Should you worry for an EMP attack? Well…that depends on who you ask. For the average person, being afraid of an EMP attack is like being afraid of WiFi or the Northern Lights. A lot of the people who are afraid of EMP attack or a solar storm honestly sound like a bunch of Neanderthals afraid of the thunder and lightning. There’s no need to be afraid.
If you prepare for it there is zero reason to be afraid of EMP. And if you do happen to be close to an EMP (think nuclear attack), you will have much bigger and more immediate problems to worry about. Like blast effect and radioactive fallout (if the EMP is from a nuke). There will be much bigger and more immediate problems you will need to worry about than EMP. Don’t sweat it.
NOTE: This article is in response to some of the uninformed and misinformed people who believe all electric electric vehicles will be fried during an EMP. We got a lot of feedback from a lot of folks who were overly scared of EMP with regard to our argument for a solar powered electric bug-out-out vehicle. You can read that article here: Solar Powered Electric Off Grid Bug-Out-Vehicle is Perfect to Survive The Apocalypse
Moving on…
EMP Attack is not really something you will likely have to worry about during the apocalypse
Unless there’s a nuclear strike. And even then you likely won’t have to worry about EMP unless you’re close to ground zero, and if you are close to ground zero then you have bigger problems than EMP to deal with.
“HEMP is not actually a thing preppers should worry about. Or, to be more precise, a HEMP attack on the continental US is a nuclear attack, so if it happens then it’ll be in the context of a full-scale nuclear war. In such a scenario, you’ve got far more immediate problems than a dead starter.” SOURCE: Your car will probably be fine after an EMP
Also, the statistical odds of an EMP happening are so low that any extended worry or discussion about it occurring is wasted energy. It’s just not worth talking about, and certainly not worth arguing about.
So why even write this post about it? Because some people…
“BUT… NUKES!”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you. But…The odds of nukes being used are so low it’s almost not worth worrying about. Almost. Sure. Prepare for nukes. Prepare for radiation, fallout, and blast survival. Stock up on gas masks for your group/family, add Nuclear, Biological & Chemical filters to your fallout bunker. Shield the bunker and your garage. Put your gear in a shipping container. A giant steel box! Hmmm…now there’s an idea.
“BUT… SOLAR FLARE/STORMS!”
Again. I hear you. But…The odds of a solar flare with enough energy to wipe out the grid, much less civilization as we know it, is so astronomically low it’s almost not worth worrying about. Read about the Carrington Event below.
“BUT…Korea has an EMP bomb!”
You don’t know that. They have nukes and nukes when detonated give off an EMP, but an EMP bomb? Yeah, ok…
“BUT…If you’re not prepared for an EMP you’re not a true prepper!”
Uh. OK. If you say so, bruh. lol
EMP Is Not Something You Really Should Prep Hard For
Especially when one understands WHAT an EMP is, because when one understands what EMP is, one also understands that it’s relatively simple to shield against. Provided of course you KNOW what EMP is and how to prepare for it.
So…What is an EMP?
Do you want to layman’s version or the actual definition?
According to Wikipedia an EMP is:
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an electric field, as a magnetic field, or as a conducted electric current. The electromagnetic interference caused by an EMP disrupts communications and damages electronic equipment; at higher levels of energy, an EMP, such as a lightning strike can physically damage objects such as buildings and aircraft. The management of EMP effects is a branch of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) engineering. EMP weapons are designed to deliver the damaging effects of a high-energy EMP that will disrupt unprotected infrastructure in the country,[1] thus the employment of an EMP weapon against a country is the scenario of war most likely to collapse the functionality of the electrical network of the country.
How about the military’s definition of an EMP or HEMP Attack and Preparation?
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP): THREAT TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Protection and Resilience Guidelines for Critical Infrastructure and Equipment – PDF DOWNLOAD – SOURCE: February 5th, 2019 Version 2.2 Developed by the National Coordinating Center forCommunications (NCC)National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center Arlington, Virginia
Unless you’re a government or large corporation, bank etc., that stands to lose BIG in the event of an EMP attack, then you really shouldn’t worry about EMP.
So all these people about how dangerous an EMP would be are simply ignoring two very important facts.
- The statistical probability of it happening is near zero!
- And the technology that is available to shield electronics from EMP is readily available and simple to implement. Especially on your home and vehicles and electronics equipment.
