Faraday Cages

By Kellene Bishop

Faraday Cage c/o jeddaniels.com

We’ve established that an EMP incident will fry all electronics.  This occurs whether or not they are plugged in or turned on. This also affects automobiles, batteries, computers, medical equipment, etc.  Needless to say, in such an instance, life as we know it will change dramatically.   Even more distressing is the fact that the strike of an EMP is not likely to give any warning. You don’t see it. You don’t feel it. You are simply left with the sudden consequences and whatever preparedness you have on hand.  So, other than your preparedness supplies, your new best friend may be a Faraday cage. In fact, with the knowledge of the protection that a Faraday cage can provide you, you may be able to enjoy nearly as comfortable a lifestyle as you did prior to any electromagnetic pulse.

While being mentally prepared to live in the Stone Age may be helpful, it’s not necessary. Aren’t you glad?

First of all, allow me to dispel some myths about Faraday cages—and boy, howdy, there are a LOT of them.

• Whether or not your electronics are plugged in, how long of an antenna you’ve got on something, what voltage it is, or whether or not they operate with batteries—all non-protected electronics will be affected by an EMP. 
• Batteries will be affected, usually in the form of “shorting” as well.
• Electronic phone systems will also be damaged. 
• Surge protectors are useless in the event of an EMP exposure. 
• Just because your car has rubber tires, it will not be impervious to the effects of an EMP.  Rubber containers are insufficient protection against an EMP.
• And oh yeah—yes, your Faraday cages DO need to be grounded.  If it’s NOT grounded, then the Faraday cage merely becomes a reflector or an amplifier.
• Yes, a microwave can act as a Faraday cage, but why in the world would you want to use it for that?  That’s just silly when you can make one simply.
• Faraday cages do not have to be solid, thus the name “cage” instead of the oft misused term—“box.”  In fact, many of them that you can build yourself or will see on the internet will resemble a bird cage or a very finely meshed chicken coop wire. 
  

  Copper Mesh photo c/o twpinc.com

• Also, contrary to what you may see on the internet, a sheet of foil on a box will not protect you.  It’s not thick enough to withstand the pulse. However, you CAN protect your items if they are buried a couple of feet underground in every direction (up and sideways.)
• Last, but not least, a car is NOT a Faraday cage sufficient to withstand an EMP incident. It has some similar components, yes.  Most cars made today consist of fiberglass and disjointed parts, not a continuous metal material.  In addition to that, they are on tires.  Tires on a car do NOT serve as grounding.  Folks are simply getting an EMP strike confused with a lightening strike.  Now, IF you had an old fashioned car that was made of metal, that had its tires removed, that was also attached to an Iron or copper pole and that was ALSO on dirt—not  gravel—then  yes, you may have a car that doubles as a Faraday cage. (Kind of like the old clunker my dad has out in his “back forty.”  
• The cages do not have to be solid, but they do have to be constructed continuously without gaps between the protective material.

There. Now that we’ve discredited 90% of the internet information out there, let’s continue.

Michael Farady oil, by Thomas Phillips. photo c/o commons.wikimedia.org

Faraday cages are named after Michael Faraday who invented them in 1836. They block out external electrostatic fields and electromagnetic radiation.  One mistake many people make when it comes to an EMP is to compare it to a lighting bolt.  The effects of an EMP and a direct lightening bolt are very similar, but they are not at all similar in terms of their visibility, and affect on the body. An EMP is more like a radio wave, not a visible bolt of light or electric current.   

It’s the substrate layers of the diodes and transistors that make them susceptible to a magnetic pulse attack. Electronics are made up of diodes and transistors and substrate layers. A computer, car, television, and cell phones are made up of tons of transistors. When hit with a powerful magnetic pulse, the substrate layers are destroyed. However, early 1960’s and before electronics did not use substrate layers. They used vacuum tubes.  This is why older electronics are less susceptible to damage. This is why a human or animal body will not be affected.  Yes, our bodies consist of an electric volt. But understand there’s a difference between electricity and electronics. 

I just want to reiterate this again.  It’s important that any Faraday cage that you plan to use is grounded.  It has to be grounded in order to disperse the energy. 

What you should know though is that a Faraday cage is not fool proof.  The higher the frequency of the magnetic pulse, the faster it is. This is what causes the burn out.  The cages must be grounded, continuously connecting, and the openings of them cannot be too large. Chicken coop wire would work, but only if you double or even triple layered it as the opening are too large. For a reference of opening size, look at the front of your microwave door.  It’s a small mesh.  Just a like a snake can slither its way through the right sized hole, so can an electronic wave.  

