The 100 million death rate in 6 months is due to large cities loosing power to operate the water and sewage systems. There will be lack of potable water in the cities and lack of sanitary facilities. This will cause cholera outbreaks and death. Then the shortage of food due to canning and freezing and delivery. The study showed 50% of new vehicles do not have Faraday cages or metal boxes around the vehicles electronics which can be fried thus immoble. Some vehicles could just turn off and restart. Some will be in parking buildings and can operate. Then there is the lack of electricity to pump the fuel into the cars and trucks. Trains can still function as they are a huge metal box anyway and are grounded. However the struggle to get food from farm to inner city markets will cause starvation. Then some people will leave the powerless cities and go into the suburbs and countryside only to find probably a buzz saw of gun owners keeping them from taking their food and supplies. Health, starvation, and self-defense along with attacks from inner city gangs will cause up to 100 million deaths.
This study was actually done by congress in the early 2,000's by the newly formed Homeland Security after 9-11. The estimated cost to upgrade the power system to EMP proof as well as the requirement of vehicle manufactures to protect their electronics. (The study had 30 different types of vehicles but they didn't say which ones were EMP proof which is a bummer).
EMP's could also shut down phones, radios, hearing aids, computers, as well as the internet. Always put surge protectors or battery backups on your computers and have a zip drive or CD backup of your records in case of computers and internet going down. A steel garbage can or military ammo box can store a spare computer or spare electronic items and shield them from an EMP as long as they are insulated from the cans themselves. An EMP blast will only last a few seconds.
The thing I am concerned about is a rogue nation such as N. Korea or Iran launching a nuke due south to come up to the US from the south and explode over Kansas or east or west of there. Our radar grid lines of defense are in Canada and the east and west coasts, but very little from the south could we detect something coming. Iran especially wouldn't care due to their religious fanaticism of dying and getting 72 virgins. They would not fear retaliation. Then just recently the sun had a huge solar flare spewing out from the southwest part of the sun. It missed earth, but this size flare spewing out when the US is facing the sun could be a disaster waiting to happen. The sun had a recorded giant solar flare observed in England in 1858 by and astronomer, and at the same time of the flare, it knocked out the telegraph system in eastern US and England. It took several days to get it back up. That was the only electronic system the world had at that time. Scientists say we are overdue for a flare of that kind hitting the US. One knocked out power in Qubec several years ago, so yes, it is possible even if just a certain area of the country. Smaller the area, the faster the power companies can get it back on. Whole US, 6 months to one year minimum estimate. Some of the equipment that could be damaged we don't even manufacture anymore. It is still being made in Germany and China due to expanding electrical needs in 3rd world countries.
Of all the senarios of SHTF, an EMP whether solar on intentional attack is one that could hurt us more than this pandemic.
Canned goods can be rotated out based on their best by dates. Acidic canned goods like tomatoes don't last as long as something like canned beans. Vitamins in foods only last about 2 year, so that is about the maximum you can store vegetables. Dehydrated foods last far longer. Rice, beans, whole wheat can last for years if kept dry and cool. Meat can be made into jerky or canned. Think non-refrigerated or frozen foods.
Having some type of water filtration system for drinking water is also a good thing to have.
