One Second After: a realistic look at what would happen after an EMP attack

You can sheild every device in your home, but they'll be door stops just the same if the power grid is taken out. Sure, transformers get knocked out due to storms or accidents all the time. They get replaced. What if all the transformers in LA got knocked out at once? How long would it take to replace them all?

Originally posted by ZombieWoof
You can sheild every device in your home, but they'll be door stops just the same if the power grid is taken out. Sure, transformers get knocked out due to storms or accidents all the time. They get replaced. What if all the transformers in LA got knocked out at once? How long would it take to replace them all?

I looked into that years ago and it would take about 6 months to a year for replacements for some of the transformers like the ones a the Van Norman power station to be built.(they were originally built in japan and no one in the US builds them) 34.31107863384571, -118.48939418792725

In theory if you dropped 5 main power grid feeders within one minute these transformers would fry from the load still being fed by the secondary feeders and the massive over load going out to the city.

The DWP bought these tranformers knowing they could not get replacment and knowing a earthquake or other natural disaster could take them out.
They also could be taken out by EMP or a coordinated attack by terrorist.

One person with the right timers and less then 100 pound of explosives could shut down the power to LA calif for 2 week to 6 months.
95% of the power for LA comes in on the power grid from other parts of the state.
cut most of these and LA dies.

As I read that book, I was scared sh!tless. And not because the book was sad and depressing, but because it described something that could actually happen. The scenario in that book is absolutely horrific, do you think something of this sort could really happen??? And when?

Another thing is, we've had solar storms before. One knocked out the power grid in Quebec, but for some reason didn't disable all the electronics there. And, for some reason, it only affected Quebec. So would a high-altitude EMP burst fry everything with a microchip; all our electronics? ALL our power grids? Or just partial damage???


Because thinking about what could happen in an EMP is enough to drive one insane!

Although an EMP attack is probably one of the most logical world crippling scenarios I've possibly ever heard, it would take thousands of tactfully placed EMP bombs placed throughout the world synchronised to go off within seconds of one another to do anything substantial.

Although not impossible, very unlikely. There are much better ways of achieving this though. I wouldn't put it past the Government to already possess some kind of super EMP device that is capable of blacking out a much larger radius than a traditional EMP, but why would they bother?

Originally posted by DigitalSea
Although an EMP attack is probably one of the most logical world crippling scenarios I've possibly ever heard, it would take thousands of tactfully placed EMP bombs placed throughout the world synchronised to go off within seconds of one another to do anything substantial.

Although not impossible, very unlikely. There are much better ways of achieving this though. I wouldn't put it past the Government to already possess some kind of super EMP device that is capable of blacking out a much larger radius than a traditional EMP, but why would they bother?

Around the world, maybe. But can't one bomb may take out as much as 1/3-1/2 of the US? I'm afraid I might be going insane worrying about what an EMP could to to my country, my family, and my way of life!

reply to post by TruthOut3579


If I were you I would be more worried about a nuclear explosion taking out the power grid and electrical devices more-so than an EMP blast. A nuclear bomb would do the same damage of an EMP and more with after effects that would be felt for years. That sounds like something the Government would do more-so than an EMP blast.