re: If you have never read One Second After, you should

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True but this is just theory. Never been tested and proven. How could it have been?

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Yes it has been tested. A Bomb was exploded over the Pacific at high altitude. That is why there is an agreement not to do it again. They know!
A lot of bombs were exploded in the fifties and sixties. The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963 limited all testing to under ground.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I haven't read very many of that genre. I found it somewhat thought-provoking and how our value system changes. Those that we currently look up to for their skills and I guess their achievements, such as a neurosurgeon, are no longer viewed at the same levels. Primarily because the skills that they have aren't that valuable if they can't have the technology to implement those skills. Whereas a guy who can take a car motor apart and cannibalize a few things could get an engine running again. Or the man who could repair and get a steam generator going. Suddenly he has much more value.

The other thing I found frightening, because we have seen it on a limited basis. It's how quickly, when things aren't available to be handed to us, we turn on each other. In the book, it was only because the community pulled together and came up with a couple of hard and fast rules that they were able to survive. But we've seen numerous cases especially in urban areas, when things go south, we go Savage.

Anyway... Just a thought or two.

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The other thing I found frightening, because we have seen it on a limited basis. It's how quickly, when things aren't available to be handed to us, we turn on each other. In the book, it was only because the community pulled together and came up with a couple of hard and fast rules that they were able to survive. But we've seen numerous cases especially in urban areas, when things go south, we go Savage.

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Large cities would become jungles. Only the lawless would survive. All the gun control, tree hugging leftist would be victims of the lawless.
Eventually, the lawless would seek out rural areas to steal and kill. Small towns, rural areas would join together (just like in the story) and have the greatest chance of survival. Imagine if your wife and children are in another city hours away from you when an EMP hits. You would likely never see them again. All vehicles on interstates would simply stop and not move.
Our minds so spoiled by todays convenances can't conceive the insanity.

Could you explain why, as it was explained in the book, albeit briefly, the computer workings of a car would NOT be affected by an EMP?

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Yes, it's a fictional novel.

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So everything in a fictional novel is, "100% false"?

You said it was discussed throughout this thread. It was briefly discussed on the first couple pages and no one gave any explanation outside of their opinions. I was asking you if you had an explanation as to why an EMP would not affect the circuitry in a car. If you don't know just say you don't know. You don't have to get all defensive about it.

Just going off of memory, I believe in the book they set off several EMPs in the atmosphere well above the United States. I just want to know why that wouldn't affect most of the cars that are currently on the road. And having asked this question, I believe the book was published in 2009. Perhaps steps have been taken since and that is reflected in your knowledge.

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So everything in a fictional novel is, "100% false"?

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No, but you were using the fact that it was in a fictional novel as some kind of proof.

EMPs do work and they can disable electronics. But not on a scale as large as the United States. If one were to detonate, it could disable cars nearby. But anything like the scale of One Second After (which I have read, great book), would be the result of a nuclear war and cars and electronics would be the least of our issues.



Superprepper.com

There are a lot of articles and there have been government studies on it. This one references the U.S. EMP Commission. It's findings:

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Would an EMP Attack Disable All Vehicles?

No, an EMP attack would not disable all vehicles. According to a study conducted by the United States EMP Commission, only about 1 out of 50 vehicles are likely to be rendered inoperable. The effects of an EMP on hybrid and electric vehicles, however, have yet to be studied and are currently unknown.

Questions about the potential damage to vehicles in the aftermath of an EMP are quite common. An exhaustive study by the EMP Commission to determine the effects of an EMP on the United States (available here) was conclusive: most vehicles would survive an EMP.

U.S. EMP Commission Test Results – Key Points

50 vehicles built between 1987 and 2002 were exposed to a spectrum of EMP blasts (up to 50kV/m in strength).
3 out of 50 vehicles shut down while driving.
All 3 of these vehicles continued rolling until they safely coasted to a stop.
1 of those vehicles was disabled completely and would not restart.
2 of those vehicles restarted without an issue.
Many nuisance issues arose from the 50 exposed vehicles including radio interference, strange and erratic behavior from headlights, turn signals, or brake lights, and one vehicle needed to have its dashboard replaced

The EMP Commission believed there was a potential for unnecessary deaths from vehicles if the vehicles were exposed to an EMP burst which exceeded 25kV/m. The potential for death and serious injury would not come as the result of an electronic failure, however, but rather due to potential accidents that vehicles slowing down suddenly could cause, especially if those vehicles had issues with their brake lights.

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The EMP test indicates that roughly 15% of running vehicles may shut down if exposed to an EMP blast at or over 25kV/m over a wide range of area. In other words, short of a massive solar flare, only a nuclear explosion or purpose-built EMP would create the kind of pulse needed to cause the shutdown effect to occur.

When considering the EMP Survey by the EMP Commission, there are a few points to think about. First, this study finished in 2004. Second, the cars used in the study were older models, built in a range from 1987 until 2002. Third, we do not know which specific vehicles the Commission conducted these tests on, as the Commission never released information on car makes or models. Fourth, cars have developed far more complex and integrated electrical systems since 2002, the latest model year tested. Finally, the test does not appear to have been recreated and the results are not scientifically verified as a result.

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You should've read the whole thing. They think modern cars will be even better against an EMP.

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Resilience of Modern Vehicles

By design, modern automobiles can survive extreme temperatures and other harsh conditions. Modern cars have many fail-safe systems in case of electrical or mechanical failure. As a result, most cars will continue to run without major issues, even in the face of an extreme electrical disruption.

Many commentators on this subject believe the EMP study is out of date. Specifically, there’s a theory that older vehicles lacked the integrated computing systems and complex electrical engineering that modern cars have. While this is true, cars have had computers since Volkswagen introduced one to operate their electronic fuel injection (EFI) system in 1968. Engine Control Units (ECUs) have been widespread since the 1970s. It is safe to assume every vehicle in the EMP Commission Study had an ECU in one form or another.

In one sense, it’s understandable that people worry about modern vehicles being more electronically sensitive to EMP damage. However, modern vehicles have more protective shielding, grounds, and plastics to replace metals now than they’ve ever had in the past. In almost all cases, modern cars should be more capable of withstanding electrical interference than they have been in the past. Except of course, if you are talking about vehicles manufactured before ECU’s and were largely mechanical based in their functions.

So, in summary, EMPs will not disable most vehicles. Many modern vehicles that would seem unlikely to survive the EMP probably will survive the EMP, but we don’t currently have sufficient testing to verify that.

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The subsequent books carry the story further.

If you know that part of the world, the author (from Black Mountain NC) uses the toppgraphy very believably. Just a good read, and probaly worth a reread.

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post shtf my dogs will never be allowed to starve when they are dead bad guys laying around everywhere.

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same but I took it to mean the dogs would develop a taste for human meat but again, you're cutting up bears and rabbits so how would they know the difference?