How to Prepare for a Solar Flare That Hits Earth (Because It Is Likely to Happen)

In Tom Hanks’ filmFinch, a massive solar flare destroys the ozone layer, destroying nearly all life on Earth (and leading to the invention of pesky robots). While a massive coronal ejection could indeed hit the Earth at any time – a Sun-like star 100 light-years away called EK Draconis has literally just launched one of these things – the good news is that even the worst solar storm is likely will not be so terrible. like Finch (like in the movies). Bad news: While “making pesky robots” would be nice, coronal ejection can still be pretty dire.

There is nothing humans can do to prevent solar flares other than destroying the sun, but you can still know what to expect and prepare accordingly.

Coronal mass ejection: a visually stunning catastrophe

According to NASA , coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are “large clouds of solar plasma and built-in magnetic fields released into space following a solar eruption.” If the Earth gets in the way of one of these ejections, and the ejection is powerful enough, things can go insane very quickly.

Charged particles from the Sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field will cause geomagnetic storms, illuminating the sky with bright aurora borealis that will be visible throughout the Earth. Nice, of course. But this is seriously undermining our energy system.

How bad could it be?

In 1859, Earth was hit by the largest geomagnetic storm ever recorded. The Carrington event lit up the sky so brightly that people thought it was dawn. The Northern Lights were visible even as far south as Cuba, and the nascent telegraph system went down, telegraph operators reported that their cars were shocked, or they could still send messages even if their power supplies were turned off.

It was ultimately not a disaster in 1859, but in 2021, when everything depends on electricity and data, a massive outage and loss of the Internet ( submarine data cables are especially vulnerable ) will plunge the world into significant chaos. The power grid is likely to fail as power lines over long distances will be overloaded with electrical current, causing transformers to explode. GPS systems will be useless because the satellites are short-circuited. Planes can crash into each other because they are actually flying blind. The Internet may be unavailable for several months, and the financial loss is likely to be in the trillions of dollars.

It will probably happen in your life.

The sun regularly peels off material, but it usually doesn’t hit Earth, just by accident. Eventually, however, our luck must run out. Scientists estimate that the chance of a massive coronal mass ejection hitting the Earth every 10 years is about 12 percent . This is about the same probability as a strong earthquake in California.

Here’s the good news

While there is nothing we ordinary people can do to prevent solar flares, they do not harm people and the damage to our infrastructure can be reduced. There are at least 27 separate federal programs aimed at preventing a worst-case scenario for a solar flare, and private energy companies are also developing and using technologies to counter massive power surges. On the other hand, taking action to prevent a globally predictable catastrophe is not something that we are quite great at (see pandemic).

How should you prepare for a massive solar storm?

On an individual level, preparing for a massive solar flare hitting our planet is refreshingly doable – this isn’t the zombie apocalypse or nuclear war we’re talking about. First, remember that the storm won’t hurt you, so the worst result will be that your strength and your ability to communicate with others will be a little toasty. Maybe for a few days. Maybe for a month. (Also: your 401 (k) will likely refuel as the economy rolls in.)

Long term preparation

There is nothing you can do about transformers that explode due to magnetic storms, but you can protect your home electrical system. Whenever possible, make sure your home is protected from overvoltage by using both a mains supply for the whole house and regular surge protectors for extension cords. This is a good idea for both large-scale worldwide magnetic disasters and everyday power surges.

Basic survival kit required

Like making sure your home is surge proof, putting together a basic disaster kit is a good idea – power loss can happen with earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and some drunk guy hitting a pole across the street so you want to be prepared. … There is no way to know how long the power outage will be due to a magnetic storm, so exactly how much you should cook is a personal decision. The basic survival kit principles outlined by the government seem like a good start.

However, you shouldn’t overlook the availability of cash. If international communications fail, you probably won’t be able to use the ATM, and hard currency can be very useful, especially if the failure continues for a long time.

I’m sure a lot of disaster survivors think the government’s roster is insanely inadequate, but I’m an optimist. I don’t think massive power outages around the world will plunge the world into chaos – I’m more in the camp of short-term disruption.

The day before the storm

Unlike earthquakes and nuclear attacks, we will likely have a warning of an impending magnetic storm – the Carrington event of 1859 was observed 19 hours before it hit the Earth – so you should have at least half a day to prepare for the coming troubles. Even if you didn’t prepare at all (lazy!), You can still fill up containers with water, go grocery shopping for shelf-stable items, or otherwise mentally prepare for a week or so without being able to play Apex: Legends.

It’s time to recharge all the batteries, contact your family, and make sure everyone is prepared (even if they probably think you’re crazy). When the systems go down, you won’t be able to contact anyone, and you definitely don’t want to travel while this mess is going on. The last step: unplug everything and wait for the lights in the sky.

While disaster films may involve chaos and fleeing all the shops after the announcement of impending disaster, judging by how unusual the threat is, and by the “whatever” attitude everyone had in the days leading up to the pandemic that really hit United States. I would invest my money in the masses so as not to worry until the night sky lights up like noon and TikTok crashes.