Galvanized Trash Can photo c/o housewares.hardwarestore.com

You can have an instant Faraday cage with a galvanized trash can or a large stock pot like they use in restaurants. (Be sure to clamp the lid down. Remember—continuous connection is key. Since Faraday cages are not fool proof, depending on the strength of the pulse, I would recommend burying such containers 2 feet under the ground, storing survival electrical and battery items. (Including batteries). 

An easy way to make a Faraday cage would be to acquire some 2 x 4 brass mesh sheets. (Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel did a couple of experiments using this successfully.)  Make a box frame with the 2 x 4’s and staple the brass mesh to the outside. Create a securely attached/connected access entry within the frame. Solder a ground wire to one of the corners and ground the cage.  Scrap metal and mesh wires can easily be obtained in junk yards, on E-bay, the clay modeling section of a craft store, or at your local hardware or  “farm and feed” store.  The important aspect of this to remember though is that mesh or sheet metal only shields magnetic fields if the frequency is up in the RF range. To properly stop the wave, you need some iron, steel, or some slabs of thick copper.  Most electronics are useful in the VHF/UHF/SHF range today and will need more substantial protection.  Remember when you’re browsing the internet.  Protecting against sparks is not the same as protecting against a strong magnetic pulse.  

You can make your “cage” as small or as large as you’d like.  It wouldn’t be out of the question to continuously line a basement storage room or hole in the ground with copper mesh wire and a grounding rod.

Bottom line, with an appropriately constructed Faraday cage, you can likely protect that which is inside from the electromagnetic attack of an EMP incident or solar flare, thus preserving the function of all that is contained therein.   Here is a very simple example of how Faraday cages work.  (DO NOT try this at home, please)

Note that the Peeps are put into a mesh bowl and covered with a mesh cover. They are then put in the microwave.  The one Peep that wasn’t put in the microwave met his untimely death, while the others were still intact.

For a little bit of a science lesson on the workings of a Faraday cage, check out this YouTube link. The science professor is EXCELLENT.  Note though that he does say that a car is a Faraday cage, however, I want to reiterate that it is NOT sufficient to extinguish the effects of an EMP attack. 

Photo c/o physics.umd.edu/

Be selective in what you protect. It makes no sense to protect a cell phone, for example, as the cell towers will be useless.  If it were me, I would protect radios, communication devices (such as a HAM radio), batteries and all of their respective tools, thumb drives loaded with all of my vital information, and a laptop.  Keep in mind that a Faraday cage should be your LAST concern in terms of protecting every electronic that you enjoy presently.  It’s not like if you preserve your television you’re going to have any “juice” to plug it into.  Don’t focus on a Faraday cage and its time, effort, and expense at the risk of neglecting food, water, and medical supplies. It would be better for you to read up on solar power, wind and steam energy instead.

EMP 101 Series

• EMP 101: Part I–The Likelihood.
• EMP 101: Part II–The Aftermath.
• EMP 101: Part III–Prepare Medically.
• EMP 101: Part IV–Faraday Cages.
  
  Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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How to prepare medically for an EMP attack

By Kellene Bishop 

When any natural disaster hits a region there will always be devastating consequences, particularly to those who are in ill health or who rely on medications and modern technology to get through their day.  Unfortunately, without preparing medically, these individuals will be the first casualties of such a disaster.  I understand that stating such a reality doesn’t make me popular or a preferred guest at your next dinner party, but I do feel compelled to teach you the real consequences of a crisis, while also teaching you to prepare medically so you can avoid being a death statistic.

Photo c/o chip.state.il.us

First get the 10,000 foot view of how an EMP attack or a solar flare will affect your medical preparedness.  ALL electrical gidgets and gadgets will be fried and made useless, regardless of whether or not they are turned on, plugged in, or out of their styro-foam box.  So, if your “plan” is to race to Walgreens once you catch wind of an emergency, you’re in for a rude awakening.  Medical supplies such as prescriptions run on a one day delivery schedule.  That means that the most that pharmacies have on hand is ONE day of supplies for their regular number of customers.  Regular, as in a peaceful, calm, normal day.  If the “fit hits the shan,” you need to understand the mathematical problem in expecting your supplies will be on hand when you need them in a mass emergency situation.  You will have LESS than 30 minutes to get there, get it, and get out.  So you see why that’s not the best plan to prepare medically?  What you should do is to have a frank conversation with your doctor, tell him that you want and need to prepare medically for an emergency, and ask for a 1 to 3 month supply of your medications in addition to what you need to be taking.  So long as your prescription is not a controlled substance, you should be able to make a convincing argument to prepare medically.

