It’s not easy to imagine the United States as a dystopian hellscape, but if we don’t protect our power grid from an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack, it could happen.
If an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack struck America, the damage would be catastrophic. An EMP is an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation and a powerful pulse of energy caused by a sudden release of stored energy, such as that from a nuclear blast.
An EMP is an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation and a powerful pulse of energy caused by a sudden release of stored energy, such as that from a nuclear blast.
An EMP attack would be devastating to the United States. This is because most modern electronic devices in the country use either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC), both of which would be disabled by an EMP. It would take years for the country to repair all this infrastructure and replace damaged devices, not counting all the people who wouldn’t even have access to power anymore after their homes were destroyed by missiles striking their cities.
An EMP could also affect large groups of people at once, leading them into panic mode as they attempt to survive without food or water; this could lead to further destruction across our nation’s infrastructure–especially if there are no supplies available either because they’ve already been depleted or because stores have been looted during riots due to lack of electricity and food sources like grocery stores being unavailable due to looting/lack of police officers patrolling store entrances due to lack manpower thanks previously mentioned reasons!
A nuclear EMP attack on the United States could kill as many as 90% of Americans — 286 million people.
The EMP Commission estimated that a nuclear EMP attack could kill 90% of Americans.
A nuclear EMP attack on the United States would be catastrophic. The following is a summary of the findings of the Congressional Electromagnetic Pulse Commission and its final report:
- A single nuclear weapon at high altitude can produce both an electromagnetic pulse and a high-powered microwave burst. These effects can damage or destroy unshielded electronics and electrical systems over much wider areas, including most of our electrical power grid and communications networks. A large-scale blackout lasting months to years would result from such an attack, affecting every part of America except for those few communities protected by faraday cages (earthen enclosures) in rural locations without modern electronics (which are very rare to find).
- The U.S. government has no defense against an EMP attack, nor does it have any plans or strategies for recovery after such an event occurs beyond sending out food aid packages containing nonperishable items like beef jerky or dehydrated potatoes — so unless you live out West where they have livestock they can slaughter while your family’s starving to death inside their faraday cage, you’re going to have nothing left but your wits when civilization collapses around you…
The EMP Commission estimated in 2017 that a single terrorist missile with a nuclear weapon detonated at 250 miles above Omaha, Nebraska, would black out power grids to the entire continental United States and take months pr even years to restore.
The EMP Commission estimated in 2017 that a single terrorist missile with a nuclear weapon detonated at 250 miles above Omaha, Nebraska, would black out power grids to the entire continental United States and take months or even years to restore.
Due to the reliance on sophisticated electronics, American society is vulnerable to disruption by an EMP attack.
The United States is an extremely electronically dependent society. Our homes, businesses, and transportation systems are all dependent on sophisticated electronics to function efficiently. These devices are used in communications, banking, transportation, and medical devices. They also play a critical role in maintaining the power grid and other critical infrastructures that keep us safe from natural disasters or terrorist attacks. Because of this reliance on electronics, the entire American society could be severely disrupted if an electromagnetic pulse event were to take place today.
An EMP attack could shut down the U.S.’s critical infrastructure for years due to the lack of spare parts and repair expertise.
An EMP attack could shut down the U.S.’s critical infrastructure for years due to the lack of spare parts and repair expertise. The U.S.’s critical infrastructure includes telecommunications, banking, and electrical power. An EMP attack would be devastating because it would permanently disable these systems; there isn’t a quick fix for them.
Critical infrastructure is vulnerable to an EMP attack because many pieces of equipment in these systems are made from electronic components connected by wires (known as “electromagnetic compatibility”). These components are vulnerable to electromagnetic interference that could alter their function or destroy them entirely if they’re not shielded properly.
According to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Sen. Joe Lieberman — who wrote: “It is possible that millions of Americans could die from starvation, disease and societal collapse” — an EMP attack could paralyze the U.S. for years if not decades, disrupt communications with our allies abroad and cripple our economy by causing widespread power outages across both rural and urban areas.”
The ripple effects of such an attack would be almost unimaginable.
An EMP attack would be almost unimaginable in its scale and impact.
The ripple effects of such an attack would be almost unimaginable. Electricity, water and food supplies would be disrupted for years. Hospitals would be shut down due to lack of power or medical staff, transportation would become impossible without communications, and financial services such as banks would also fail.
Conclusion
There are ways to protect our critical infrastructure and other vital systems from an EMP attack. The U.S. military has hardened its own communications and command centers against EMPs, and it can do the same for civilian infrastructure. But so far, the government is not adequately addressing this threat because of budget constraints and bureaucratic inertia. Perhaps another commission is needed to focus on this issue in order to ensure that a catastrophe doesn’t happen here at home
