Newt Gingrich: What If We Lost Electric Power … For Years?

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/newt-gingrich-electromagnetic-pulse-attack



Newt Gingrich: What if we lost electric power … for years?

Imagine the power just went out. How would your life be immediately affected? Likely, in the short term, you’d be minorly inconvenienced. You’d have to find a candle or a flashlight to read or do household tasks. You might have to change your dinner plan, because you can’t use your electric stove to cook.

But now imagine that the power didn’t come back on – for weeks, months, or years – and imagine the outage is everywhere.

Now, all the food in your fridge (and your grocery store) will go bad. Your cell phone will become useless. Your car might not start – and if it does, gas station fuel pumps will not operate. If you require medication that needs to be refrigerated, it will be ruined – and replacements will be unavailable. (If you require dialysis or some other regular procedure that requires electricity, you will likely die.) The same goes for all of your neighbors and loved ones.

DOUG MACKINNON: WILL YOU SURVIVE THE COMING BLACKOUT?

This the scenario we might face if the United States is attacked (or naturally suffers from) an electromagnetic pulse (or EMP) – the topic of this week’s episode of "Newt’s World."

An EMP is a super energetic radio wave that could be caused by an enemy attack, or a large solar flare from the sun, and it causes electric grids to blackout and shut down for an extended period. The net result is the life-sustaining critical infrastructure, which helps maintain modern civilization everywhere on the planet, is threatened.

The consequences of an EMP attack could be dire indeed, although there are steps the U.S. can take to harden our electrical grids and vital infrastructure. In this week’s episode, I speak with Dr. William R. Forstchen, who has written a series of illustrative and didactic novels about an EMP attack. His books "One Second After," "One Year After," and "The Final Day" have sold millions of copies worldwide. I also speak with Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, who served as chief of staff on the Congressional EMP Commission for 17 years and has written and testified extensively on this important topic.

I hope you will listen to this week’s episode. If we, as a society, don’t start moving to protect ourselves from the threat of EMP, our very civilization may be put in jeopardy.

 

This was from today's front page of Fox News

 

What is strange is that this is not a new idea from Newt Gingrich. He has mentioned this in the past more than once. Even while he was in government. Nothing ever comes of the information. Nothing is ever done to cure the problem or harden the grid. Why has Fox News chosen now to repost this information?

This from 2009

 

That is why some of our members along with the majority of the population will simply die from the results of an EMP attack . Also because some of our members will not survive and do not plan to prepare that seriously , they prefer to try to convince themselves and others that it will never happen . This has the real possibility of becoming a reality . I have said before half as-- prepping may not cut it . If I was a countries leader I would probably prefer attacking using a few EMP ,s over a large number full nuke explosions . The land being attacked would not be polluted with radiation by using a EMP and the attacker could utilize the conquered nation . It also would take a lot fewer EMPS than trying to blast a country into submission . China would love to have the fertile farm land in the U.S. to feed its population and they certainly wouldn't want it contaminated with radiation . The mutual destruction theory might have some merit with a sane person but not likely with the insane . I have had to deal with a homicidal insane person before and can verify , they will kill anyone including their own kids . We presently have some unstable characters in charge of countries that would possibly watch their entire country get destroyed . Then get on their luxury boat to go look at their newly conquered nation .

 

Good morning all,

We've just experienced a micro-example of the equivalent of electric loss from EMP or GMD - Geomagnetic Disturbance.

Traffic light failures in Virginia Beach can cause fatalities not too much different than from a EMP / GMD.

A large and extended power outage translates to much loss of life.

At least there's some good news re EMP / GDM electric failures. The electric grid - and some squares on the grid paper are already hardened - is already overburdened by use demands.

Pharmaceuticals don't arrive at hospital pharmacies by magic. A trucker hauled them there. Flesh out the other scenerios.

 

One thing that is a bit bothersome is the research on how to protect one's self or one's electronics from EMP is sketchy at best. I've heard items will be ok in a microwave with the cord cut off or grounded then I've heard if you can call your cell phone while it is in one then it is not. I've heard everything from a tin foil lined metal trash can to numerous boxes covered in hardware cloth each separately insulated , I've heard that HEI distributors and older alternators will be still running and others say only point ignitions will operate. Will electronics that are in the box and not wired to anything still be good or not? Will all electronics not buried underground be ruined? Who knows? Is anyone testing? I haven't heard of any EMP testing going on.

 

Good afternoon Last Outlaw,

I surely don't know.

I do know the US had tested in some fashion the EMP/GMD matter because it was mentioned in a FEMA newsletter.

Am guessing that the EMP environment will also contain additional dangers.

 

https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-explosion

L.O., Don't know if this link was in the FEMA bulletin, h'ever .....

It's worth glancing at. At the right bar is a "nuclear explosion" heading and at bottom of article is an "Associated Content". Consider surfing around.

 

Additional research from just-returned MSF.COM recon team:

http://www.empcommission.org/

It's somewhat old in years, ...

At "Links" is a hyper link "American Blackout Tips and Tricks For Survival".

I like her gloves.

 

EMP will not destroy all infrastructure. It will not even fry all car computers. Car bodies act as a semi-decent Faraday cages. Factory automation equipment is designed to take EMP because many factories have an enormous problem with electromagnetic noise splattering in every frequency range, both conducted and radiated. I've worked industrial sites that had train engine electrical generators and towers of diesel fuel as power backups. Suffice it to say that I know this world of factories. Factories can't lose entire shifts of production just because the grid goes down -- boys and girls, they are prepped.

