In an April 16, 2005 Washington Post article written by Jon Kyle, he noted that at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Meeting he chaired the threat of an EMP attack was delved into. In sum, the devastation that such an attack could bring on its target area was looked at very closely during this meeting. How about car damage (actual cars would likely be okay because they are encased in metal, but in order for cars to run they need gas and pumps need electricity), refrigerators on the fritz (immeasurable supplies of food would go bad), water sanitation devices unable to work (dehydration and bacteria infested water), and communication devices going down for starters?
And of course the social disorder that would follow would bring even more pain and death. In the end, those that survived, Kyle said, “would find themselves transported back to the United States of the 1880’s.”
What can your everyday civilian do to protect themselves against the possibility of an EMP attack?
1. Have a lot of battery operated devices on hand and the batteries to use them. Further, these appliances should have cords and antennas 30 inches or less in length. The reason for this is simple: Metal pulls in EMP and makes it more dangerous. Thus, less metal is good. Further, keep these appliances away from metal.
2. Harden your equipment (another way of saying, protect it from EMP). Some considerations include the use of tree formation circuits (not standard loop formations), induction shielding around components, self-contained battery packs, loop antennas, and Zener diodes. In addition, grounding wires for each separate instrument into a system could help as well.
3. A new device called the Ovonic Threshold Device (Energy Conversion Devices of Troy, MI) is a solid state switch that opens a path to ground when a massive surge of EMP is encountered by a circuit. This would help in a big way.
4. Use a Faraday Box to store equipment in. Makeshift Faraday boxes can be made from metal filing cabinets, ammunition containers, and cake boxes. That said, the device you are protecting must not touch the metal container (use insulation: paper, cardboard, whatever). Further, there can be no holes. Last, if the box seems less than adequate, you may wrap it in aluminum foil for more protection.
5. Cars are already a metal box. Thus, some of them would survive, though it’s reported most vehicles on the road since the mid 1960s would likely be effected. That said, gas would be a problem. So have a lot of that and food on hand (remember that refrigerators and water sanitizing devices would go out).
Protecting Your Essential Electronics
With so many categories of individual at heightened risk of losing their life-support systems after an EMP strike, its important to have backups of the most essential life-sustaining devices stored in EMP-proof containers for the best chance at long-term.
Again, the effects electronic systems will suffer from an EMP largely depend on its size and altitude. Some solar flares and low-output nuclear bombs may have very little electromagnetic effect on the earth, but precautions should be taken nonetheless.
Essentially, anything that can operate on a charge or on batteries when not plugged into an AC outlet is likely to be spared from an EMP attack. If the device is kept away from other large metal objects and large swaths of wiring, it should remain relatively unharmed and continue to operate as long as its charge or batteries last. Some electronics are inherently EMP-proof, including large electric motors, vacuum tube equipment, electrical generators, transformers and relays, and other large systems often housed in surge-resistant housing.
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