How to Plan for an EMP/CME Disaster: Your Pulse Against the Blackout
EMP/CME disasters are silent tech-killers—electromagnetic pulses from bombs or coronal mass ejections from the sun fry circuits, grids, and gadgets in a flash. Power’s gone, cars stall, and comms die, hurling you back to the stone age.
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial. It can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an electric field, as a magnetic field, or as a conducted electric current.
The photo at the top is from the ISS of aurora australis during a geomagnetic storm on 29 May 2010. The storm was most likely caused by a CME that had erupted from the Sun on 24 May 2010, five days prior to the storm.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) is sometimes referred to as a solar EMP. A burst of plasma from the sun and accompanying magnetic field is ejected from the solar corona and released into the solar wind.
I’m fascinated by EMP/CME disasters. I have read several book series about them and what people do to survive afterward. Both were very gritty, fun to read, and informative.
How Will You Plan for an EMP/CME Disaster?
At GoldenSurvivalist.com, we don’t short-circuit—we spark back. Here’s your plan to face an EMP or CME and keep your edge in the dark.
Related: How To Prepare Your Home to Protect Seniors in an EMP or CME Disaster
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, meaning I will get a small commission for qualifying purchases at no extra cost to the buyer.
Step 1: Catch the Pulse Before It Drops
EMPs hit instant—military blasts or high-altitude nukes with no warning but a flash. CMEs growl slower: solar flares spike, NOAA’s space weather screams G5—geomagnetic storms inbound. Radios crackle, lights flicker pre-hit. X.com might hum with aurora chasers or grid-watchers. Tech’s fragile—sniff the static.
Step 2: Wire a Plan That Stays Live
Hunker down—home’s your bunker when grids collapse. Stock a no-tech haven: manual tools, food, light. Practice a 1-hour unplug—crew shifts to analog fast. Set a fallback—barter spot or off-grid kin if it drags months. Drill it—when circuits fry, you ignite.
"One of the best apocalyptic series of the year! Unputdownable!" -Book Riot
In the dead of winter, an EMP attack destroys the U.S. power grid.
No electricity. No cars or phones. The country is plunged into instant chaos.
But for Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life. For the last five years, she's been the captive of a sadistic psychopath--until the EMP releases the lock of her prison.
Battered but not broken, she emerges from her underground cell into a hostile winter wilderness with nothing but the clothes on her back and her determination to survive.
Reclusive Special Forces soldier Liam Coleman is headed nowhere fast. He believed he was prepared for any disaster. Then, everything he cared about was taken from him in a matter of seconds.
Two hundred frozen, perilous miles stand between Hannah and Liam and their destination in rural Michigan.
But the killing cold isn't the only threat, for Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go...
When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.
From USA Today Bestselling Author Kyla Stone comes the acclaimed Edge of Collapse series, a post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller featuring complex characters and high-octane action adventure. Perfect for fans of The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, SILO, and The Road.
*Million copy bestseller*
*Amazon Top 100*
*Kindle All-Star Award Winner*
*This is the first book in a series. Rated PG-13 for mild language and moderate violence*
Praise for Edge of Collapse:
"I started reading an EMP Apocalypse book and came out with so much more than I ever could have imagined! I'm pretty sure I read the majority of this book with my mouth hanging open in shock. Five stars!" -Amazon reviewer
"Intense and spellbinding and you won't want to put it down except to catch your breath!" -Amazon reviewer
"This one kept me on the edge of my seat, up past my bedtime with nonstop tension. I love post-apocalyptic fiction, and Kyla Stone is one of the best in this genre." -Amazon reviewer
"I woke up at midnight to read this book when it was released. Kyla, you have once again outdone yourself with this series, which is like no other I've read!" -Amazon reviewer
"Wow! What a story! A nail-biting apocalyptic end of the world scenario. Five stars!" -Amazon reviewer "I absolutely loved the twist to the normal EMP story! What an action-packed and emotional story. I can't wait to see what happens next."-Amazon reviewer
"I am an avid post-apocalyptic reader, but this book combines that genre with a suspense/thriller component and is a step above the usual Post Apocalypse fiction. Five stars!" -Amazon reviewer
"A thrilling read from start to finish!" -Amazon reviewer
If the power grid fails, how far will you go to survive?
Madison spends her days tending plants as an agriculture student at the University of California, Davis. She plans to graduate and put those skills to work only a few hours from home in the Central Valley. The sun has always been her friend, until now.
When catastrophe strikes, how prepared will you be?
Tracy starts her morning like any other, kissing her husband Walter goodbye before heading off to work at the local public library. She never expects it to end, fleeing for her life in a Suburban full of food and water. Tackling life’s daily struggles is one thing; preparing to survive when it all crashes down is another.
The end of the world brings out the best and worst in all of us.
With no communication and no word from the government, the Sloanes find themselves grappling with the end of the modern world all on their own. Will Madison and her friends have what it takes to make it back to Sacramento and her family? Can Tracy fend off looters and thieves and help her friends and neighbors survive?
The EMP is only the beginning.
Darkness Begins is book one in After the EMP, a post-apocalyptic thriller series following the Sloane family and their friends as they attempt to survive after a geomagnetic storm destroys the nation’s power grid.
Related: How to Care for Senior Pets During an EMP or CME Disaster
Preparing for an EMP or CME Disaster: Seniors’ Survival Guide
Step 3: Pack a Kit to Outlast the Surge
EMP/CME blacks you out—stock for 14-30 days:
- Light: Lanterns, batteries, hand-crank flashlights—grids won’t save you.
- Food: Canned, dry—beans, jerky, no fridge needed.
- Comms: Hand-crank radio—AM/FM lasts when cell towers crash.
- Health: Meds, first-aid—hospitals go dark too.
- Tools: Faraday pouch, manual can opener—shield what works, use what doesn’t.
Stash it in a metal box—EMP-proof—check it; fried gear’s dead weight.
Step 4: Shield Your Base From the Shock
Faraday cages—wrap radios and spare chargers in foil or bins—block the pulse. Stock gas, candles—power’s toast. Go manual—hand pumps, maps—tech’s a ghost post-hit. Generator? Bury fuel—keep it safe from sparks. Every layer keeps you humming when the world stalls.
Step 5: Thrive When the Grid Goes Dead
Unplug fast—surges torch plugged gear. Navigate old-school—compass, stars—GPS is junk. Post-pulse, barter—cash dies, goods rule. Stay sharp—chaos breeds looters. You’re the current when all else cuts out.
Final Thoughts
EMPs and CMEs zap the wired, but we endure. Know the flare, lock your plan, pack your kit, brace your tech, and stay live. When the pulse hits, you’re the one still standing, not scrambling. Act now—the sun’s restless, and bombs don’t wait. Stay charged, stay alive!
