Congressman Franks on Grid EX II and the EMP Threat

Dave Hodges

November 13, 2013

The Common Sense Show

How much coverage has the Grid EX II blackout drill received from mainstream media? (Crickets Chirping…)

How much coverage has the presence of Chinese and Russian soldiers received from the same? (Crickets Chirping…)

How Much Coverage Has Congressman Trent Franks Given to the EMP Threat to Our Power Grid?

Congress may have a minuscule nine percent approval rating, but I am starting to like my congressman. Trent Franks (R-AZ) from the 8th District, is a lone voice in the wilderness. Congressman Franks has become the voice of reason, exhibiting a Ron Paul type of courage in the face of the EMP threat and what it could mean to our power grid, and most importantly to our collective survival.

On November 6, 2013, Congressman Franks wrote a very pointed and blunt letter to Frederick Gorbet, the chairman of the Board of Trustees for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Franks jointly addressed his letter to Gary Cauley, the President and CEO of the same organization.

In the letter, Congressman Franks sounds like a man who has had enough, is as mad as hell and is not going to take it anymore. Franks obviously sees the dire threat posed by an EMP grid take down and is increasingly frustrated with the “Pollyanna’s” who are acting irresponsibly in the face of the threat, especially when some of these people are in positions of responsibility when it comes to protecting the public from a prolonged and catastrophic blackout.

In the letter, Franks points out that on “October 27, 2013, National Geographic aired a docudrama entitled American Blackout. The film showed what our countrymen and nation would experience in the event of a cyber attack on the US bulk power distribution system and a resulting shut down of the grid for 10 days. If anything, the serious hardships, dislocation, physical destruction, deaths and societal breakdown portrayed in this docudrama are likely understated“. In my last article, a Franks’ video was played in which he said an EMP take down of the grid would result in 60% of Americans dying as a result of the event. The Naval War College puts the death rate at 90%.

National Geographic Documentary - American Blackout 

Thoughts on "American Blackout"

by Joe Alton, M.D. aka Dr. Bones

www.DoomandBloom.net

I had the opportunity recently to see the National Geographic Channel docudrama “American Blackout”.  In this program, the entire country is hit by a total blackout, putting Americans in the position of being off the grid for a period of time. This is apparently the result of the actions of Ukrainian cyber-terrorists. You, the viewer, follow a number of people who (inexplicably) have some of the longest lasting camcorder and cell phone batteries in existence.

I followed the program hashtag on twitter during the program and found that most folks found it scarey, but very few mentioned that it would change their way of thinking regarding disasters.  To those people, I would simply say that there are a lot of possible scenarios that involve man-made or natural calamities that no one is immune to.  Tornadoes, Hurricanes, floods, wildfires (all of which we’ve experienced somewhere in the country this year), earthquakes are just some of the natural events.  Economic Collapse, nuclear meltdowns, targeted electromagnetic pulses, civil unrest, and pandemics are just some of the man-made catastrophes. Sure, the likelihood of your experiencing any one disaster is rather small, but what is the chance that you will never experience, to some degree, sometime in your lifetime?  Your children’s lifetimes?

The victims portrayed in American blackout were mostly middle-class Americans whose DNA clearly didn’t contain the preparedness gene. These people, over a few days, went from being amused by the loss of power, to vaguely concerned, to rightfully terrified by the predicament they were in.  Government efforts to help were well-intentioned, but had little effect in relieving the misery. Soon, people were taking drastic measures to obtain food and water, with limited success.

American Blackout 2013 National Geographic

Power Grid Down Drill To Be Conducted By US Government

Power grid vulnerabilities are finally garnering some attention by government officials.

An electrical grid joint drill simulation is being planned in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Thousands of utility workers, FBI agents, anti-terrorism experts, governmental agencies, and more than 150 private businesses are involved in the November power grid drill.

The downed power grid simulation will reportedly focus on both physical and cyber attacks. The antiquated electrical system in the United States has been one of the most neglected pieces of integral infrastructure.

The EMP Commission, created by Congress, released a report in 2008 calling for increased planning and testing, and a stockpiling of needed repair items.