Disaster Dictionary

A device capable of creating an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). These devices are destructive to electronics and pose a real threat to infrastructures such as power grids, information technology, and banking. EMP generators can range in size from hand-held to larger units requiring a cargo van for concealment. The risk of such devices was first discovered in the 1950s when a high-altitude nuclear test over the South Pacific resulted in power system failures as far away as Hawai'i.