If you are dealing with diabetic issues in which you need insulin, get what you can as a supply AND store advanced technology ice packs to prepare medically.  There are kinds of ice packs that look like a pox-marked quilt that stay frozen and distribute the cold for longer periods of time than simple ice.  There are also gel packs that can be heated or frozen.  They hold their temperature a lot longer than ice.  Keep in mind, if you store your insulin in the refrigerator, dramatically limit opening that refrigerator.  You will be able to keep it cool for a 50% longer period of time.  Other preparedness methods that you should explore are solar energy generators sufficient only to run a small refrigerator, a “solar oven” that converts to a refrigerator at night and how to construct an electricity free refrigerator (see Google).  Our forefathers did without electricity and so can we if need be.

Photo c/o ehow.com

Another suggestion to prepare medically is for you to be certain that you are storing nutritious foods.  I hear folks frequently tell me that they will be able to survive off of their food storage simply because of all of the boxes they have of Kraft Mac and Cheese.  I assure you, that is not surviving.  It’s barely even living.  In an emergency situation your body is naturally in a heightened state of stress.  Your body needs MORE nutrition to “survive”, let alone to thrive.  Stress compromises your entire health system—especially your immune system.  Having proper nutrition in a crisis situation is the utmost of importance.  Multi-vitamins, essential oils, quality grains, sprouting supplies, etc. will all be crucial to you surviving not only an existing medical crisis, but one that may occur due to your circumstances as well.  You can not underestimate the power of nutrition for your health—especially in an emergency.

It’s easy for us in this country to become complacent with all that medical technology will do for us that we aren’t willing to do for ourselves.  On New Years Day this year, I looked at my nightstand and was struck by how many prescription bottles I had that I needed to take everyday.  I suddenly became very aware of how those prescriptions would compromise my ability to survive and emergency.  Thus in the name of emergency preparedness I made a vow that I would eliminate the need for all of them this year if it were at all possible.  As of May, I have eliminated all but one of these meds by being more conscientious of what I eat, how active I am physically, and using nutrition as my medicine instead of just as my food.  (Please consult your physician before attempting this.)

Photo c/o flickr.com/photos/troikkonen

For the first 8 years of my marriage, my husband’s breakfast consisted of two handfuls of peanut M&M’s, a Cherry Coke, and a bag of Cheetos (he fondly called it “Vitamin C3”).  Throughout the day he would eat Lindt chocolate and any other kind of sweets that sounded appetizing.  I couldn’t get that man to eat veggies unless it was on a slab of beef.  Healthy, eh?  However, one day it hit him that he didn’t want to be a slave to these kinds of foods in an emergency.  So he went from a sugar addict to a “no sugar guy” overnight.  He’s now 2 years “sober”—all in the name of emergency preparedness.  He also runs up “Y” mountain in Provo, Utah every morning while stopping long enough to do a total of 600 push-ups along the way.  Each day it’s being prepared for an emergency that motivates him. (Please consult a psychologist before attempting this! )

While it’s not realistic to arm yourself with a year’s supply of medicine, you can arm yourself with as much health and strength as you can possibly store AND you can also have a year’s high-quality nutritional products on hand.  I’m not talking about diet shakes.  I’m talking about products such as Reliv, Sunrider, Young Living, Xooma’s water sachets, etc.  Worst case scenario, stocking up on some Ensure may save your life if you can’t get the other products.  I don’t recommend nutritional products such as these to make money in an “MLM.”  I recommend products like these to literally save your life.  (Which is exactly why I’m NOT going to provide you with contact information for these products. Please Google them.)  

Increase your knowledge of the use of essential oils, herbs, and alternative medicines. There is an abundance of information freely available.  Even cancer can be appeased with alternative medicine (click here) All of these chemicals we take have their own natural origins.  Go to the source.  Even diabetes can be made less severe with essential oils and herbs (click here).

Lastly, in order to prepare medically you need to keep in mind that in the event of an EMP attack, it’s not likely that you will have any notice.  Unlike a tornado warning, you won’t be able to go underground for safety.  BUT…if you DO have such a warning, then be prepared to flee into or to store vital items immediately in a Faraday cage or like protection.  (More info on that coming up this week.)  If you have a pacemaker or oxygen machine, get yourself as far below ground as possible.

The bottom line is, we do not have to be helpless medically in any event with some concentrated efforts to prepare medically now.  Remember, you won’t be able to rely on hospitals, doctors or emergency services to help amidst a catastrophic event (Think Hurricane Katrina).  But as you prepare medically, you can be self-sufficient with mental and physical preparedness now.

EMP 101 Series

• EMP 101: Part I–The Likelihood.
• EMP 101: Part II–The Aftermath.
• EMP 101: Part III–Prepare Medically.
• EMP 101: Part IV–Faraday Cages.
  

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!