One Second After: a realistic look at what would happen after an EMP attack

An EMP is a scary yet plausible scenario. Imagine power grids knocked out, no more refrigeration, no more food storage, no more running water, no more emergency rooms, no more infrastructure. All it takes is 4 high-altitude nuclear detonations.

One Second After is a fictional novel. It's not a prediction, it's not a "how-to-survive" guide, it's just a realistic look at what happens if we ever encounter an EMP attack. A must-read for all ATS members.

From the description:

A high-altitude nuclear bomb of uncertain origin explodes, unleashing a deadly electromagnetic pulse that instantly disables almost every electrical device in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Airplanes, most cars, cellphones, refrigerators—all are fried as the country plunges into literal and metaphoric darkness. History professor John Matherson, who lives with his two daughters in a small North Carolina town, soon figures out what has happened. Aided by local officials, Matherson begins to deal with such long-term effects of the disaster as starvation, disease and roving gangs of barbarians. While the material sometimes threatens to veer into jingoism, and heartstrings are tugged a little too vigorously, fans of such classics as Alas, Babylon and On the Beachwill have a good time as Forstchen tackles the obvious and some not-so-obvious questions the apocalypse tends to raise.

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Here's one practical advice though: if you ever lose your power, check to see if your off-grid electrical devices are working: laptops, cell phones, alarm clock, etc. If not, then you better fill ALL available containers will water IMMEDIATELY (including your bathtub) and go to the grocery store ASAP and stock up on as much storable food as you can. Use bikes or walk if your car is down or the roads are blocked.

Will an EMP effect a car? Or only if the battery is attatched at the time of the EMP?

Don't quote this as gospel, but i believe anything that actively has electricity running though AT THE TIME OF IMPACT would be fried. But anything not currently hooked to power might salvaged.

In short, based on what i just wrote yes. Only cars that had no battery might be spared.

Again, don't quote this as gospel.

I'm pretty sure you're right. Not sure where I heard it but yeah.
It's not very practical to take the battery out of your car every time you park it though.

Of all the doomsday scenario's, I think an EMP 'attack/event' would be the most plausible, wether caused by man or the sun. From my understanding (probably wrong) anything with a circuit is rendered trash, so for the majority of us it'd be like being thrown back to the stoneage, but much worse as all the survival knowledge mankind has learned through the milenia has been completely lost in all but a few of us.
I'm sure i'm wrong, but anyway, looks like a good book.

reply to post by TruthOut3579


yep... any country will be swept back to the 1800's ! The only way to keep the peace is Martial Law..I already played out this scenario during the Y2K bug fear..

reply to post by scoobdude


Lol

So wrong, so so wrong.

An emp electro magnetic pulse uses induction (think of it as electricity in the air car jacking your device) to overwhelm a circuit, or device. In other words, very very high voltage, low current fries your device. Take the battery off... Maybe ok, if no leakage.. Or most probably, everything everywhere dies electronically unless it is shielded.

By the way, my home circuits and devices are ferro shielded. The only way.

reply to post by TruthOut3579

From Amazon.com:

From Amazon.com:
In my opinion the story's biggest flaw is its implicit assumption that EMP would render irrevocably inoperable any integrated-circuit based device -- i.e., anything more advanced than wires, coils, and vacuum tubes -- and by extension anything that depended upon such devices (your modern automobile, for example). My readings so far of the findings of the ongoing EMP Commission (in particular April 2008, see empcommission.org) suggest that this is a gross exaggeration. True, while the near-certain collapse of the electrical grid would immediately harm the transportation infrastructure (imagine no subways, no commuter rail, no street or traffic lights), the vast majority of automobiles would still be mobile. Similarly, while the cellular phone and land-line telephone systems will be severely crippled (at onset) or entirely nonfunctional (after 72 hours) due to their ultimate dependence on the electrical grid and sophisticated switching technologies, there is little reason to believe that battery-operated two-way radios and (especially) simple AM and shortwave receivers would be harmed at all. The author's belief that only antique autos would run and only tube radios will turn on following EMP is key to creating the conditions of immobilization and isolation on which the rest of his story arc depends. And when I couldn't buy into the author's core assumptions, the plot lost much of its punch.

