NASA: Impact of Solar Flare
NASA’s 132-page report, entitled Severe Space Weather Events — Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts, paints a pretty grim picture of the damage that could occur in the USA (and presumably elsewhere in the world) due to severe space weather:
According to the report, power grids may be more vulnerable than ever. The problem is interconnectedness. In recent years, utilities have joined grids together to allow long-distance transmission of low-cost power to areas of sudden demand. On a hot summer day in California, for instance, people in Los Angeles might be running their air conditioners on power routed from Oregon. It makes economic sense—but not necessarily geomagnetic sense. Interconnectedness makes the system susceptible to wide-ranging “cascade failures.”…He found more than 350 transformers at risk of permanent damage and 130 million people without power. The loss of electricity would ripple across the social infrastructure with “water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, fuel re-supply and so on.”
The solution is a more sturdy electric infrastructure. Who knows if or when that will occur. Meanwhile the severe space weather could happen at any time, even tomorrow.
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I truly hate to say it,but because New Orleans was/is pretty much minority populated
(or at least the poor who do not have the financial means to evacuate) There was not
a tremendous amount of energy put into the rescue of the survivors of Katrina.
Hopefully,because EMP’s are FOR REAL and not something dreamed out of
1950′s science fiction,And because they will effect everyone,something will be done
to”shore up” the grid system.
I would not like to see the outcome of the world if the grid went down.I personally have
more than just HURRICANE supplies in the way of food/water,etc.Living in SW Forida
that is always a given,but I believe this threat is real and I have experienced more than
10 days without power and it is unpleasant,not just inconvenient.