All of the above said, if any developed nation gets EMP-ed via weapons to create such or the sun going monstrously flatulent, that country will be screwed. Municipal power grids are going to go toasty black.

I've had problems with electrical equipment getting zapped by lightning. I installed MOVs and when lightning hit again, the circuit boards were not touched / no damage. The MOVs however blew up violently. You can buy MOVs for your breaker box to protect your home from lightning. Thing is, if your municipal power is out, then you are out.

If you have wind power or solar power, make absulutely sure that their electrical circuits are protected with MOV-type devices. Give a lead-acid battery enough surge and it will blow-up with great violence.

Short story: EMP may do less harm than some imagine, however you'd best be ready to cook, heat, and obtain lighting via kerosene and/or firewood. Never count on any power company to be prepared for what the real world dishes-out.

 

There's tons of info on this. OK, so most of it is for industrial applications.

Faraday cages do not need to have a ground strap. That said, where I've worked, we've had enormous rods driven into the earth 15 to 20 feet down as something to which one could hook grounding braids. I've personally seen braids as big as your wrist. Larger certainly exist. Grounding equipment is Safety 101.

Here's some tiny / cute Faraday "cages":

https://www.amazon.com/faraday-cages/s?k=faraday+cages

Here's some examples of the big boys:

http://www.greatdreams.com/faraday_cages_for_buildings.html

https://hollandshielding.com/Prefabricated-Faraday-cages

Do it yourself:

https://www.pcmag.com/article/335782/how-to-make-your-own-faraday-cage

https://www.askaprepper.com/10-faraday-cages-you-can-make-at-home/

 

In the USA a federal agency, FEMA emergency management whatever, is going to take care of all these vicissitudes for urban areas. Yeah, sure.

FEMA has converted older Air Force bases as places to which they can evac masses of people. Note also that FEMA has had a beaux coup of burial vaults turned out. I'm thinking the vaults will be of more use.

What makes me angry is that a FEMA or an Army will visit urban refugees on us Heartlanders. Tell you what, wanna make "the locals" go hyper-violent? Do that.

"The military will MAKE the local yokels take-in the useless urbanites." Really? Ever heard of the word, "sabotage"?! And who exactly will be paying the military and with what? Do people in uniform have families of their own? Hmmm, I think so. Who are the uniforms gonna take care of first, strangers or family?! "Oh, we will let the military loot what they need." Historically speaking, how's that turned out for nations?! After WWII, The Russian military got payment in rape. American military, nope. "Homey don't play that game." But who knows, there's no religious Faith anymore. People are reverting to savagery.

Bought some more buckshot this past weekend.

 

Arthur Bradley PhD has a book and some youtube videos on EMP protection at the personal level. Lots of information here too: https://www.futurescience.com/emp/emp-protection.html

On microwave ovens, they're great faraday cages if the frequency of the radiation is at or near 2.45 GHz which is the frequency a microwave oven produces. At other frequencies they won't provide as much shielding, but better than nothing. For a nuclear EMP most of the EM energy is in the 0.1 to 0.5 GHz range IIRC, think I can locate that info if anyone is interested.

Just my .02, but if EMP is a concern and you want to protect some equipment I'd suggest purchasing some aluminium radiant barrier, enough to cover the rafters in your attic plus some extra. No, this isn't EMP protection for your house or what's in it, but it will lower your cooling costs if you have air conditioning, and make your home less hot in the summer months even if you don't have A/C (or during a power outage). It starts paying for itself as soon as you install it, and makes your home a little more grid-down livable. This stuff is much tougher than normal aluminum foil and is tear/puncture resistant too.

Then after lining your attic use the extra for things like:

-Make DIY extra-tough emergency blankets or sleeping bag liners
-Make DIY sun shades for your car dashboard/home windows to reflect heat out in the summer or keep heat in in the winter.
-Make your own reflective garage door insulation (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/NASATECH-Pre-Cut-Reflective-Insulation-Improved/dp/B01MUCLOLO)
-Make DIY RFID blocking sleeves for your credit and debit cards
-Make DIY heat shields/reflectors for use behind wood stoves or other emergency heaters (or camp fires)
-Put a couple wraps around your water heater for extra insulation, and/or around your water pressure tank (if on well water) to keep the water colder longer.
-Wrap or line your cooler or can coozies, etc with it to save ice or keep beverages colder longer.
-Wrap your thermos to keep the coffee hot longer

Hundreds of uses, including EMP shielding - wrap item a couple times in aluminum, place in paper bag, another wrap of aluminum, another paper bag. No grounding. Each separated wrap of aluminum is another shield, the effect is cumulative in dBs of attenuation. This is fact, but how much shielding is "enough" has too many unknown variables to state with any accuracy.

 

Some folks are so accustomed to electricity and electronic devices they apparently have a problem trying to get their head wrapped around the idea of giving them up forever . It would be nice to have those conveniences but I wouldn't be expecting them . Just losing motorized transportation would cause most people to panic ," and for good reason " most people would die without motorized transportation .

 

Maybe I'm repeating myself, however I'd like to reemphasize a point. There's a lot of electronics, military and industrial maybe even most cars, however an EMP will still dissolve the glue that holds modern/softy civilization together. People are infinitely too dependent on the ready-availability of electricity.

Lonewolf is simply correct. The juice folks depend on is going to go bye-byes. Just is. And, unprepared people are going to lose their sh## when the SHTF. Other than "survivalists", the folk who will fare best are the camping families. "Camping" in those days won't be a recreational activity.