EMPs and Solar Storms
You can kill two birds with one stone and be ready for solar storms by preparing for an EMP, thus shielding sensitive equipment and the like and protecting it all from both events. The big event associated with the sun that we must be aware of is the Coronal Mass Ejection, or CME. These CME’s are huge heated plasma eruptions from the sun that are highly magnetic in nature, “vomited” into space by the sun. These flares are no light, laughing matter: the “vomitus” is equivalent to hundreds of millions of megatons being detonated…picture a 1 megaton nuclear warhead…multiplied 200 million times!
Gamma rays and X-rays are sent forth, and in addition charged particles are accelerated to almost reach the speed of light. The problems arise when all of this “confetti” reaches the earth…and affects the earth’s ionosphere and its magnetic field. Most communications can be brought to a standstill and GPS becomes next to worthless. These storms can also destroy satellites orbiting the earth and render them “dead” in terms of use.
Power Grids Will Cease
The power grids (almost all of them) have no protection from such an onslaught. Catastrophic damage can be rendered to the transformers with an overload, causing overheating and even explosions to those without the proper shielding. In the fairly recent past, the U.S. experienced the Carrington Storm of 1859 that gave rise to the name of a CME-precipitated storm as a Carrington Event. If such a storm occurred today, the entire grid system of the U.S. would be wiped out. In fact, in recent years, a U.S. Congressman urged protection for power grids stating that an EMP attack “could bring our civilization to a cold, dark halt.”
In October of 2011, the NOAA instituted a program named Enlil that can give at least 6 hours of warning before a solar storm hits the earth. In addition, SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) has 6 detectors that measure everything from solar winds to movements and oscillations on the surface of the sun. These early warning devices are mostly managed by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
The Carrington Event-class super-solar storm occurs usually only once every century or so. Back in the 1859 storm, people saw the aurora’s of earth’s atmosphere so charged up that they thought the land was on fire and that cities were burning. Power and telegraph lines were completely knocked out of commission. More recently, in March 13 of 1989 the Quebec, Canada blackout occurred where 6 million people lost power in less than two minutes. That storm was not even 1/3 as powerful as the 1859 Carrington storm.
The Time To Prepare for Solar Storms and EMPs Was Yesterday
Faraday cages and grounding rods for large room-sized cages are the way to go with protecting electronic equipment. Should you have it protected for the likelihood of an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse), it will be more than sufficient to shield the equipment from a solar flare or Carrington Event. The time to prepare is yesterday! There are many books and resources that will help you to be able to shield the electronic devices you wish to save. Solar storms are no joking matter; however, with the proper precautions you can protect against them as you protect your home, family, and supplies with any other disaster, be it natural or man-made. Understanding them is the key, and I encourage you to research the topic continually, as new information always comes to light with time. Have a great day, and keep up the fight!
JJ
One has to remember that solar storms and EMP are similar but also way different. Carrington type events are huge but extremely low frequency events. So, while long wire lines and pipe lines are in danger, they can’t fry your computer if it is unplugged. Also, there is six to thirty six hours advance notice before the SHTF on earth. Preparation means minimal problems from this event. Nuclear EMP events are the opposite side of the same coin. No warning, Super or Extremely High Frequency, and able to fry isolated electronic devices. This is the one that requires Faraday cages, bonding, and even lightning rods. The good news here is that “size matters” meaning that small fry like Kim aren’t up to it, yet. [Think of an ICBM that can place a 20MT device 200 miles above the US-Canadian border and then ask who could do that? The answer is five countries that all have something to lose, US, UK, France, Russia, and China, so that event is not likely.]