Book Review: EMP – Protect Family, Homes, and Community

This book by Don White and Jerry Emanuelson attempts to provide technical guidance to those who would like to protect their homes from the destructive effects of a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack. Both authors are electrical engineers, and so are better equipped than most to understand the EMP publications released by the US military.

Yet the critical technical details are often elusive. The book emphasizes the importance of solar photoelectric systems, but the authors have not quite located a protective mesh for the face of solar panels which screens out an EMP yet admits light. A supplement at  http://www.futurescience.com/emp/AppendixD.html suggests stainless steel mesh, but adds that it doesn’t fully protect the panels from EMP and is likely to create a corrosion problem where it joins the aluminum frame. Until these details are worked out, the best solution may be to keep the panels and other vulnerable system components in a Faraday cage until after the EMP has done its damage, then pull them out and assemble them. The same could be done with spares for the vulnerable components of other critical electrical appliances.

The subtitle of the book is “Using Shielded Solar Rooftops and Shielded Rooms and Buildings to Protect our Modern Lifestyle.” Yet aside from us fleeing the country, I see no way to protect our modern lifestyle if an EMP hits us. A more reasonable goal is simply to survive, and to do that, we need to focus on meeting our most basic needs instead of worrying about whether our automated clothes washer works.

That said, you have to admire anyone who even attempts to tackle the problems posed by an EMP attack.

UPDATE – A reader points out that page 155 of the book lists companies that supply protective mesh for solar hardening.

2 thoughts on “Book Review: EMP – Protect Family, Homes, and Community

  1. What is it we are trying to optimize?

    To the Doomsday Preppers, his survival is a bridge between the way it was to the return to the way it hopefully was?. This can typically take days and weeks for relief and replenishments, Maybe longer for tsunami or earthquake. But for EMP it may take years; maybe never. And replenishments may be 1,000 miles away – not 10 miles like a hurricane. Yes, I am sorry to say, an EMP makes 9-11 and Pearl Harbor look like a cakewalk.

    The book does not down play the EMP survivalist water, food, medicines, barter items, guns and ammo.. Rather it offers the additional opportunity for factoring in
    lifestyle options. to make remaining life worthwhile vs. bare subsistence

    All the Best, Walt.

    Oh BTY, EMP Solutions is coming out with a new animated, narrated series on EMP Protection in Show-Book form, a hybrid slide show and book media.. Visit them at http://www.emp-sagfegaurd.com

  2. Dear Sir/Madam,

    I would like suggest for your and your colleagues attention the information about my new book:
    Cyber and Electromagnetic Threats in Modern Relay Protection

    You can order the book:
    online from CRC Press web site http://www.crc.com or by E-mail:

    in USA:
    Tel: 800-272-7737, Fax: 800-374-3401
    E-mail: orders@taylorandfrancis.com

    outside of USA:
    Tel: 561-994-0555, Fax: 561-989-9732
    E-mail: international.orders@taylorandfrancis.com

    Sincerely yours,

    Author
    Dr. Vladimir Gurevich

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