CME or EMP survivability?

[sloughfoot]

Since either event depends on voltage to do the mayhem, it seems to me anyone with a pacemaker would have no chance of survival.

How about anyone outside with a path to ground. If the voltage and current potential is great enough to fry the grid, why is the assumption that it would not fry people? Say, if you happened to open the water tap to get a glass of water or put a foot to ground from your car at the moment the event happened. If you happen to be in a modern airliner?

We make all these plans for the aftermath, but how many would survive the event?

 

[1911ly]

As someone that has made a living in the electronics field I can safely say an event strong enough to disrupt a medical device would kill you before the failure of a medical device.

 

[Vic_Mackey]

I just read One Second After, and in the book nobody with a pacemaker was safe because of the solid state electronics inside of it. I kind of always figured that was the case. Same with modern airliners. Nothing is run by cables anymore, it's all fly by wire control surfaces. They are good for withstanding a lightning strike, but an EMP packs way more power than lightning, and hits fast enough that surge protectors wouldn't have time to stop it. How is a plane protected from Lightning strikes?

I don't know about the other stuff, but it would seem plausible with that kind of dumb luck!

 

[Spear Dane]

Well see it's not the volts, it's the current (amps). If it only took high voltage to kill someone then static electricity would have rendered us extinct long ago. The types of EMP you are talking about will not normally harm a person. They cause damage because long runs of wire and cable serve as awesome "antenna's" that will generate induced current from the charge that hit the upper reaches of the atmosphere. It is not lightning in other words.

 

[Cameramonkey]

As someone that has made a living in the electronics field I can safely say an event strong enough to disrupt a medical device would kill you before the failure of a medical device.

I'm inclined to agree (barring the whole "holding onto the tap when it hits" caveat). Our meaty, sweaty, "cucumbers with anxiety" bodies are pretty good at shielding the internal gizmos from electrical fields. If they werent they would have issues with RFID readers, Anti theft systems at the entrances to retailers and metal detectors at the edge of sensitive areas.

 

[actaeon277]

There are two effects to an EMP.
The one you are worried about, direct damage to semi-conductor devices, is the one that's danger drops off drastically from the "event".
The second effect is the one that spreads the damage out from the area of the "event". That effect is power lines acting like big antennas.
Obviously, that one is a non-event for a medical device.

 

[sloughfoot]

Hopefully, we never have to find out.

It seems to me an EMP event would knock semi-conductor devices that control the large voltage and current systems.

A CME would be so vast and powerful if aimed right, and the earth's magnetosphere is weakened or brushed aside by the force of the CME. This is the event that I don't think we can just assume that we will all just light candles while we wait for the lights to come back on. Conceivably, our atmosphere could be swept away. It won't matter much how much ammo you have for your rifle. After about 90 seconds, it will be all over. here isn't anything we can do about it, just an observation that we are not in control of anything ultimately.

 

[jbombelli]

If a huge CME hits us, I won't even notice. I'll be to busy lookin' good.

 

[sloughfoot]

If a huge CME hits us, I won't even notice. I'll be to busy lookin' good.[/QUOTE

The best plan.

Anybody else notice the sun setting far north of west? It does not set in the west anymore.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Since either event depends on voltage to do the mayhem, it seems to me anyone with a pacemaker would have no chance of survival.

If I had a pacemaker I'd get me one of these, for extra protection:

 

[Thor]

That's a pretty cool diving suit. If you had that on and (could) walked towards a crowd of rioters they'd probably all go home and reassess their life choices.

As to the OP, if an event is going to sweep away the atmosphere in 90 seconds I'll be glad I have a diving suit...for about as long as it took to get to vacuum.

 

[actaeon277]

That's a pretty cool diving suit. If you had that on and (could) walked towards a crowd of rioters they'd probably all go home and reassess their life choices.

As to the OP, if an event is going to sweep away the atmosphere in 90 seconds I'll be glad I have a diving suit...for about as long as it took to get to vacuum.

Or, they'd knock you down and throw sand in the joints

 

[sloughfoot]

90 seconds is about as long as most people can hold their breath. Something wiped out Mars atmosphere.......

 

[Cameramonkey]

90 seconds is about as long as most people can hold their breath. Something wiped out Mars atmosphere.......

You are assuming Average Joe will comprehend what is happening and can take that last deep breath. (In vain)

i give us 30 seconds factoring in the freak out.

 

[Thor]

Or, they'd knock you down and throw sand in the joints

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Or, they'd knock you down and throw sand in the joints

But you could lay there and watch the brilliant show of the sparks and great bursts of light with huge colorful billowing clouds boiling in the sky while the atmosphere is blowing away from the earth.................................... or, if you ended up face down, you could just lay there.

 

[Thor]

However long whatever is left of the human race lasted it would be all captured on 100k+ phones, instagram, faceplant and twitter accounts for future archeologists to discover.

Then after they figured out how to read all the data they'd see what everyone was talking about then feel ashamed for wasting their time, effort and money. Sort of like NSA should feel I guess.

 

[teddy12b]

CME or EMP? Those kind of events are why my #1 prep is being right with God.

I'm not trying to get preachy, but we are all going to die at some point. No amount of guns, ammo, medical, training or whatever is going to prevent that. I learn what I learn and do what I do to make life comfortable while I'm here, but that's not always going to be the case and I've got to be mentally, emotionally & spiritually ready to leave.

 

[Kutnupe14]

CME or EMP? Those kind of events are why my #1 prep is being right with God.

I'm not trying to get preachy, but we are all going to die at some point. No amount of guns, ammo, medical, training or whatever is going to prevent that. I learn what I learn and do what I do to make life comfortable while I'm here, but that's not always going to be the case and I've got to be mentally, emotionally & spiritually ready to leave.

Best saying EVER!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I agree, and it's why I never leave my wife or kids without telling them I love them. Well, my son and don't say "I love you" all the time, but every phone call ends with "Be careful out there", which to us means the same thing.