Collapse You're on Your OwnOne Friday night in mid January, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) struck the United States, knocking out the nation's electrical grid and thrusting the country into cold darkness. The streets and highways are littered with stalled vehicles and confused occupants. Communications, electricity, banking, running water, sanitation services, and food deliveries are things of the past. People are stunned and desperate. They don't understand what has happened.