According to the Washington Examiner, Earth barely missed taking a massive Carrington-class coronal mass ejection (CME) two weeks ago that was large enough to shut down power grids across the country.
A couple of weeks back, we reported on attempts to push legislation through congress that would protect the grid from these types of dangers, but according to the experts in the Examiner story, those efforts seem to have been stopped by the Obama administration.
While a massive solar flare wiping out the power grid may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, the fact is, the threat is very real. Our electric power grid is extremely old and extremely susceptible to not only the threat of solar flares, but also from EMP attacks that could shut down our power grids for years.
It’s not a matter of if, but when.
Eventually we are going to take one of these Carrington-class CMEs head on, and when that happens, this country is going to be in for a major shock. Our nations power grid is not setup to withstand one of these events, and thanks to outsourcing, we no longer have the capability to build or repair our largest transformers should they be hit.
I told my wife about this and she was like, meh. Her opinion was that since it didn’t hit us that we shouldn’t bother with it. I told her that the next one could hit us and that it was really just a matter of time until one did…maybe now, maybe years to come, but one will eventually hit the Earth and cause massive trouble for us. She was again like, meh. Why are people so gripped by normalcy bias?
Because it helps them cope with the stress and anxiety of the alternative.
the reason people are so gripped by what you call “normalcy bias” is because with this understanding of the world, we’d spend our lives in bunkers waiting for the next disaster. Some 1,000 large asteriods cross earth’s orbit every year, solar flares are common (though the likelihood of a solar flare hitting Earth through the enormity of space is pretty low. When’s the latest solar flare hitting earth incident you’ve heard of?), and countries are still in possession of nukes. Live one day at a time, because worrying about everything that could go wrong gets very little done.
I really question the article’s claim that “it’s not if but when”. Once again, space is enormous. Large solar flares aren’t all that common, and even when they do occur their odds of being directed right at the tiny space that Earth occupies are nearly discountable.
Seriously, let’s chill out
well now that comet ison is coming past the sun you should be worried a little. if a lg flare hits us we r screwed for yrs to come. and china makes our transformers .lol we couldnt even fix hurricane sandy in a decent time .
I have a question for everyone here. I live about 20 miles from a nuclear power plant so what happens if a CME happens? Will we have to run to the 50 mile radius?
Does the Government or power companies have any plans for a CME?
Please let me know so I can make plans for what to do.
I live 5 miles from a power plant. Yes, you need to get your a** out of there in a solar flare/emp scenario. You have 24 hours to 7 days before the radiation starts to leak. It depends upon whether the backup generators (gas fueled)are damaged or not. If they are working, you have a week to bug out. If they are completely destroyed, 24 hours. The 50 mile radius will be the minimum safe zone. Lets say you have packed up and have 20 hours to march to safety or if your vehicle is emp proof, drive. You will probably survive with a minimal radiation dose. Just make sure to be ready to bug out.
According to spaceweather.com, reports of a near miss by a CME in July are false.
My husband and I are prior service and have been prepping for a few years. We are trying to get some land and be ready to protect our family but we seem to be having trouble. We don’t have a lot of money and we are looking for so cheap ideas for a bunker. I was in the army for 11 years and now disabled so we can’t bug out anywhere. My husband just got out of the army after 7 years, infantry, and is doing the best we can. How do we find preppers that we can trade work for work. Please help! I have a family of 6 that I am trying to protect. Thanks!
Army vet what region are you located? How can we contact you?
True… We don’t want to be running around screaming that the sky is falling all the time, but we do still have to be prepared. I too would love to have a bunker so I could protect my family from harm if need be. But, like Army vet, I can’t afford it. My business is on the verge of closing I am sorry to say, so I don’t think I will ever be able to afford one now…..but we all do need to try to be as prepared as possible. There is no if, ands, or bits about that.
Believe it or not, watch this YouTube posting.
Solar Flare to End Humanity in 2013 – Remote Veiwing with Major Ed Dames, The Kill Shot.