There's no electricity. Meaning lights are out. Water isn't being pumped. Food is spoiling. Market shelves are emptied in panic buying turned to looting. Delivery trucks can't restock, because gas pumps are dead.
And it'll be a while before the power gets turned back on. For a good many, a lethal while.
The perfect storm has arrived:
It is hard to conceive of the sun wiping out a large amount of our hard-earned progress. Nevertheless, it is possible...From time to time, that wind carries a billion-tonne glob of plasma, a fireball known as a coronal mass ejection (see "When hell comes to Earth"). If one should hit the Earth's magnetic shield, the result could be truly devastating.
The incursion of the plasma into our atmosphere causes rapid changes in the configuration of Earth's magnetic field which, in turn, induce currents in the long wires of the power grids. The grids were not built to handle this sort of direct current electricity.
Hospital backup generators will only run for so long. Then they'll go dead. As will many patients. And many of us:
With no power for heating, cooling or refrigeration systems, people could begin to die within days...
Help is not coming any time soon, either. If it is dark from the eastern seaboard to Chicago, some affected areas are hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away from anyone who might help. And those willing to help are likely to be ill-equipped to deal with the sheer scale of the disaster.
The National Academy of Sciences estimates a "recovery time at four to 10 years."
So what is this, hysterical overreaction?
"I don't think the NAS report is scaremongering," says Mike Hapgood, who chairs the European Space Agency's space weather team. Green agrees. "Scientists are conservative by nature and this group is really thoughtful," he says. "This is a fair and balanced report."
Here's the thing. It's true we can't predict these things. But it's nuts to say our interdependent systems aren't vulnerable to disaster, natural and man-made. There's been talk of the Yellowstone caldera blowing its top, wiping out much of the surrounding area and making a huge part of the country uninhabitable. We know every so often we're hit by asteroids or comets. And deny it if you wish, but we still live daily under the threat of nuclear attack.
Pick your poison. But if the grid for delivering energy goes down, the network for delivering products and services follows. And people who are unprepared will do what it takes to survive--including banding together and seeking out those who have prepared, because that is where the food will be.
No one seriously thinks civil authority will be able to do a damned thing about protecting their neighborhood, do they? How many thousand people per cop are there in your town?
No one seriously thinks the military won't be focusing on the hot spots, leaving what happens in the vast majority of territory up to the people who live there, do they? And don't forget we're not just talking about a domestic event. Some of our competitor nations may just decide that our resources are what they need to survive.
So what is this--tinfoil hat paranoid conspiracy theory time? Hey, it's not me talking about the Sun plasma-bombing us back into the Stone Age, it's the National Academy of Sciences. I'm merely asking about what would likely unfold at the human level where we live, and considering how people faced with such desperate prospects would likely behave.
And I'm asking whether you would rather face such times with or without firearms and ammunition adequate to the task of providing individual and group defense on the day "hell comes to Earth."
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
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- Cleveland: Mainstream media blaming U.S. for Mexico's drug wars, U.S. citizens not buying it
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- Los Angeles: Saturday Special: Revealing the Second Amendment, Part II.
- Milwaukee: New anti-gun ”feel good” bills now in committee in WI Capital. CORRECTION
- Minneapolis: There are no super heroes
- Seattle: Are anti-gunners coordinating with Obama administration to push semi-auto ban?
- St. Louis: Gun rights victories in Illinois
- Wisconsin: If you open carry - Wisconsin laws you must know
Comments
David,
Nice! Make them think! When I talk of such people just think I am paranoid.
"tinfoil hat paranoid conspiracy theory time"
yes, that sounds about right. I enjoy post apocalyptic science fiction, but I doubt quite seriously any of us will live that dream.
I guess part of owning guns is fantasizing about times when they might actually be needed.
PPE, is such a twit. His family will be the first eaten. And it wouldn't surprise me a damn bit if he was the one who ate them. There has to be a reason he fears people who are able and willing to prepare for unpleasant events that are foreseeable if not exactly predictable as to when.
We know what that reason is. Too bad he is beyond redemption.
