On 07/30/2013 02:25 AM, emptybill wrote: > Pass the SHIELD Act Now, Before It's Too Late > > by R. James Woolsey and Dr. Peter Vincent Pry > <http://www.breitbart.com/Columnists/R-James-Woolsey-Dr-Peter-Vincent-Pr\ > y> 29 Jul 2013 > > On June 18, the Congressional EMP Caucus held a public event to launch > the SHIELD Act, which would protect the national electric grid from a > natural or manmade electromagnetic pulse (EMP). > > EMP is like super-lightning that can damage and destroy electronic > systems everywhere across vast regions, potentially across the entire > continental United States. An EMP catastrophe would blackout the > national electric grid for months or years, stopping the operation of > all the critical infrastructures--communications, transportation, > banking and finance, food and water--that sustain modern society and the > lives of the American people. > > EMP is the ultimate cyber threat, a high-tech means of killing millions > the old fashioned way--through starvation, disease, and societal > collapse. > > An EMP can be generated by a terrorist or rogue state nuclear missile, > or even by lofting a warhead with a balloon, perhaps launched off a > freighter near our shores to preserve anonymity, and burst at > high-altitude. A single crude nuclear weapon could generate an EMP that > would collapse electric grids and critical infrastructures everywhere in > the United States. > > A ship-launched EMP attack by terrorists or rogue states could conceal > the identity of the attacker, so we might never know who hit us. > > Iran, the world's chief sponsor of international terrorism, openly > writes about eliminating the United States with an EMP attack, has > conducted live missile launches simulating EMP attacks, and has > practiced missile launching from a vessel in the Caspian Sea. In > December 2012, North Korea used an intercontinental missile to orbit a > satellite that appeared to be a practice run for a surprise nuclear EMP > attack that bypasses U.S. early warning radars and missile defenses. > > An EMP can also be generated by the Sun, causing geomagnetic storms on > Earth. In 1989, a geomagnetic storm blacked out eastern Canada, > inflicting billions of dollars in losses. In 1859, the Carrington Event, > a rare geomagnetic super-storm, caused worldwide damage and fires in > telegraph stations and other primitive electronics--none of which were > then necessary for societal survival. > > Another Carrington Event that would collapse life-sustaining electric > grids and critical infrastructures everywhere on Earth is someday > inevitable. > > The above findings represent the mainstream scientific consensus of > every Congressional and U.S. Government study to examine the EMP threat, > including the Congressional EMP Commission, the National Academy of > Sciences, the Congressional Strategic Posture Commission, the Department > of Energy, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the Federal > Energy Regulatory Commission, and the National Intelligence Council. > > The EMP Commission warned that, given our current state of > unpreparedness, within 12 months of a catastrophic EMP event, some > two-thirds to 90 percent of the U.S. total population, more than 200 > million Americans, would perish from starvation, disease and societal > collapse. > > The good news is that the EMP Commission provided a cost-effective plan, > endorsed by all subsequent U.S. government studies, that could within a > few years protect U.S. critical infrastructures from the worst effects > of EMP. Indeed, protecting the 300 most important high-energy > transformers that are indispensable to the national power grid is > estimated to cost $100-200 million--about one dollar for every life that > would be saved. This alone is probably not sufficient protection, but it > is the absolute minimum necessary to create the possibility of saving > millions of American lives. > > The SHIELD Act, introduced by Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) and > co-sponsored by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), would implement the > most important recommendation of the EMP Commission. SHIELD would > empower the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require the > electric power industry to protect the national grid from EMP. > > SHIELD would also require the industry to protect the grid by selective > "hardening" of vital components by using surge arrestors, blocking > devices, faraday cages, and other proven technologies that the > Department of Defense has known for fifty years can reliably protect > military systems from EMP. > > There is no excuse to risk millions of American lives by failing to > protect the grid. Robust EMP protection of the national grid can be > accomplished for $2 billion--which is what the U.S. gives to Pakistan > every year in foreign aid. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission > estimates that protecting the national grid would cost the average rate > payer merely 20 cents annually. > > Everything in modern society, including life itself, depends upon > electricity. Enactment of SHIELD and protection of the national electric > grid will secure our nation against an otherwise inevitable EMP > catastrophe. > > R. James Woolsey, a former CIA Director, is Chairman of the Foundation > for the Defense of Democracies and of the Advisory Board of the > Opportunities Development Group. Dr. Peter Vincent Pry served in the EMP > Commission, the House Armed Services Committee, the CIA, and is author > of the books Electric Armageddon and Apocalypse Unknown available from > CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com > >
What I am wondering is what still might unexpectedly work after an EMP. For instance there's a lot of metal in my garage structure as there is with other garages around here that might act as a Faraday cage. But then the police or military might want to confiscate my car if it ran. That would be a tussle. I also have some electronics including a small solar charger in a metal cage like rack. I've also been keeping my eyes open driving by garage sales to see if anyone has an ice chest like my folks used to have. I was a metal case with a plastic lining which would make a perfect Faraday cage. The latest "killshot" prediction is for September but that's from the "usual suspects" that always seem to be announcing one RSN. We are in another solar storm cycle though.
