SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Thankfully the Anchorage Earthquake has not been deadly so far.
EMP Report
Several SurvivalBlog readers wrote in about the new report released by the military on the EMP vulnerability of America. The report suggests that the threat of an attack is significant. While the report is mostly focused on the impact an EMP attack would have on the military, it appears to support the congressional warning that up to 90 percent of the population on the East Coast would die within a year. It’s important to note that those fatality numbers are not directly attributable to the EMP hit itself, but to the failure of infrastructure. Without electricity, transportation, food processing, and healthcare, the mortality rate would be significant. The report suggested that up to 99 nuclear reactors could melt down without the ability to cool them. Failures may include long-term loss of electrical power, sewage, fresh water, banking, landlines, cellular service and vehicles.
Anchorage Earthquake
So far, there have been no loss of life due to the large earthquake centered around the Anchorage area, but the infrastructure has taken a significant hit. There are many homes without power, which is a significant danger since we are moving into winter right now. There is also concern about gas leaks from damaged pipes. The major highways leading in and out of Anchorage are basically cut off (with the exception of one northbound highway). There have been no reports of any major building collapse which is good news. Highway officials are suggesting the damage to the roads and bridges is significant enough that it will take considerable time to repair them.
Global Cooling
Reader H.L. sent in this article from Armstrong Economics that profiles a presentation given by Professor Valentia Zharkova on her “Climate and the Solar Magnetic Field” hypothesis at the Global Warming Policy Foundation in October. The professor is using information from the solar cycle that correlates with past temperature changes on the earth and has been able to identify some interesting characteristics that bear a remarkable resemblance to sunspot and terrestrial activity features reported in the last millennial. Using this data, she is predicting that the earth is moving into a significant cooling cycle. This, of course, flies in the face of man-made climate change so there is significant controversy.
Biometric Scanning
Reader G.P. sent in this video with a look at Delta Airlines new biometric screening terminal. Based on the video, it appears that most people actually like it as it greatly simplifies the check in process. Rather than standing in line as your information is validated, you simply walk up to the terminal and click “facial recognition” and the system checks your face with your passport photo already on file. Right now, the system is for checking in and checking baggage, but by early next year, the TSA will be using it at the security checkpoints. The airline also intends to use it in place of the boarding pass at the terminal gate. Hmmm, it seems the only thing missing from this picture is the link between your social credit rating and the ticketing system. Are we talking about China or the U.S. here?
Russia/Ukraine Tension
Tensions are heating up between Ukraine and Russia again after Russia detained three Ukrainian ships over last weekend. Ukraine is threatening to respond in kind against Russia which will most certainly escalate to open conflict with Russia having a decided advantage. Meanwhile, President Trump has canceled his planned meeting with Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires due to the conflict. Russia’s detentions have drawn international condemnation.
Jack Yantis
Reader J.C. has reported that Adams County has agreed to pay $2.6 million to the family of Jack Yantis to settle the wrongful death of the Idaho rancher. This was the rancher who responded to calls about a bull that had escaped and was injured from a car crash. During his attempt to put the bull down, Adams County sheriff’s deputies Brian Wood and Cody Roland shot and killed Yantis. Both state and federal prosecutors claim that there isn’t enough evidence to file criminal charges against the two deputies so the family filed suit against the county. A federal judge dismissed the suit on November 20th because the settlement agreement had been reached. Both deputies no longer work for Adams County.
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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Re Quake, after texting a family member west of Anchorage, it was stated that travel to Anchorage is happening, but with one way traffic and very long delays waiting for and following pilot cars. Many broken items in their pantry and home, foundation and wall damage, schools in the area are closed until at least next week pending damage reports. They are in pretty good shape compared to some of the other folks.
Re: EMPs and nuclear power plants. The backup diesel generators that are intended to circulate cooling water have a very finite fuel supply, especially if transportation or refining capabilities are lost. When they inevitably overheat and melt down, it’s the end of ALL animal life on earth, not just 99% of humans on the East Coast. The insane amount of radioactive pollution from Fukashima across the entire Pacific Ocean is only a drop in the bucket compared to what 99 more meltdowns will release. Already there have been drastic die-offs among marine animals in the Pacific, and dangerously high levels of radioactivity found in the atmosphere all the way across the US. I’m afraid that surviving an EMP attack is only postponing a much worse fate.
So you have worked or do work in the nuke life? Well I work the in the field and have for about twelve years. So you realize what you are stating is untrue. Did you know TMI unit 1 melted down? Nothing was released on to the public,no dead people, no dead animals. I love how people talk about nukes and have never worked one orseen blue water. Back up diesels are only one redundant system. If you have worked nukes you would know that all plants have done Fukashima mods to give multiply back ups for RCP’s as well as heat decay for core and spent fuel. As far as Fukashima it was the perfect storm that no one could have for seen. Is it bad no doubt. People complain about nuclear energy but it is the safest due to being so regulated by the NRC, IMPO etc…. I have work many other generation types coal, gas etc.. let me tell you I would rather work nukes. How many REMs do you pull in a year keeping the lights on for others?
