It is so easy to make fun of someone for being concerned about a possible disaster down the road...because, after all, such things happen so very rarely.
Except that IF this one happens, our highly technological, highly inter-dependent society will be destroyed. For lack of a few thousand transformers.
Oh, it DIDN’T happen before - the 1859 Carrington Event did occur, of course, but what kind of electrical infrastructure did we or anyone else have then? So a few telegraph systems - steam powered, mind you - went down for a while. They produced food the old fashioned way, with horses and plows - no electricity required. They pumped water manually (or with steam engines - rather robust in comparison to ultra-miniaturized microcircuits, wouldn’t you say?), and medical care sucked anyway (but did so without electricity or medications that needed to be refrigerated). In other words, people 150 years ago knew how to live in what we consider primitive conditions. We don’t, and even if we did, such technology wouldn’t support our population.
Look, we are 300 million in this nation, 6+ billion worldwide. Those figures (or anything close to it) are ONLY possible because of mass electrification, mass use of petrochemicals, mass use of fertilizers, etc. It is an extraordinarily complex machine, but not very robust compared to either a Carrington-type event or an EMP.
All we need to do is have some equipment in reserve, and a plan, and it won’t be a megadisaster, merely a disaster on the scale of several simultaneous Katrinas (which would be bad enough, to be sure, but our nation would survive). The cost would be far, far less than 1/10 that of the so-called stimulus bill, and would actually create jobs here.
But let’s ridicule the article, let’s not take a potentially civilization-busting event and turn it into a SNL skit.
BTW, I stand to make exactly nothing from any of the steps necessary to preserve civilization from this event - I’m not in any related business, nor is anyone in my family. This is just common sense, to invest a little in true disaster insurance - kind of like looking for Earth-busting asteroids. Very low probability, but extraordinarily high loss events, to be sure...but that’s not a gamble I wish to take.
It falls in the category of:
Asteroids / killer comets
Super Volcanos
Giant Tsunamis / global warming
California sliding off into the ocean
Pandemic flu / killer virus
Gamma ray bursts
Invasion by aliens
Nuclear war
Sudden Ice age
Look, there are always things that can might could possibly some time in the future, destroy civilization. The best that you can do for you and your family is to 1) have a reasonably secure location, 2) be able to defend that location, 3) be able to sustain yourself and your family for any non-life threatening injuries, 4) be prepared for water shortages via filtration / storage, 5) be prepared for food shortages, and 6) be prepared to “bug out” to an alternate location.
This is standard urban / modern survival. I’ve been prepared for a number of years now and continue to improve my situation.
If the transformers are the points of failure, it would seem that some engineering would be in order, so as to tolerate events like this by cutting out until the electromagnetic environment becomes safe again. At least the flares are not threatening to do what a man made EMP would.
I believe the gov't does have...in case of an electro magnetic attack -
But we folk should have at least rudimentary supplies at home.
I grew up on a farm in the north woods where people lived without power.'
WE heated with wood, hot water in the tank on the side of the stove, water pump on the sink, kerosene lamps at night.
A year's supply of food on hand - in the gardens, cold cellars, canning jars - meat in the woods and the barn; milk and butter from the cows; chicken and eggs in the coop; fish in waters.
It was a great life.
FAst forward a few decades and different place.
During the '100 year Ice Storm' of 1998, I was without electricity for 19 days. Most people had to go to motels or other shelters. I was able to stay home as I have a wood stove and lamps, providing heat, a way to cook and heat water, and I have my kerosene lamps.
The worst part was having to haul water from the fire station...I longed for the old farm and the water pump.
I could go back to those days in a heartbeat - except I'd want my tub and hot water spigot - and my 'puter. Don't need a TV - hardly ever watch it now.
But people are way too complacent - 'it'll never happen to me' attitude is going to catch a lot people with their pants down one day.