Part 2: Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons (EMPs) and Nukes
How EMPs affect the power grid
An Electromatic Pulse (EMP) can be natural, such as a lightning strike or a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), which are both forms of an EMP. However, here we will discuss a man-made EMP, which is accomplished by exploding a nuclear bomb at a high altitude.
A nuclear bomb exploded at ground level (or an air burst a few hundred feet from the surface) causes extensive damage within a certain radius. However, the damage is limited to a specific area. The blast radius of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 was approximately 1.7 to three miles, resulting in extensive loss of life and property damage. However, outside the blast radius, the main concern is radiation poisoning and its near and long-term effects.
An EMP, however, in addition to causing loss of life and property destruction/damage, also has the added effect of disabling most electronic devices, including:
1. Devices plugged into a grid power wall outlet, such as computers, television sets, cellphones that are charging, Internet routers, etc.
2. Most cars and trucks manufactured after the early 1980s. During the mid-1980s or so, automakers began installing microprocessors and electronic circuitry, which will most likely not withstand an EMP weapon in the greater electronics-crippling zone area.
3. Electronic/digital locks. If your house has one of these, make sure you have one with a traditional key backup in case the power goes out. And, make sure you carry the key with you! This goes for any other electric or digital locking device, such as safes and gun safes. What good is a $1,500 gun safe with an electronic lock, if the power goes out and you can’t open it up? Meanwhile, the ravenous Golden Horde is busting down your door! The same principle goes for any kind of device that relies on electricity to work, such as fingerprint or retinal scan I.D.
Some notable devices which should, according to our best information, survive an EMP attack are:
1. Pre-1990 off-road motorcycles or “dirtbikes”.
2. Many diesel-powered vehicles with traditional glow plug ignition systems, including some manufactured into the early 1990s.
3. Simple electric devices such as power tools and kitchen appliances. The only problem is, the power grid will probably be down after an EMP attack. So, you will need to make sure you have a solar, gasoline or diesel-powered generator with an inverter, preferably shielded in a Faraday cage.
As mentioned earlier, the blast radius of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was roughly between 1.7 miles and three miles. The largest bomb as of 2014, Russia’s 100 megaton Tsar Bomba, has a blast radius of 7.7 miles. The fireball resulting from the detonation of the Tsar Bomba is estimated at 1.8 miles, with a thermal radiation radius of 47.8 miles.
The Starfish Prime EMP Incident of 1962
However, an EMP is exploded in the air and not at ground level (or slightly higher air burst). Let’s have a close look at a real-world example of the effects of an EMP. On July 9, 1962, the United States detonated a 1.45 megaton thermonuclear warhead at an altitude of approximately 250 miles above the Johnson Atoll, a deserted group of islands about 860 miles to the southwest of Hawaii. The missile, designated Starfish Prime, remains the biggest bomb ever detonated in space to this day.
The effect of the explosion was an electromagnetic pulse that caused power outages and other electrical issues on the Hawaiian Islands, nearly a thousand miles away. At least six satellites orbiting near the explosion were also lost. For the first time, scientists realized that a nuclear bomb that exploded at a high altitude can damage electrical components, potentially crippling an entire widespread region.
We mentioned the Russian Tsar Bomba earlier. If a 1.45 megaton bomb could knock out electronics a thousand miles away, imagine what a warhead the size of the Tsar Bomba would do if detonated in low orbit above us. Its 50-megaton yield would black out the entire U.S. power grid, or at least a large part of it. Most cars wouldn’t start. If power plants are down, then it means no electricity for weeks or months, possibly longer, unless hardening of power plants had been done ahead of time.
Arizona Congressman Trent Franks has been urging our government for years to take action to provide better security for critical infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the threat posed to the power grid by an EMP – which Rep. Franks points out could occur either naturally from a solar flare or by way of a targeted man-made weapon. Unfortunately to date, neither the U.S. House nor the Senate has taken action on this critical issue.
Another concern is the most modern of Russia’s nuclear weapons, the RS-28 Sarmat, nicknamed the “Satan-2,” which in June 2022, was to be operational within months. Each missile contains 15 warheads, each with a payload of 550 kilotons! This is about 36 times more powerful than the Hiroshima nuclear bomb, which was rated at approximately 15 kilotons.
And remember, each warhead can be sent to different targets, for a total of 8,250 kilotons of potency. If this isn’t frightening enough, the Russian missiles can also be delivered at hypersonic speed of 16,000 miles per hour. This makes it much less detectable by U.S. or space-based sensor systems and could be immune to American missile defense systems.
Obviously, any of these warheads could be exploded either at ground level, to destroy specific military targets, or up in the atmosphere as an EMP. If a combination of ground-level nukes and EMPs were unleashed, it would send any survivors in America back to a pre-electricity 1800s way of life.
Recent Nuclear Threat Warnings
In mid-July 2022, the New York City Emergency Management Department released a 90-second video Public Service Announcement (PSA) advising citizens of safety steps they can take to survive a nuclear attack. The video tells viewers to “get inside, stay inside” and “stay tuned,” to local radio and TV stations. Since most, if not all radio and TV stations/and/or transmitters will probably be destroyed in a nuclear attack, I’m not so sure how helpful the “stay tuned” part will be, unless you have a battery-operated shortwave radio (previously encased in a Faraday cage) which can possibly pick up a distant signal from an area unaffected by the blast.
Many New Yorkers are also questioning the timing of the announcement. Why now?
What does the government know that we DON’T know? One possible clue could be the recent decision by the Biden administration to supply Ukraine with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that can accurately hit targets as far away as 50 miles. In response, Dmitry Medvedev, Russian security council deputy chairman, said “if, God forbid, these weapons are used against Russian territory then our armed forces will have no other choice but to strike decision-making centers. Of course, it needs to be understood that the final decision-making centers in this case, unfortunately, are not located on the territory of Kyiv.” In other words, NATO countries such as the U.S., Britain, Germany, and France could well be the targets. Jesus’s warning of “wars and rumors of wars,” (Matthew 24:6) would seem to be more urgent now than ever!
Nuclear Tsunami
A relatively new development regarding the way a nuke can be delivered is via a “nuclear tsunami.” This is, in theory, accomplished by the explosion of a nuclear warhead delivered by an unmanned submarine. The resulting underwater detonation could, it is claimed, cause a tsunami wave reaching an incredible 1,640-feet high! Coastal regions would be especially vulnerable to such an attack.
The threat could be very real. As mentioned earlier, Russia is growing increasingly vocal in its opposition to the NATO countries aiding Ukraine. In May, 2022, Russian state television released an animation video showing how such a weapon, called “Poseidon,” could swamp the entire British Isles. The tsunami could not only cause total flooding and destruction, but it is claimed, would also turn Britain into a “radioactive desert, unfit for anything for a long time.”
What can we do?
So, what can you do? If it’s an EMP, as mentioned earlier, enclose sensitive electronics in a Faraday cage. If you need something more heavy-duty for EMP protection, ranging from your home to vehicles to solar panels, you may want to look into EMP Shield.
If it’s a ground-level nuclear attack, prayerfully consider moving away from any military targets such as nuclear missile sites, air force bases and similar installations. Since many cities, especially those with naval bases, can be targets, consider moving out to the country. Nobody likes to think of life after a nuclear attack, but it’s very likely that many people will survive one, if they take proper steps ahead of time. And finally, as mentioned in Part 1 of this series, continue to stock up on food, water and get a good water filtration system, at the very least a bottle with a filter.
Tomorrow, in Part 3 of this series, we will discuss the specific effects of Cyberattacks, and why we are likely to see more of these in the future.