Reporter: "And just like that, the world is standing still. We're currently waiting for the power to resume so transactions can be made. Food, water, gas, and other things in our lives have all been based around electronic transactions for years. and with the most recent power failure everyone is beginning to get concerned about the next few hours, and without a doubt because of the severity of the situation there's a worry about whats to come in the next few days if it doesn't return." What happens next to society?
To be fair the camera probably runs on Li ion batteries and the van would have a stand by generator - but who's she broadcasting too if all the TV sets and radios got fried. If all the electronics are out though, you've got bigger worries than not being able to access your bank account - like planes falling out of the sky, and cars not being able to run. People out in the sticks would probably be okay with stand by generators and stocks of food - but in cities pretty soon you're going to see rioting and social disorder and how to the police respond if their cars won't start and they can't communicate effectively because the phone network and the control centre for their radios are both fried
She's talking into a mirror, in hopes that power resumes shortly in her area. She's never gone without power before and her typical warm up routine is done in front of the camera which she watches later on the crew's van telescreens to get comfortable in front of before going live, but her option is now just a mirror... The area she lives in is typically one of the most populated centers of her part of the world and when power resumes would be expected to receive it first. The initial broadcast after the event would be the first seen (locally and then into the outlying sectors) she's a "first on the scene" sort of reporter. Let's say she gets power, and finds out it'll take months to get power outside of the major cities all across the world. The connections have all been fried and severed to everything not within a very short distance from the power stations. A world of paperless currency system now reverting from it's system.
You'll need to figure out what kind of EMP you're dealing with - like, how intense it is, etc. My understanding is that a bad EMP wouldn't just take out the grid, it would fry all the electronic equipment itself. So getting power back wouldn't do much good, since there wouldn't be anything left to use the power. You can find quite a few survivalist-type websites on predicted effects of an EMP and the ripple effect it would have. You'll also want to explore the source of the EMP - one from a nuclear blast would probably have a different range and set of issues than one from a CME (on the sun) or a meteor. And if the EMP were deliberate I'd expect a follow-up attack from whomever initiated the crisis. I don't think any EMPs are likely to affect the entire globe, though, or at least not with the same level of intensity. So you'd probably want to figure out where your EMP is centred and whether that country has allies who wouldn't be affected who could help out, etc. Short version: there are a lot of variables you'll need to look at. The lack of currency would be one issue, but depending on how big your EMP is, I wouldn't think it would be the most immediately pressing. If you're going for worst-case-scenario, I'd say the lack of a functioning government (which would include, among other issues, a lack of functioning currency) would be pretty huge.
Mostly it'll fry anything electronic not specifically hardened against it which is operating at the time - so military equipment will mostly be okay, but civilian equipment mostly won't. You could expect to see planes crashing, either falling out of the sky or unable to land. Power won't come back on any time soon as power station control boards will be U/S and nuclear reactors will have scrammed when they lost control. Lack of currency will be the least of anyone's problems - after all you can just go and take food if you have to, but lack of communications, transport, running water etc will pretty soon lead to civil disorder and either anarchy or martial law (given that the police won't be able to organise to contain trouble so the army would have to get involved) If we are talking an operation light switch type scenario (ie a nuke detonated in the ionosphere - light switch was the american name for that attack option during the cold war) your major problem will be follow up ... likewise in an alien attack. If its a natural event it is likely to be much less targetted but also less pronounced. The likelihood of anyone giving much of a toss about a reporter in the ensuing mayhem will be slim given that she won't be able to report anything with TV , radio and internet off the air. Currency wise - in the short term it will be a non event with supplies either looted/taken or distributed by an armed force , in the long term the market will operate as it always does in wartorn countries on barter - cigarettes, bullets, food, sexual favors etc
