EMP weapons. The most likely SHTF scenario?

[TN_Mike]

I am currently reading a book titled "One Second After" that is about a man living in a small town in North Carolina and what happens to him and his town after an EMP attack on the USA. It is written from his point of view so, just as if it were happening to you, when the power goes out, the cars stop running and all electronics and communications and electricity goes down, we do not know who did it, or why. It is a good book so far.

One thing it has got me thinking about is what would I and my family do in the event of an EMP attack on the USA.In my job I have to drive up to 2 hours away from home. I am wondering what I would do if an EMP attack happened while I was that far from home or in transit. I now am thinking about putting together a bag with food bars and water, different clothes from what I have to wear for work (because I am not going to want to hike a long distance in khakis and a collard shirt), and I would want to have some type of rifle with me. I am thinking about a Kel Tec SU-16D because it folds up and uses AR15 magazines which I have a lot of and it is chambered in 5.56. If anyone has any other suggestions, let me hear them.

And what do all of you think of the EMP scenario? From some things I have read, other than this book, this seems a real possibility to me. And a scary one too.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Rock and Glock]

Not being a physicist or electrician, I'd guess a large enough EMP, or series of EMP's, would be pretty troublesome to actually pull off, similar to a thermonuclear device. An EMP could really do a number on modern societies. Devastating results. I do not know the science behind EMP's though.

There is another book too - Lights Out. Same scenario. Good book.

[9mmspecial]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is EMP? I have a "get home bag" that I take with me wherever I go, nothing fancy, just about what you described (except for the rifle. a handgun is more discreet and will not get in the way if hand to hand becomes necessary). I'm not paranoid, I have fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in my house. Not to mention I wear my seatbelt.

[pgrass101]

Mike,

My wife & I read that same book (scary isn't it) about a year ago, and we had the same thoughts as you. It changed how we thought about prepping. In each car we have a 'Get home bag" which contains life boat rations (less bulky than MRE's and long shelf life also includes H2O) fire starters, multitools, tarp, 100rds .38 special, water filter, glow sticks first, aid kit, e-tool, etc... each bag weighs about 40 lbs and has enough food and water to last my family 3 days of walking. If we are going farther than the 30 miles of my commute I throw in a long gun.

Check out Empact Radio William Forstchen is a frequent guest, also listen to interviews with Matt Stein

[pgrass101]

Also a Carrington event (massive solar flare) would have similar effect as a EMP and it occurs naturally and another will happen, only we don't know when.

[msgt/ret]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is EMP? I have a "get home bag" that I take with me wherever I go, nothing fancy, just about what you described (except for the rifle. a handgun is more discreet and will not get in the way if hand to hand becomes necessary). I'm not paranoid, I have fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in my house. Not to mention I wear my seatbelt.

EMP= Electro Magnetic Pulse

As long as I can get gas no problem, siphon hose and hand pump. As far as supplies, being in hurricane country we maintain plenty.

[babarock]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is EMP? I have a "get home bag" that I take with me wherever I go, nothing fancy, just about what you described (except for the rifle. a handgun is more discreet and will not get in the way if hand to hand becomes necessary). I'm not paranoid, I have fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in my house. Not to mention I wear my seatbelt.

An electromagnetic pulse (sometimes abbreviated EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field. The resulting rapidly-changing electric fields and magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges. See Electromagnetic pulse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HotGuns]

Are you sure? An EMP would fry the computer in your vehicle and render it useless.
I only have about 12 miles to drive to work so even if I had to walk it could do it in about 3 hours.

[mprp]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is EMP? I have a "get home bag" that I take with me wherever I go, nothing fancy, just about what you described (except for the rifle. a handgun is more discreet and will not get in the way if hand to hand becomes necessary). I'm not paranoid, I have fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in my house. Not to mention I wear my seatbelt.

Electromagnetic Pulse. Google to find more details.

[babarock]

EMP= Electro Magnetic Pulse

As long as I can get gas no problem, siphon hose and hand pump. As far as supplies, being in hurricane country we maintain plenty.

If you are talking gas for a car, I was under the impression that an EMP would disable autos that have electronic ignitions and the like.

[NC Bullseye]

That book will ruin you for a few months at least. Since that book I always carry topo maps covering the areas between home and where ever I go on trips. Also a few other goodies that were not thought of till one second after I finished "one second after".

I'm putting EMP right up in the top 5 things that seem reasonable.

[Mike1956]

A devastating Coronal Mass Ejection, like the Carrington Event, is more likely, and subject to cause much more widespread damage to all things electrical than an EMP attack.

[msgt/ret]

If you are talking gas for a car, I was under the impression that an EMP would disable autos that have electronic ignitions and the like.

Have a 1972 Datsun 240Z breaker points and condenser, the only thing electronic is the radio.

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[gasmitty]

I am currently reading a book titled "One Second After" that is about a man living in a small town in North Carolina and what happens to him and his town after an EMP attack on the USA. It is written from his point of view so, just as if it were happening to you, when the power goes out, the cars stop running and all electronics and communications and electricity goes down, we do not know who did it, or why. It is a good book so far.

One thing it has got me thinking about is what would I and my family do in the event of an EMP attack on the USA.In my job I have to drive up to 2 hours away from home. I am wondering what I would do if an EMP attack happened while I was that far from home or in transit. I now am thinking about putting together a bag with food bars and water, different clothes from what I have to wear for work (because I am not going to want to hike a long distance in khakis and a collard shirt), and I would want to have some type of rifle with me. I am thinking about a Kel Tec SU-16D because it folds up and uses AR15 magazines which I have a lot of and it is chambered in 5.56. If anyone has any other suggestions, let me hear them.

And what do all of you think of the EMP scenario? From some things I have read, other than this book, this seems a real possibility to me. And a scary one too.

A similar scenario is posed in the Internet-published book, "Lights Out." I think it has reached hard-copy publication by now and may no longer be available for free on line. The premise is an EMP disabling a LOT of what we take for granted, the breakdown in society which follows, and how one community dealt with it all. I've read it twice now and once I get started, I can't put it down. Likely scenario? Hard to say. I'm part of the "military-industrial complex" and I'm just now finding out about stuff that's been out there for a generation. Very little would surprise me at this point.

Back to your original thought. I think it's wise to have an ICE (in case of emergency) plan among adult family members that has a safe meeting site and some form of communication plan in case of natural disaster or civil breakdown. A Plan A and a Plan B should suffice; you'll never be able to plan for all the contingencies that might arise. Come up with a plan that's durable and flexible.

[Lindy1933]

Older cars will probably be OK but when the grid goes down, there go the gas/diesel pumps. Components can be protected in wire shields called 'faraday shields' if you have enough warning. A nuclear EMP has no warning. A Carrington Event has a couple days warning. Goto SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids Solar panels will probably not work any longer depending on their configuration and diod setup. All up, massive EMP is about the worst SHTF senerio. Three days to chaos and 21 days to starvation for most and somewhere in there, there may be a lot of shooting.