The Govt knows a lot about EMPs. They used to build boxes ,which I worked on, and put various items in them and stick them in the hole in the ground with the nuclear bomb test.
I also worked on a Marx Tank which was the size of single wide mobile home which was filled with capacitors which made a BIG SPARK which simulated a nuclear explosion.
This was in 1984.
So I think a great deal of defense equipment has been hardened to withstand the EMP.
www.webstracts.com...

Originally posted by Nventual
Will an EMP effect a car? Or only if the battery is attatched at the time of the EMP?

I think it fries anything with a circuit. Which would mean it fries all electronics in your car, rendering it in most casts inoperable.

It would take a whole lot more than "one bomb in the atmosphere" to wipe out electronics all over the USA and elsewhere.

EMP is pretty localised to the area of the explosion. This was shown in the 1950's when they blew up a bomb over Hawaii. While I agree that Hawaii doesn't have much more around it, widespread EMP from just one bomb is an urban myth.

The scary part is that widespread EMP requires MANY atmospheric bombs.

It would take a whole lot more than "one bomb in the atmosphere" to wipe out electronics all over the USA and elsewhere.

EMP is pretty localised to the area of the explosion. This was shown in the 1950's when they blew up a bomb over Hawaii. While I agree that Hawaii doesn't have much more around it, widespread EMP from just one bomb is an urban myth.

The scary part is that widespread EMP requires MANY atmospheric bombs.

Cellphones, electrical grids, cars after 1988 because electrical components that make the car run or operate,pumps, refrigeration devices, most coils,radios,phones,and your t.v. Most electrical devices will be rendered useless. Basically it will be like going back to horse and buggy days. Well, im sure that this will have no effect on the OMISH society. So they will have alot to teach us.

reply to post by ArcAngel


That's right if your electronics are not shielded or in some type of Faraday cage they wont work after an EMP.
low tech is the way to go.

Originally posted by ArcAngel
reply to post by scoobdude

 

By the way, my home circuits and devices are ferro shielded. The only way.

How does that help if there is no electricity running to them?
Wouldn't an emp take out the power grid?

Originally posted by Mad dog
reply to post by ArcAngel

 

That's right if your electronics are not shielded or in some type of Faraday cage they wont work after an EMP.
low tech is the way to go.

A useful EMP shield as I understand it is your local microwave oven. Just put your radio et al into your microwave before the EMP and it should be ok.

..Ex

What about a hand cranked self generating radio?

Originally posted by babybunnies
It would take a whole lot more than "one bomb in the atmosphere" to wipe out electronics all over the USA and elsewhere.

EMP is pretty localised to the area of the explosion. This was shown in the 1950's when they blew up a bomb over Hawaii. While I agree that Hawaii doesn't have much more around it, widespread EMP from just one bomb is an urban myth.

The scary part is that widespread EMP requires MANY atmospheric bombs.

You sure about that?

nuclear bomb tests are not unheard of, this EMP scenario on the other hand is..... with all the tests why do we still have electricity? am i missing something?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by strafgod
nuclear bomb tests are not unheard of, this EMP scenario on the other hand is..... with all the tests why do we still have electricity? am i missing something?

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

Supposedly a large enough nuke poped in our upper atmosphere could cause an emp that would take out the power grid and fry most electronic devices. Or a big enough solar flare could cause a similar EMP

it is not certain an EMP will knock out everything. Most of our homes are natural faraday cages with the electrical wireing with earth grounds, most of our cars are in metal boxes so that might mitigate a lot of damage. It would be a serious blow though so it is not to be dismissed.