Yeah Popoff Progressive, nobody in New Orleans could have used tools of defense in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita. Just didn't need them. How very paranoid of them to think they were at risk from looters, rapists, and killers. Even though many were victimized by just those very people it is "tin foil hat conspiracy" to acknowledge it.
Are you really stupid enough to believe what you say, or are just and enemy of humanity?
I just love the "it can't happen here" crowd.
To them, anyone who makes ANY preparation for disaster - you know - like the Department of Homeland inSecurity suggests, is a "tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist."
Wasn't it scientists who proposed this scenario? I guess they should remove their tinfoil Stetsons.
As for "conspiracies" - - most "theories" are written on paper and appear on public documents, or are spouted from the mouths of our masters.
One church once suggested that its members maintain a years supply of food.
What nutz! Be progressive - be unprepared! Gee - kinda looks like "progressives" should start their own version of the Boy Scouts.
They could give badges in hand wringing, whining, complaining, and pointing the finger.
How about one in belittling thy neighbor? Or a badge in marathon ostrich-esque head burying.
How bout a badge in progressive bootlicking?
Forget it, folks. There is no cure for stupid.
Remember that stupid means one REFUSES to learn from freely available facts and experience.
Lots of that going around. Too bad.
I expect most of the cops and military to join in the looting soon (if not immediately) if any such event were to occur. After all, there will be no more paychecks for them from a non-existent government.
You know, you make a lot of great points in this article. It's not a good idea to trust your safety to The Authorities, no matter how they may try to get you to be dependent on them.
But the disaster you chose for an example makes the entire thing sound tinfoil-hatty.
The Mormons are suppose to stock a year supply of food as part of their religion.
Enjoy.
I think between the Watts Riots, Katrina, and any other number of serious riots/disasters, we can agree that in those situations, Government in general breaks down.
"Civilization" is a very thin veneer - in fact, there are not nearly enough Police Officers to cover entire neighborhoods, let alone entire Cities. Think about it - a small military encampment requires around 14 armed people to maintain a relatively secure picket 24/7. Now how many Police Officers do you have in your town versus how many communities need to be secured??
Ultimately, the time may come, through asteroid impact, tropical storm/hurricane, severe power outage, tornado, earthquake, terrorist strike, etc. etc. when you need to be able to defend and feed yourself for a period. That period could be days, it could be months, it could be years.
I think we can agree that "days" is more probable, though extreme outlier events could make "years" a possibility. If you are seriously interested in doing the best you can for yourself and your family, you plan ahead for those moments, in keeping enough supplies and ammunition on hand to support and defend yourself when society breaks down for a period of your choosing.
This isn't paranoia, it isn't tinfoil hattery, it is simply recognizing that when the chips are down, your neighbors may not behave in a rational, friendly manner. They may decide to come next door with a baseball bat or golf club and demand what you have for themselves. Being able to explain to them in no uncertain terms that what is yours is yours is never a bad thing.
As well, money would become practically useless. Banks won't be able ot give any, and people will QUICKLY convert ot wanting goods over cash. Goods have REAL worth, while our money is only made up of faith in the paper.
I prepared for Y2K and was quite relieved when nothing happened. At the time the hype was everywhere and the same folks who think we wore tinfoil then, think so now.
BUT, this time it's different. This time there is no hype and yet there is a good portion of the populace which "feel their gut" and pay attention.
There is a ministry in Times Square (NY) which serves those unfortunate and in need. The pastor of this church on Sept. 10, 2001 felt the need to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with his entourage of helpers, they managed to prepare 2500 sandwiches between Sept. 10 and the following morning. He listened to his gut and went with his premonition. This same minister has recently said there is an "event" which will once again test the majority of the nation.
There is a reason why the Founders knew that the law abiding individual had the right to own guns!
Hey I just thought of something! If we took the nuclear weapons instead of guns, we'd be even MORE safe! And then we could blow up Russia and China so we'd be the ONLY ONES WITH BOMBS. THEN I KILL YOU SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANY! THEN I'M SAFE! IT'S BRILLIANT, BRILLLLLLIANT!!!!!
