn How to Create ENDLESS BARTER

  • Learn How to Grow Tobacco

  • Learn How to Make Wine

  • Learn How to Make Moonshine

  • Learn How to Skin & Tan Animal Hides

• Learn How to Create ENDLESS MEDICINE

  • Learn How to Identify Wild Medicinal Plants

  • Learn How to Grow Medicial Plants

  • Learn How to Make Medicine from Plants