I think you're right. When one considers that a 1.44 MT bomb did substantial damage 900 miles away, taking a Polyanna-ish attitude toward the problem and to our ability to recover from it begins to look naive. A 900 mile radius translates to 2.5 million square miles. That's nearly the size of the continental United States. In a real attack on the U.S., most of the impacted area would be much closer to the blast than Hawaii was in your article.
We can speculate about EMPs all day long, but you posted a fact. There's no arguing with it. Much obliged.
Puerto Rico has 3,500 square miles and will take six months to get its power back - with our nation's assistance. If an EMP of the size in your article or larger were to be initiated over the American midwest, it would be a different story. The assistance the country would receive would be nominal at best and a long, LONG time in coming.
In my experience, folks start getting crabby when they go a day without eating. After a week, downright bitchy. On that basis, I'd say that the 90% figure in my initial story is *not* out of the question. Within 30 days, people would be killing each other . . . or starving.
| 
