Low Technology Already Exists to Send Us Back to the Dark Ages

EMP's. That is the abbreviation for weapons that emit an electro-magnetic pulse. When we think about nuclear weapons, we normally think of terranial or sub-terranial detonation that blow debris into the sky creating nuclear fallout. These concentrated attacks are devastating for those within miles (or more) of the blast, with the radiation effects we normally associate with a nuclear attack.

An EMP is different. Same weapons...different approach. Detonate a single EMP 250 to 275 miles above the Earth and you can wipe out sensitive electronics all the way to the horizon...which could be in excessive of a thousand miles in diameter. No fallout to worry about. Actually, you won't even know what happened until you realize your lights or television won't turn on. Or maybe you are driving your car which suddenly switches off along with every other car on the road. The pulse will fry any sensitive electronics over a broad area...depending on how high the weapon is detonated in the atmosphere. Two to three of these weapons could wipe out the entire power grid in the United State (to include any device hooked in, and possibly those not connected at the time of the blast). Iran and North Korea are likely to already possess the technology to deliver this type of crippling blow. So what would the United States look like post-EMP?

This very discussion was a topic of conversation between Newt Gingrich and his fellow author William R. Forstchen. Forstchen used this conversation as the impetus for a book, based in his own Asheville, North Carolina region. The book takes several factors into consideration to carefully provide insight into the lack of preparation the average citizen would be faced with if forced to confront such a scenario. The outcome would not be pretty. The book suggests that 250 million people would die in the first year.

Among the topics examined in this work of fiction, Forstchen begins with the early days following an event. People would not know what happened and would be under the assumption that help is on the way...that is how things work in the United States. However, when realization sets in that help isn't coming, society would break down into chaos. Without leadership, rationing and tough decisions, communities will fall apart immediately. Rampant looting and reckless killing will erupt everywhere, but especially in urban areas where natural resources are rare but populations are high.

Forstchen's book takes place in the Black Mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville. His account supposes that several community leaders figure out what is going on without the assistance of communications which would have been destroyed by the EMP blast. These leaders band together the community around strict guidelines under martial law. However, the bodies mount up quickly. First, those who were on life support at local hospitals and the elderly that can't care for themselves. Others several days later as panic sets in. With no source of refrigeration, Type 1 diabetics follow soon after. This group is followed by unhealthy Americans who suffer heart attacks and natural death under the stress. Within thirty days, most people on medication have gone through whatever they have previously obtained from the pharmacy...those with life threatening illnesses would face dire consequences.

Armed bands of looters would create another threat. Without some sort of militia, an organized community would face an even greater threat of having what they have worked to preserve taken by force. Fighting to protect the community would cost more lives. Depending on the time of year, elements could also claim lives. Americans have been given antibiotics like candy over the past century, making us much more susceptible to even mild viruses like the flu. The weakened immune systems would soon be assailed by any number of outbreaks caused by improper hygiene, the accumulation of bodies and transients spreading disease when passing through.

In One Second After, William Forstchen introduces us to an interesting set of characters with personality traits that are not fully perfect. This imperfection makes the character set enjoyable and realistic. The characters give life and a healthy dose of reality to a story that is scary simply in its concept. The fact that we are vulnerable to this type of attack makes the story a quick, somber read. I purchased the book Monday, and found myself quickly thumbing through the 350 pages. Finishing in three days. The story is gripping, at times sad, and eerily foreboding. I had chills at times, considering the magnitude of the plot. The story would easily translate to the big screen, which I earnestly hope happens. I would be first in line to see this book in movie form.

Forstchen has an easy style of writing that allows the pages to turn rapidly. His ability to convey meaning was sometimes predictable, but nonetheless riveting. One Second Afteris not one of those happy ending kind of stories. In fact, there really isn't an ending...it is left open-ended. But the stark reality of this type of attack is that millions of people would die. Forstchen does not spare any character the heartache of loss. It is the harsh reality of being bombed back into the dark ages by three crude weapons. Weapons that could be made from a missile as crude as the old Iraqi scuds.

There is a great deal of military history, world history and tactical warfare discussed in One Second After. From my military background, I found those elements to be sound, adding dimension and credibility to the book. The tactical considerations were well thought out and played into major aspects of the story. Difficult to control circumstances, like location (are you in a protected area with limited avenues of approach and choke points?) were broader topics, while specific military tactics along with historical implementation that provided the foundation for the tactic were discussed to provide a platform for the action. I found the book to be intelligent, thought-provoking and frankly, alarming.

Would you be ready for an EMP detonation. Probably not. That would hold true for the Government and probably ninety-eight percent of the population. Ten percent would adapt on the fly and find ways to survive. Some who live remotely and rely very little on outside help already would have a distinct advantage. It is sobering and a bit ironic...the segment of our society that we look down upon...the poorest country-living, garden-surviving folks would have the greatest advantage if an event like this were to occur. They would be the survivors. Even people with extensive survival skills will find it hard to survive on limited calories, exposure to disease, poor hygiene and the many other effects that would converge following a detonation of this type. One Second After takes these concepts and articulates them in an outstanding work of fiction. Or is it prophetic? You decide. A must read.

About the author: William R. Forstchen has a Ph.D. from Purdue University with specializations in military history and the history of technology. He has written more than forty books.

More information can be obtained from www.onesecdondafter.com.

One Second After is a Forge Hardcover, published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1758-2 and ISBN-10: 0-7653-1758-3.