EMP is a byproduct of a nuclear explosion. It can cook solid state electronics and computers. The great danger is that nuclear air bursts can take down the computers that manage our banking, our record-keeping, and even the ones that manage our automobiles.The military services have taken some steps to protect their electronic systems from EMP, mainly by shielding. However few of our civilian electronic systems are protected in any way from this threat.Obviously there are two ways to deal with it right now. One is to prevent the explosion by deterring a nuclear attack. The other is to find some way to protect our senstive electronics.What should we do, and what can we do starting today?
On a personal level: Buy a car made before 1973. With no computer parts, an EMP would not have any effect. Get a radio and TV that uses the old vacuum tubes. They are not effected by an EMP. And NEVER EVER get a heart pacemaker. If you got one of those, you are toast.
The worst of the pulse lasts for only a second, but any unprotected electrical equipment — and anything connected to electrical cables, which act as giant lightning rods or antennae — will be affected by the pulse. Unprotected being the operative word -- put Uninteruptable Power Supplies (UPS) on your equipment. They come in various sizes and daily spare the equipment from spikes and drops. If the EMP hasn't fried it, you would have enough time to shut down your equipment without damage to it. But I don't know if they are built to resist the EMP. All of the data that is needed to protect the country is backed up on servers located much further away from their main location. They do have UPS's on all the equipment, and generators to keep the equipment and data protected. If a nuclear explosion took out one site, it is doubtful that it would take out the mirror(s). If I were that close, I don't know that it would matter to me anyway.
just sho you know most civilian wires and electrical grids are protected. its really simpy to do so, just put foil around the wire. i worked at an electrical contrractor for a year and every thing they use now is shielded. i dont know about the older stuff tho. if your one of those parinoid people buy a diesel car/truck(older one at least) keeps any electrical parts needed(starter/altonator/battery) in a cage, and just line your insulation with copper mesh. *edit* hey john just so you know most of the stuff lost by the soviets was bought by the U.S. from the rogue generals who started selling the stuff. and what wasent sold to the U.S. was bought by england and other safe countrys. i meet an airforce guy who woke up one morning seeing the news say the soviets calapsed and he got a call to get his stuff ready cause he was going to russia to transport a bunch of weapons grade plutonium and other munitions.
I would love to live in a non technological world like the victorian times when toilets were amazingly comforting and social interaction with the women was the talk of the night. Oh sorry, i forget this was about america, im sure with the budget you have to spend on this it will be enough to make it a top priority so it should not be too long, unless they are keeping it a secret from the public eyes till doomsday arrives to see if it works. Industrial work will be hard work, but i will be sure to have a jolly good time pumping water out by hand and employing kids to sweep chimneys. Also a few media tip offs say iran has enough for 5 nuclear weapons so if all air defense forces chip in around the world it will be a russian roulette to see what the outcome is to where they land. Whats to say that they might become duds and not explode? Also how long does the EMP last for? if it instantly kills the electronics surely they have replacement parts hidden away in a nuclear bunker where some tunnel rat worker will guard it till someone gives it a lick and tests them to see what a masterpiece the human race can acheive.