The failures of the back-up systems at Fukushima certainly could have been forseen. Once a tsunami breached the wall, it would inevitably flood everywhere below ground, and four of the five backup systems had crucial components in the basement – duh! And the reason the sea wall was too low is because the Japanese Government did, and still does, deliberately underestimate the likelihood of earthquake and tsunami damage in order to reduce spending on it. So, there’s the problem – can you trust the Government?
TMI is not built on a coast, so that is not a valid comparison. Chernobyl? I didn’t go to Pripyat while I was there but I did spend a day in the Chernobyl museum learning about the many people who died trying to get it contained, the people who were permanently displaced because of the released radiation, and the sharply increased rate of cancers – particularly thyroid cancer in children in Ukraine.
If your dosage is measured in Roentgens you are already behind the curve. Current terminology uses milli-Sieverts (mSv).
Fukashima was unforeseeable? I disagree completely. Japan is on the edge of a tectonic plate (ever heard of the Ring of Fire?) that regularly sees earthquakes and resultant tsunamis. It was grossly irresponsible to site a nuclear power plant there, if not outright criminal. And, already the doctors – medical doctors, not plant technicians – are documenting increased thyroid cancer rates in the area surrounding Fukashima.
If something brown falls out a cow’s backside, do you need to taste it to know what it is?
And by the way, I do work with radiation so I do know how dangerous it is.
Coincidentally I just starting rereading Ted Koppel’s book “Lights Out” yesterday and almost identical statement made about EMP vulnerability. Unfortunately Ted makes some absurd political statements to assure his readers that he is still true-blue liberal and that conservatives already live in a darkened world.
Consider the accurate translation of the word ‘Chernobyl’ from Ukrainian to English is the word ‘Wormwood’.
Revelation 8:10-11 reads, “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
Of course there are all kinds of opinions regarding this, but just consider the pre-atomic age understanding of this verse as opposed to the modern understanding of the concept of radiation. I’m not saying that this is the case, but it seems to be the most logical interpretation based on the current state of knowledge.
The Bible doesn’t say that The Lord wouldn’t destroy the world in judgement again – just that He wouldn’t do it again with a flood.
The radiation that will be released by the 100 plus Nuc sites(there are many on line smaller generators on the East Coast that are used for research) are not so deadly as to kill 99% of life on the East Coast much less the world. When it comes to dangers of radiation a little bit of education will go a long way. The amount of radiation being measured, in the water and the atmosphere, on the West Coast of the USA (related to Fukashima) are detected at that 10 the minus 6. Or .000001 of a full REM(RAD) or Roentgen Equivalent Man. The melt down will no be good but are not the Extinction Event everyone thinks it will be secondary to a EMP. Death will come by our own hands via the panic and unprepared.
@Ebec2Believe,
I think you’ve missed something there. The document does not say that 99% will be killed by radiation. The failing nuclear plants is just one more critical thing to deal with. What will kill people is the lack of infrastructure – transportation, sewage, food processing, clean water, etc… The vast majority of critical infrastructure is dependent upon the grid. You can think of it similar to the old adage “You can fool some of the people…” In this case, the saying would be: “The Infrastructure can survive wide scale grid outages for a short amount of time and it can survive much smaller scale outages for extended lengths of time, but it cannot survive wide scale outages for extended lengths of time.”
Large scale grid outages for extended periods of time is when the rest of the infrastructure begins to collapse and when the fatality rate of the people goes up.
If I recall, the EMP Report also referenced the rising risk from the Chinese control over the 5G technology – they are leading the world and provide the vast majority of the infrastructure and their Silk Road initiatives and goal is to replace the aging internet infrastructure. The same technology has military applications and in China the 5G network has a civilian and military version. The US government now realizes that some of our military communications (the least secretive) in the US and extensively in SEA, Africa and Middle East are going through thier networks – if you are concerned with the NSA, think again what the Chinese are building and we are dependent upon – next level of warfare will be an insidiously deep attack on our civilian infrastructure (e.g., anything connected to a network). The Chinese have tracked our service members (shared with Russians) by simply seeing the data from thier fitbits, mobile phones, and logging into social media. The vast majority of our citizens and allies have no idea that future warfare will be at our doorstep and in our homes or living rooms – no bullets or bombs but the damage will be from the civil unrest from the loss of this infrastructure (e.g., banking, electricity, water, sewer, natural gas, and medical care). Imagine the physchological anxiety from no engagement if the technology narcotics from our FAANG’s.
I am a retired electrical/rigging contractor ,installing and replacing electrical transformers generators and motors in power plants , auto plants and steel mills, for 45 years. The electrical system is very fragile . emp will be worse than lights out or one second after. The E1 wave will take out all electronics from gas vehicles mid 1980s, diesel engines in trucks, trains, generators after early 1990s. No emergency backups will work at hospitals, fire, police ect. The E3 wave will send high power surges thru electric wires, pipe lines, rail lines phone lines, many electrical transformers will exploding and burning. The military is unprepared sold the last emp trucks years ago the m35a2 is emp proof , the Abrams tank is rated emp proof. A few old water powered power plants may survive if not currently connected to outside lines. It is preventable The Electro Magnetic Defense Task Force 2018 Report outlines the problem now we have fix it. PS Fukashima only lost power not controls, emp will knock out control no shutting reactors.