There are acts of nature and God which cannot be predicted, but are predictable. The super hurricane that comes along every 100 years; the 9.0 plus earthquake that comes but once a century; the near record flooding of the Mississippi River as we’ve just seen – all inevitable, and known calamities which have occurred…and will occur again – with great, albeit infrequent, regularity.
This animated set of images is updated automatically with the latest solar imagery from the space weather satellites of NOAA.
This is where we are now. Space weather events, in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, are ramping up to what is called the “solar maximum”—the peak of sunspot activity within an 11-year solar cycle. Over the next two years (2012 and 2013) we will experience a high point of our sun’s ability to “make” weather – the outgrowth of which could be a naturally-occuring electromagnetic pulse (EMP) caused by a direct “hit” from an Earth-bound coronal mass ejection (CME). In fact, we may be entering one of the most active and dangerous solar maximum periods in centuries.
Is there anything we can do to stop a great geomagnetic storm which would produce a natural EMP? Well – no – not really. No more than we can do anything to limit the progress of the thunderstorms and tornados that plague the central and southern parts of America every year as the seasons change. And unfortunately, we are overdue for an “extreme storm event”—a major disturbance for which there is approximately a “1-in-100 year probability” over the North American continent . It’s inevitable.
But – there are things we CAN do to be prepared to survive the inevitable extreme solar storm that will affect our way of life; we can chose to self-mitigate.
Web citations for solar maximum:
Tornados are quick kinetic actions (not to be mistaken for the type of military action predicted by our leadership for resolving the Libya situation…but I digress) that can be amazingly random in their targets for destruction…and there is little that one can do but find adequate shelter and wait for the passing of the twister. As bad as even the worst tornadoes are, the damage is generally localized. In many ways, as hard as this may be to comprehend, a geomagnetic storm of sufficient strength, could prove to be far worse in the long run than any outbreak of tornado activity. And here’s why:
Web citation for geomagnetic storms:
There would be no escape from the effects of a great geomagnetic storm and a resultant EMP on our power grid should Earth experience a direct hit of a CME of sufficient strength The force could take out the power grid of an entire hemisphere – yes – we are talking about the potential of a planetary disaster.
Just this year, on the 14th of February, Earth was said to have “dodged” a severe geomagnetic storm, yet parts of the Chinese power grid and telecommunications system suffered from the glancing blow. In 1978, EMP caused by a solar storm resulted in the loss of power generators operating the cooling system of the New Jersey Elisabeth nuclear power plant, which could potentially have been a disaster of catastrophic proportions. Historical data on these and other geomagnetic storms demonstrates the need for preparation.
But why is preparation more important now than at any other time in the history of mankind? Because the massive electronic and transistor-heavy backbone we all use and depend on everyday – for EVERY aspect of life—is a relatively recent aspect of civilization. We are beyond being addicted to power – it is as important to our modern society as is clean water. However, we have done little to protect and preserve this resource from catastrophic failure. And with the upcoming two years of high solar activity, the odds of a major Earth-bound CME and subsequent EMP event are beyond likely – they are inevitable. The question of severity and the exact location of the terrestrial strike are the only unknowns.
One thing everyone needs to do is call for the passage of House Resolution 668 – the Shield Act – which would harden our power grid, once implemented, and lessen the severity of any solar event. Even if this bill passed tomorrow, however, it would take time to implement – and when fully enacted it would not help individuals and families survive the initial onslaught of a catastrophic solar EMP event. While the initial loss of life of an extreme solar storm would likely be minimal to zero, the power grid (generating stations, relay stations, switches, etc) could be damaged by EMP in such a way that recovery would be unlikely to occur in days, weeks or months.
In a massive EMP event what would you do? How would you survive a week without power? A month? Several Months? Could you?
Without power, there is no ability to refine fuel or conduct electronic bank transactions – no ATMs, only cash…how much cash do you have on you-this very moment-as you read this? How long would that last you? Your family?
What would you do after a week – after your car is out of gas and there is no more to be found? What would you do if the local food store was emptied and there was no hope that trucks would be coming to resupply anytime soon, since there is no way to operate fuel pumps to fill the trucks?
Sound like a nightmare? It is… an unfortunately real and inevitable nightmare. Like the 9.0 plus earthquake in California, or a category 5 hurricane hitting Florida, it will happen…it is just a matter of when.
EMPact America is working to see key legislation implemented that would protect the American people and limit the damage of solar or manmade EMP events…but every individual and family should be prepared to survive for some period of time without power. This is your challenge – to survive for an extended period of time during which the very fabric of our society, driven by electricity, is down…
Now is the time for everyone – you and I – to think about what we MUST do to ensure the survival of our family and loved ones. How much is enough – how much food, water, medicine – is enough? A “survival kit” is key and necessary…and this will be the focus of my next post.