Conclusion: Anyone worried about EMP and uses that as an argument against electric vehicles simply doesn’t understand how to defeat EMP, and at the very least, shouldn’t be entertained with a response. Meaning, this reply is moot. Yes, I just said this whole article is pointless.
I will not reply any more on this matter because EMP is a NON-ISSUE, IF the vehicle (any vehicle) is shielded. This should not have to be said, because those who understand EMP should already know this. Therefore, anyone that argues that EMPs are going to be a problem, either clearly does not understand EMP or is ignoring the highly unlikely statistical probability that an EMP attack will happen. They’re talking out of fear and ignorance or both.
You can argue all you want and say how bad EMP will be or how dangerous it is, but until you realize and admit that there is a very SIMPLE defense against it, then you will remain someone who misunderstands electricity, electromagnetism, and EMP.
Author’s Note: If I am wrong about EMP then I will publicly admit I was wrong in another post or an update t the bottom of this post! I have no pride in this matter. I don’t honestly care about being proved wrong. If I’m wrong and you can show me scientific evidence I’m wrong, then please feel free to do and please let me know in the comments section, as I’m sure some of you will. Please provide good source and references from REPUTABLE scientific institutions and evidence, the US military, and other solid scientifically factual information. Someone’s blog post (yes, even like this one) is NOT evidence of anything. It’s simply opinion. Although I have tried to supply references and source links to the science and the facts.
Wikipedia definition of an aurora.
Aurora
An aurora[a] (plural: auroras or aurorae[b]), also known as the polar lights or aurora polaris,[c] is a natural light display in Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky.[2] Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere). The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying colour and complexity. The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles. Most of the planets in the Solar System, some natural satellites, brown dwarfs, and even comets also host auroras.
Will an EMP “Fry” your car electronics?
Most likely, no! An EMP attack will most likely not fry the electronics of most vehicles. Especially if you prepare for it. As in use proper shielding.
The CyberTruck is a unibody all stainless steel construction. It likely will be fine. Besides. If you’re close enough to an EMP when it happens, then again, you have other more important survival issues to deal with.
Turn your garage into a Faraday cage. Keep your vehicles inside. Easy peasy! Stop fretting over EMP like it’s the end of the world or something. There are ways to shield your electronics.
What is a Faraday Cage?
A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cages are named after scientist Michael Faraday, who invented them in 1836.[1]
Video of a Faraday cage shielding a man from electricity
A Faraday cage operates because an external electrical field causes the electric charges within the cage’s conducting material to be distributed so that they cancel the field’s effect in the cage’s interior. This phenomenon is used to protect sensitive electronic equipment (for example RF receivers) from external radio frequency interference (RFI) often during testing or alignment of the device. They are also used to protect people and equipment against actual electric currents such as lightning strikes and electrostatic discharges, since the enclosing cage conducts current around the outside of the enclosed space and none passes through the interior.
Faraday cages cannot block stable or slowly varying magnetic fields, such as the Earth’s magnetic field (a compass will still work inside). To a large degree, though, they shield the interior from external electromagnetic radiation if the conductor is thick enough and any holes are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. For example, certain computer forensic test procedures of electronic systems that require an environment free of electromagnetic interference can be carried out within a screened room. These rooms are spaces that are completely enclosed by one or more layers of a fine metal mesh or perforated sheet metal. The metal layers are grounded to dissipate any electric currents generated from external or internal electromagnetic fields, and thus they block a large amount of the electromagnetic interference. See also electromagnetic shielding. They provide less attenuation of outgoing transmissions than incoming: they can block EMP waves from natural phenomena very effectively, but a tracking device, especially in upper frequencies, may be able to penetrate from within the cage (e.g., some cell phones operate at various radio frequencies so while one frequency may not work, another one will).
The reception or transmission of radio waves, a form of electromagnetic radiation, to or from an antenna within a Faraday cage is heavily attenuated or blocked by the cage; however, a Faraday cage has varied attenuation depending on wave form, frequency, or distance from receiver/transmitter, and receiver/transmitter power. Near-field, high-powered frequency transmissions like HF RFID are more likely to penetrate. Solid cages generally attenuate fields over a broader range of frequencies than mesh cages.
