# EMP Hit on America Power grid tonight



## Sourdough (May 22, 2010)

There is a special on the National Geographic Channel tonight about the ramifications of a EMP hit on the grid.......Sadly I have no TV......:dunno:


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Sourdough said:


> .......Sadly I have no TV......:dunno:


I DO. And I already have NG on. Just waiting for 10:00 to roll around.


----------



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up ... too bad that I don't have a T.V. either.

From the National Geographic website:



> Back in 1991, edgy German director Wim Wenders made a movie, "Until the End of the World." There's a subplot - one of many in the complicated flick - in which people on Earth are menaced by an out-of-control satellite that is threatening to fall from orbit. In the end, the failing satellite instead is shot down. The resulting massive, high-altitude nuclear explosion, however, fries unshielded satellites, communications networks, phones and computers all over the planet, instantly forcing our gadget-obsessed species to go electronic cold turkey.
> 
> Sound far-fetched? Think again. Wenders' plot twist was based, albeit loosely, on the actual concept of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weaponry.
> As an article from the Federation of American Scientists web site explains:
> ...


Read more: Explorer Blog - National Geographic Channel


----------



## Sourdough (May 22, 2010)

Nice informative Post, Thanks


----------



## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

This show re-airs Saturday at 7 pm (eastern) for those of us that missed it the first time!!


----------



## townparkradio (Mar 30, 2010)

NaeKid said:


> From the National Geographic website:
> 
> Civilians should remember that their electronic watches might be destroyed, television sets might become inoperable, cars with electronic ignition might stop functioning, and almost every big industry with electronic components would be affected.


Short version of below ramble:

You've got bigger things to worry about.

Long Version:

In the kinds of kv that would cause this, your wristwatch ceasing to function would be the least of your worries. Devices are fairly well shielded against these sorts of things mostly by accident alone. (you might blow out old capacitors, but that's about it) You WOULD likely have to power down the device if it was on though, or else it wouldn't work well. This is not to say EMP phenomenon is false or anything Nat'l Geographic says is incorrect, it is to say they're leaving something out. Mostly you'll blow out power transformers and poorly ground power wires. A few hours with regular work crews re-wrapping copper wires and we'd be back on line. It's not really that huge a threat.

Sorry, I got off topic... at the power levels required to (entirely) blow out small electronics? You've got far bigger problems to worry abut. Odds are your your brain's synapses would be all fried due to the sodium inside being ionized. This could have many unforseen side effects like coma, mental retardation.. amnesia, blah blah blah.. or it might just make you feel uneasy for a while. The effects are varied, and a bigger problem than consumer electronics going kerploof.. I assure you it would drive some people looney. However... in order to cause THIS (the skull is an excellent insulator) you'd first have yet another problem...

All the sodium in your system would be ionized. This would have extremely ugly effects on your circulatory system. This will not kill you, that is correct: but it's going to make you extremely ill quickly. Really it's a fun story gimmick, but the effects are mostly "what was that?" followed by "dispatch work crews to fix that!"


----------



## townparkradio (Mar 30, 2010)

...and man I ramble on and on about useless science things a lot, huh?


----------



## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Here's the link to watch the video: Explorer | Electronic Armageddon | National Geographic Channel


----------

