(upd 4/5/17) Article on Familly Preparedness

[TWP]

This is a multi-part article and I will update this thread as the parts are posted:

Part 1) https://survivalblog.com/my-family-preparedness-plan-part-1-by-r-s/

Part 2)  https://survivalblog.com/my-family-preparedness-plan-part-2-by-r-s/

Part 1 introduces a short list of possible "events" for which we may (should) be prepping:

• EMP
• Grid down
• Natural disaster (flood, snow/ice storm, tornado)
• Economic collapse
• Terrorist attack
• Martial Law
• Pandemic

I have removed the redundant EMP item (it is listed twice in the online article).
Part one addresses EMP and Grid down scenarios giving many suggested actions to be taken now (preps) and after event.
I will also point out that SurvivalBlog.com has added an article comments form to their format.  This is NOT a forum type entry form.  It is intended strictly for comments about the article and comments will NOT be published unless the website manager (Hugh Latimer and/or the owner; James Wesley, Rawles) agree that it is valuable enough to be posted.
I like the new comment entry form because it makes it easier to submit your opinions and comments.  Previously, you needed to send an email with specific note about the article.  A somewhat laborious process...

Part 2 finishes comments on a Grid Down situation, giving an analysis of what the first few day may be like.

It continues with a sort paragraph on Natural Disasters and a longer discussion of Economic Collapse (which I consider a very high probability event).  Four points are noted for actions to take NOW, before such a collapse.

This part concludes with some discussion of Terrorist Attacks, Martial Law and Pandemic.  DO note the final paragraph which mentions the Oroville Dam in California and the evacuation of over 200,000 people...  I used to live in that evacuation zone and it is worth reading the online reports about what happened, what worked and what did not.

[TWP]

The article linked in my OP drew a lot of reader feedback on SurvivalBlog.com, enough that the editor posted a compilation of the "best" replies:

https://survivalblog.com/letters-re-my-family-preparedness-plan-part-1-by-r-s/

This is certainly worth a read.  It gives you a view of how other people think about an EMP event.  Let me point out that some people believe the media hype exactly as it is written...    Others are more optimistic (perhaps foolishly, but perhaps wisely).

The replies are NOT all based on actual research, but some of the optimistic replies appear to reference actual research by credible sources, UNFORTUNATELY those sources are NOT cited in the replies...

You'll need to do your own research, if you have concerns about how dangerous an EMP attack will actually be.

Let me point out something;  the degree of damage from an EMP attack is directly proportional to the distance from the initiating explosion,  the farther away you are, the less danger of frying your electrical/electronic systems.  That tells me (based on my Physics background) that there will be systems which survive intact.

The national electrical grid, on the other hand, will go down across virtully the entire country.  As noted in the replies, the shutdown will happen because the individual "cells" in the grid are designed to drop out when the load exceeds capacity.   This can be restarted later, but NOT QUICKLY ENOUGH.  The damaged grid cells must be isolated from the grid and then each generating source must be restarted INDIVIDUALLY, which is a slow process.  That restart, if it happens, will require the work of thousands of skilled power line employees... who just might be unable to respond to a call for help...

Anyway, the replies to the article are well worth reading... They will give you an idea of the wide range of effects and the range of responses from electrical system customers (YOU?).