36 Hours: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series by Bobby Akart Read Free Book Online Page B

prediction at zero hour,” asked the senior scientist.
    “R5, extreme—a complete high-frequency radio blackout on the entire sunlit side of Earth, lasting for hours, if not days. Airline travel will need to be halted, and oceangoing vessels will need to be notified well in advance.”
    “Radiation?”
    “Yes, sir. Our scale predicts extreme as well. An S5 radiation storm is likely. All aircraft passengers will be exposed to radiation at high altitudes. NASA should abort any EVA, extravehicular activity. Many satellites will be rendered useless, in some cases permanently.”
    The senior scientist rubbed his temples and walked around the room. He glanced up at the observation auditorium and noticed the schoolkids for the first time. None of them were speaking and the tour guide was staring back at him. He tried not to show any concern and managed a smile as he turned back to his team.
    “Call out the G-scale effects.”
    “Sir, I’m predicting a geomagnetic storm of the highest level, a G5. We are predicting a massive voltage control failure across all interconnected power grids. Transformers will experience damage resulting in blackouts and, potentially, collapse.”
    “ETA?”
    “We predict the initial impact in higher latitudes will be felt within twenty hours. At that time, there is the potential for widespread voltage control problems, and some protective systems will mistakenly trip out key assets from the grid. NASA will need to be advised that unavoidable radiation hazards to their astronauts will be experienced. Likewise, passengers in high-flying aircraft may be exposed to radiation. Radio blackouts will become more prevalent.”
    “What’s the zero hour?” he asked as he slumped in his chair and prepared to pick up the receiver for the requisite call to Kathryn Sullivan, the Under Secretary of Commerce who acted as the administrator of NOAA.
    “Sir, we are forecasting full impact to Earth in approximately twenty-four hours as an X58 solar event.”
     

Chapter 11
    25 Hours
    10:17 p.m., September 7
    Ryman Residence
    Belle Meade, Tennessee
     
    “Here it is, Mom,” said Alex as she navigated the cursor onto the YouTube channel of Dr. Andrea Stanford. Using the moniker Space Weather Woman, she provided constant updates on her website and via YouTube presentations. She’d been featured in numerous television documentaries and on The Weather Channel. “Dr. Stanford just uploaded it. Look at all of the views already!”
    “Does that read four thousand?” asked Madison, pointing at the bottom of the computer monitor. “And when was it uploaded?”
    “Yes, Mom. She uploaded it seven minutes ago and it’s going viral. Let’s watch it.”
    Alex increased the volume on her speakers and used the cursor to hit the play icon on the screen. Dr. Stanford came to life. She was pointing to a newspaper headline image, which read Minivan destroyed after GPS leads driver onto MBTA tracks . Accompanying the headline was a minivan ripped in half by a commuter train in the Boston area.
    “ Now, we’ll start this forecast by reminding you how important it is to pay attention to space weather. This happened a month ago when a mother and two children barely escaped alive when the car’s GPS unit steered them onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Sadly, this event occurred while the northern hemisphere was under a G3 geomagnetic storm warning, which disrupted GPS units and radio broadcasts . Had a more public warning of this G3 event been given, the mother might not have relied upon her GPS as she did under normal solar conditions. ”
    Madison pulled up a chair. “My God, those poor people.”
    “Look, Mom, the views are approaching ten thousand.”
    “ From my last update, where we announced an X2.2 flare and the launch of a solar storm, we now have a new active region that has crossed the solar disc, which has been identified as AR3222. By new, however, I mean old. AR3222 has grown in size to encompass