CB Radios, HAM Radios, Walkie-Talkies and other Short Range Radio Communication Devices Will be “FRIED!” By EMP If Not Shielded
A lot of folks in the survival and prepping community believe they’ll be using all these communication devices to communicate in the post apocalyptic world. I got news for you, if you haven’t shielded them from EMP, and there is an EMP attack (which is highly unlikely), then all your worry about electric vehicles and newer computerized vehicles not working and being fried by EMP is kind of moot point, because all those communications devices you think you’ll be using during the apocalypse will also be useless; unless you shield them.
But, this completely ignores the statistical probability of a direct EMP attack. Will there be one? Probably not. If anything there will be dirty bombs, terrorism, riots, maybe a nuke or full scale nuclear war…and if that does happen, then you have much bigger problems to worry about than a little EMP.
Is EMP a real Danger?
Sure… A solar flare with the energy to disrupt communications globally is about as likely to happen as Kermit The Frog eloping with Gonzo. It’s just paranoid to think otherwise.
But there was this solar storm once…
“The largest recorded geomagnetic storm, the Carrington Event in September 1859, took down parts of the recently created US telegraph network, starting fires and shocking some telegraph operators. In 1989, a geomagnetic storm energized ground induced currents that disrupted electric power distribution throughout most of Quebec[2] and caused aurorae as far south as Texas.”…The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking from 1–2 September 1859 during solar cycle 10. It created strong auroral displays that were reported globally[1] and caused sparking and fires in multiple telegraph stations. The geomagnetic storm was most likely the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun colliding with Earth’s magnetosphere.[2] A very bright solar flare associated with the geomagnetic storm was observed and recorded independently by British astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson on 1 September 1859. This was the first recorded solar flare. A geomagnetic storm of this magnitude occurring today would cause widespread electrical disruptions, blackouts, and damage due to extended outages of the electrical grid. SOURCE: Wikipedia Carrington Event
Phys.org has a good article on space weather. Here’s an excerpt from the solar flare that disrupted communications way back in 1859.
“Coronal mass ejections are among the most energetic eruptive phenomena in the solar system, and the main source of major space weather events. Huge clouds of plasma and magnetic flux are ejected from the atmosphere of the sun into the surrounding space with speeds ranging from 100 to 3,500 km/s. These gigantic solar plasma clouds and the accompanying powerful shock waves can reach our planet in less than a day, causing severe geomagnetic storms posing hazards to astronauts and technology in space and on Earth. One of the strongest space weather events occurred in 1859, when an induced geomagnetic storm collapsed the whole telegraph system in North America and Europe, the main means of communication for business and personal contacts in those days.” SOURCE: A method to study extreme space weather events
What About H.E.M.P.?
“Electromagnetic Shielding
Electromagnetic shielding provides excellent protection against direct absorption effects (i.e., electromagnetic waves impinging directly onto equipment) of the E1 and E2 phases of HEMP. Various metals and other materials with differing weights, sizes, and costs can provide very high levels of electromagnetic wave attenuation to protect equipment. The most common shielding method uses metal containers and boxes, and is particularly suitable for small equipment. Larger areas or whole buildings may be shielded with metal sheeting, or metal foils and conductive paints can be used. Additionally, emerging technologies such as electrically conductive concretes are increasingly attracting attention. In these cases, cost must be weighed against the desired level of protection.” SOURCE: High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Effects And Protection
“Washington State Department of Health – Office of Radiation Protection – Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Fact Sheet – PDF DOWNLOAD
Here’s a good read: The EMP threat: fact, fiction, and response (part 2)
The point of this article is to educate folks as to what an EMP is, how to prepare for one, the likelihood of it actually happening, and poke a little fun at the EMP Chicken Little’s who are so afraid of EMP that they go a little overboard in their fear and prepping.
Is an EMP attack or solar storm going to happen?
Maybe. Possibly Could be. You never know. Most likely, no!
And there are a lot more things you need to prepare for than an EMP attack or geomagnetic solar storm.
Here’s a list of 17 survival scenarios you actually should be prepared for
Oh, and to those folks who don’t like the idea of an electric bug out vehicle…if the apocalypse ever happens, the gas and diesel will run out and go bad within a year.
What are you going to run your vehicles on then? Electric vehicles are the future. Don’t be stuck in the past like the folks who loved their horse and buggy more than the new mechanized motor car.
