Rebuilding After an EMP: Lessons from Oak Ridge Study The damage caused by a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could take years to repair, according to a new study conducted at the National Transportation Research Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The study concludes the power grid might take at least four to 10 years for a complete recovery, with economic costs being between $1trillion to over $2 trillion. The results highlight the susceptibility of the national grid, described as not having enough redundant capacity if such a catastrophic failure occurs.
Understanding the Recovery Process Schedule
Recovery Timeline after an EMP
Beyond blackouts, the physical damage to power plants and transmission lines would require widespread repairs — or replacement.
Resource Availability: Supply chain constraints during recovery efforts may lengthen restoration times due to limited resources and trained staff.
Interagency coordination—Agencies at all levels of government must communicate and work together to recover as quickly as possible.
Economic Implications
The economic implications of an EMP attack are monumental:
Direct Costs: These costs are associated with repairing and restoring services asap.
Indirect Costs: While the direct costs come in at an estimated 1.5% of GDP, long-term impacts on businesses (companies forced to shutdown for lack of access), loss of productivity and disruption of essential services could potentially bring the total economic losses much higher FASTER international Fast & Barbudans Help International (@FASTER_Intl) September 8, 2017
Preparedness Measures
How to protect yourself from an EMP or solar storm:
Investing in Resilience: As the grid is placed under increasing stress, it has become necessary to provide for advanced technologies and infrastructure improvements that can enhance its resilience.
Resilience 3: Backup Systems — Building redundant backup systems ensures that your service is not interrupted during a major incident.
Public Awareness Campaigns — Preparing people in advance by means of Publicite: can prevent panic and ease community response to a crisis.emp recovery (ad)
SynopsisThe ORNL study is a stark reminder that our electricity infrastructure has vulnerabilities. In the event of an EMP attack, they could also mean fewer deaths and less economic damage.
