In 1989, the world experienced a large Aurora event all across the globe. According to the witnesses; they could read a newspaper at night. This is how bright the Aurora was. When on the one hand people were experiencing such a wonderful side of this event; the Hydro-Québec power system experienced an immediate breakdown. It was later concluded that the event was a geomagnetic one. It was a burst of plasma from the sun that spread an EMP attack or Electromagnetic Pulse.
This type of event happens every 60 years and this was a natural event. The EMP can be man-made as well. In 1962, the United States tested its nuclear weapon; Starfish Prime. Which were 1.4 megatons or equivalent to 100 times bigger than what the US dropped in Hiroshima. The test was conducted 400 km above the Pacific Ocean, where it was assumed to be safe. Little did they know, that the EMP that would be generated would be disastrous. That’s exactly what happened.
900 miles away from the launch site in Hawaii, about 300 streetlights were knocked off, burglar alarms set off, and a telephone company’s microwave link broke which resulted in no phone calls across Hawaii and other islands. All this damage was from 900 miles away.
But if EMP was a phenomenon all along, why didn’t we hear the effects of it in the Hiroshima incident? The aftermath of the bombing resulted in so many lost lives and wiped-out infrastructures that nobody cared if a bunch of electronics was knocked off. The effects of an electromagnetic pulse are (thankfully) not on our bodies. So that’s a relief, but even if it wasn’t much for the prior EMP events, it is certainly something alarming in today’s age.
Since humanity is a kind of cyborg today, we depend on electrical food processing, electronic business, finance, health, and every other humanly need you can think of. If there is to be an EMP event in today’s age, humans wouldn’t be biologically affected by it but the collapse of the health system, the collapse of the food processing system would collapse which would lead to plague and diseases. Sort of what we experienced with COVID – the only difference is that it’ll be worse.
Why Fret All of a Sudden?
The reason it is being discussed right now is that since EMP is so dangerous. It can also be intentionally used against a country. In a report of Dr. Peter Pry, the executive director of the task force warned that China has developed Super-EMP weapons and also developed protocols that would keep them safe from an EMP attack. By no means the United States is prepared for such an attack.
Even though China denies any intention of an attack, they surely possess the weapons to do so. To most, EMP seems to be something of fiction or myth, how can you convince them to be prepared for something like that? If there is some attack like that, it would be the surprise super “Pearl Harbor” – destroying not only civilian services but also dismantling the military.
Speaking of the military – an EMP seems to disrupt the electrical components. What would it do to the nuclear warheads stored in the US? Wouldn’t it set those nukes off? If that happens, the United States will be wiped off the face of the earth. Luckily, the end of the United States, wouldn’t happen because of simple engineering protection. The engineers cover the electrical component on a nuke with metal that lets any current or radiation go around the body and not into the nuke.
Similarly, North Korea, Iran, and Russia are catching up to these weapons and the alliance would cause the United States to settle down in conflicts until they can protect themselves from these attacks.
Suppose The Gate of Hell Breaks Open
If any of the EMP weaponized countries decided to solve their beef with the United States using an EMP rush or there is the next solar EMP event in the next 30 years – what would you do?
Firstly, it wouldn’t happen out of the blue. You’d know the worsening conditions between countries through the news. And when you do, let me tell you what to do.
Suppose in a few years, any of the countries with an EMP weapon is about to go to war with the United States. Going to war in this era and going nuclear is the last thing any of the countries would want to do. But using an EMP weapon to dismantle a country is less lethal than wiping out it from the map. So, an EMP attack leaving you without food, health services, etc. is much more likely than you vaporizing. At the same time, it is much worse than dying.
Start prepping for survival, it’s going to be a very, very long survival journey. This is no fantasy, as I have stated the possibility of an EMP storm. You better prepare to survive an EMP rush.
Stocking During an EMP Attack
Our primitive instinct remains. To many, this may sound cringe past instinct but this is what happens when you’re sent back to sticks and stones. This is the list of things you might want to fetch before the power goes down and if you use an EV – bitch, you better sell that shit before a goddamn EMP fire that shit out of it. Use that ridiculous amount of money buying an old car and a ton of gas.
Food that doesn’t require anything electronic to cook or prepare. Dry fruits, powdered milk and juices, biscuits and packaged foods, etc.
Buy and stock mechanical tools for you to assist in cooking and other activities.
High-quality water containers that you can buy from your local hardware store. With the power down in the water supply station, there won’t be any water for the nation. So, you better stock water in the maximum containers that you can.
Medical kits and first aid kits. The hospitals will have an influx of health issues and a shortage of staff. There won’t be any hospital for you, in short. So, you better keep some health kits with you.
Vintage devices for the news. Vintage devices like radios are sturdier than modern devices and may as well survive an EMP attack, you can search for radio signals for the news if you can find any in the first place.
Older vehicles are better than modern ones. Since modern gas-powered vehicles are much more electronic, they won’t be able to function. If you use an EV, say your farewells already.
How to Protect Your Devices from an EMP Attack?
After practicing primitivity, how about some science now? Let’s do it.
If you love your phone, laptops, and tabloids so much, we’ll show you how to protect your devices from an EMP attack. Have you ever heard of a Faraday cage? If not, let me tell you that a Faraday’s cage is a type of cage with some metal covering the surface. The cage doesn’t have to look like an actual cage, it can be any hollow metal body that is protect from every corner.
The idea is that when an electric current hits the metal, it passes over the surface and into the earth. Specifically, not inducing in any of the object inside the hollow metal. What we need is to make a Faraday’s cage and use that hollow space to store any kind of device that we want to protect from the EMP.
Let’s use a tin trash can. The trash can (specifically made of tin) would work in this condition. All you need to do is get a can and some aluminum foil. Take some cardboard box and place all your devices in that box and down it goes in the trash can. Cover it with the tin lid and tightly seal the sides of it with aluminum foil.
After the EMP event is over, in a few hours you can take your devices out and play some Wordle. Because there won’t be any internet or mobile signals to get the news. Although you can still try to fetch some radio signals, it is highly unlikely to get any.
Can’t find a tin trash can? No worries, you can use your microwave. Yes, it can be used as a Faraday’s cage. Start with covering your microwave with aluminum foil from the inside make sure there are no holes left inside. Cover the door form inside out. Put your devices in a cardboard box and place them in the microwave. Your devices will survive an EMP attack.
Another fun fact that you might want to know. If your roof is protect with solar panels, your house may or may not experience the EMP effects. There’s a thin chance of it. Solar panels aren’t affected by the EMP but that doesn’t mean the solar plants will still work. Although the panels will be functional, other electrical components at the grid station will be fried.
FAQ’s
Q: What is an EMP?
A: EMP stands for Electromagnetic Pulse. This is a burst of electromagnetic waves that travel through atmosphere disturbing any electronic device that this pulse touches.
Q: Can EMP hurt humans?
A: EMP has no biological threat to human beings but if there is an EMP it will knock off every electrical component that our life depends on. You will live after the attack but don’t get sick anytime soon, there won’t be any hospitals.
Q: When is the recent natural EMP event happening?
A: The most recent EMP event will happen about 30 years from now and it happens after every 60 years.
Q: What is the best protective shield from the EMP?
A: Faraday’s cage. If you don’t know how to make one, learn.
Conclusion
Although an EMP weapon attack means World War 3 and no country would want to start that – the reports say the opposite. The recent activity showing emergence of such weapons causes fear and for all the right reasons. This article poses no intent to do “the world is ending” storytelling. This was an informative guide to help you realize the current situation and immediately know what to do when there is a threat. Just like with COVID when the unprecedented situation took over the world.
