Solar Storms and the 2012 Prophecy

[FarmerChick]

choc chip cookies dunked in a White Russian lol


fallout shelters won't help me much
being next to a nuclear plant means if power is truly interrupted the meltdown will begin for our area very hard to fight radiation to the levels of years and years and year below ground

 

[i_am2bz]

choc chip cookies dunked in a White Russian lol

Oh man, THAT sounds good...! Almost worth a solar storm!!

 

[k0xxx]

I know that we are off topic, but... Years ago, at my favorite New Orleans drive through daiquiri shop, I'd get a half White Russian/half chocolate daiquiri with a shot of EverClear. Yep, it made the drive home enjoyable!

 

[On Our own]

Sorry to join this late, but it came up when I was searching the answer to my question: if an enemy used an EMP would it "fry" everything or just damage lots of it? Would it knock out the power for months or forever??

Y'know what I mean? I was driving today and thought "What would happen if we were hit by a solar flare (not an end times storm) while I was driving? Would the car run for a bit on its internal combustion or would the EMP interfere with that? I know it would fry the starter etc, but could the engine run if it was running when it happened?? Then, of course I started wondering what I would do with two small kids in the car 20 miles from home with a very small emergency kit... hmm. Gotta beef up that emergency kit.

 

[Dunkopf]

I always heard that EMP fries electronic circuits in computer chips. Allegedly any car with a regular points type ignition would be ok. Of course that means around 1969 or older for most brands. I don't think it would effect a starting motor or solenoid.

I was watching the remake of War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. He had a 66 Mustang fastback. At least I think it was a 66. The car died when the aliens started their attack. They ended up driving around in a 1980's Caravan which would have been the actual dead car. It has a computer control.

Yes you would be stranded with no cell phone either. It would be just like the old days.

 

[On Our own]

DH just said a diesel running when it hit would be able to be kept running - no spark plugs..... Since diesel stores better too, might better look more closely at diesel cars.

 

[Dunkopf]

Depends on the system controlling the fuel to the injectors. Gas fuel injectors used to be mechanical. They are all electronically controlled now. The computer monitors speed, load, temperature, timing and adjust all of it as you drive. That's why cars are so much more fuel efficient and have lower emissions than they used to. I believe diesels are in the same category now.

 

[k0xxx]

DH just said a diesel running when it hit would be able to be kept running - no spark plugs..... Since diesel stores better too, might better look more closely at diesel cars.

An EMP or Solar event of the type we are discussing would kill the gasoline engines in most 80's and newer vehicles while they were driving.

Most diesel vehicles would indeed keep running, although I have heard that some actually have electronics in their transmissions. It's possible that some may also use electronics in some type of emission control system, but I couldn't say for sure, and they may keep running anyway. Either way, it would probably be easier to have a protected set of replacement electronic parts stored safely in case of such an occasion.

The only vehicle that we have that I would probably be able to keep going is my '39 Ford 9N tractor. I have a complete electrical system stashed safely away for it. I have also been looking into what I need to convert it over to burn alcohol.

 

[On Our own]

Please bear with me here, it is clear that I know absolutely nothing about electronics - if the pulse was a singular event would all non-connected electronics be fried?? Like a basic lamp. If it wasn't plugged in so the surge was only that carried via magnetic wave wouldn't the wiring survive?? I can see anything with chips would be toast, but what about more basic electronics?

 

[k0xxx]

Please bear with me here, it is clear that I know absolutely nothing about electronics - if the pulse was a singular event would all non-connected electronics be fried?? Like a basic lamp. If it wasn't plugged in so the surge was only that carried via magnetic wave wouldn't the wiring survive?? I can see anything with chips would be toast, but what about more basic electronics?

Anything with Integrated Circuits (also called IC's or chips) would most likely be damaged. Electrical items without without these circuits would probably be fine. Chips (IC's) are very sensitive to voltage spikes. Most items like your common (non-touch control, etc.) lamps, basic toasters, and such would not be harmed if not plugged into an outlet.

Things without IC's that are plugged in may suffer damage because the electrical lines will act like large antennas and collect a lot of the energy, passing it along to anything connected to the grid.

However most things containing IC's, which these days includes almost every household appliance (and some toasters), would need to be repaired or replaced. This is due to the circuit board traces acting like small antennas and imparting a voltage spike into the chips.

There is a lot of speculation, since we have never actually seen this type of event during the "electronic" age. Although a high altitude nuclear test in the south pacific, 900 miles away, did cause three hundred street lights to fail, television sets and radios to malfunction, burglar alarms to go off and power lines to fuse. On Kauai, the EMP shut down telephone calls to the other islands by burning out the equipment used in a microwave link. The EMP pulse that hit Hawaii was relatively weak by what may be caused by weapons in a modern nuclear arsenal.