Edgar: I'm glad that most people with your level of cognitive thought are hoplophobes.
As a society we have too many two legged animals walking around for me to feel comfortable with the idea that all people are good at heart. When the fabric unravels enough that people who are used to having things given to them stop recieving, how long until they just decide to take anyways? If you want to see what will happen in a case where every public service stops, just look at the LA riots.
Heh. I prepared for Y2K also. And I was paid to do so. Billions were spent doing so, and it paid off; to the financial industry, and countless other industries we depend on for civilization. If we had pooh-poohed it, the effects would have been fairly catastrophic. Most companies who depend on a computer system and suffer a 2 week outage never recover. Whether it is a hardware, software, or infrastructure outage.
The event covered by that report is real. It happened in recorded history, 150 years ago. It could happen again tomorrow, although with solar cycles, 2012 looks more likely.
The only electronic infrastructure in place was telegraph lines. These were relatively thin lines carrying a low DC voltage provided by dry- or wet-cell batteries. In this event, the wires burned through or batteries shorted with very low voltages and were easily repaired or replaced. Other than cloning every major transformer/switching station and maintaining it offline for backup, I don't see a lot that can be done with our current (no pun intended) infrastructure. Starting over, it would seem wiser to have built for more local co-generation, but that would have probably cost a lot in efficiency.
Portland Progressive---They're needed now.
Portland Progressive Examiner, would it be "tinfoil hat paranoid conspiracy theory time" if the natural disaster scenario were instead to be caused [directly or indirectly] by man-made global warming? ;-)
Just so everyone knows, the last asteroid to hit the earth was in..........Oct of 2008. It was only the size of a car and came in over the Sudanese desert. We had a 19hr. warning. David's article is timely. The Boy Scouts have it right - Be Prepared.
This scenario has occured in the past, not to the extent here, but it has happened nonetheless. We have experienced solar "outbursts" that have taken down power grids in the US. And, it does not even need to be a solar outburst. We had the remnants of Hurricane Ike roar through Ohio last September and we were without power for 14 days. Gangs from neighboring housing projects wandered the neighborhood at all times of the day and night. I carried my 9mm and 3 magazines with me at all times. Gas stations were without power to pump and those that could pump took cash only. Tensions there were high with folks fighting for a pump. It was not a dire situation, but humanity has become complaicient in expecting to have conveniences at hand at all times.
Regardless of whether it's a natural or man-made disaster, people must be prepared to protect themselves. It's better to have a gun and not need it, then to need a gun and not have it. The lives of yourself and your loved ones depends on how you are prepared. Believing that it will never happen to you is a mistake you can't afford to make. Just ask the survivors of any disaster. People who have that "it won't happen to me" attitude, don't own fire extinguishers, spare tires, or first aid kits. When disaster stikes, I have no pity for these people. Ignore what they say and get prepared to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.
I'll be armed until death(and the deaths of many “Liberals” if it’s necessary) regardless of what the scientists or 'progressives'(communists) claim. But let me suggest a program to prepare for the salvation of humanity.
We need to re-start the space program and colonize other planets as soon as possible. Only this time divide up the solar system according to political convictions so as to avoid future wars. Those who wish to live in peace and Liberty with their neighbors get Mars. "Liberals," 'progressives,' and other authoritarian garbage get Mercury. Very appropriate I think.
We need to have the tools and resolve at hand to 'enforce' this because the enemies of Liberty, some of whom have posted here, obviously have no problem shoving their evil systems down our throats at the points of their govt. guns.
Don't understand? Start with my quotes page. Visit willowtowndotcom and scroll right.
Today Mt. Redoubt blew its top again and Chevron Oil is scrambling to empty 2 million gallons of crude from tanks near the mud flow. Pretty serious situation there. Congress would do well to pass the bill adding funding to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. It would be even more helpful for the scientists monitoring the Yellowstone and Long Valley, Calif. calderas to let us know what's happening with those two simmering supervolcanoes. If anyone's interested, TheCityEdition.com has published a web page about 2012 predictions and survival tips.
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