I wonder about "Jericho"

I watch the TV show Jericho for many reasons. Being a military man it interests me on one level, and I like some of the characters. I do wonder about the technology and background. Some of it is probably wrong (not that I'm sure which parts) and some of it is certainly missing. The lack of any military personnel (isn't anyone in the whole town a reservists or guardsman?) is clearly because the writers wanted it that way; I don't think it's that realistic.

The bombs apparently had limited effect (a few big cities) but the later EMP strike seems to have caused a lot more damage. I'm not clear who has the capability to do EMP strikes on purpose as opposed to by accident. They are an effect of nuclear air bursts but they seem more a literary device than real technology, probably because the writers don't understand or care about the technology, but just do what they want to do to make a good story. The lack of any communication with the outside seems ... odd. Somebody would have gotten a working radio grid going.

The fuel situation confuses me. Being an engineer who has built refineries and pipelines, I cannot really figure out what is going on. Refineries are not built in big cities and are not heavily dependent on electricity and have their own generators. I highly suspect that most of the refineries are still working and without those big cities to serve there really should be plenty of fuel. The power grid is another question. Maybe that EMP thing did something, but power plants are not in the big cities hit by the bombs.

Anyway, it's a show about people in a situation that the writers created, just like all science fiction. It's about the people; the background is just made up.