Video: Could a Solar Storm Shut Down the Power Grid?

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The Weather Channel video above shows recent solar storms on the surface of the Sun. According to this article, such storms will only increase into 2013. This could spell disaster for power grids across the planet.

What are the odds? Pretty good, astronomically speaking:

Some U.S. experts estimate as much as a 7 percent chance of a superstorm in the next decade, which seems a slight risk, but the effects would be so wide-ranging — akin to a major meteorite strike — that it has drawn official concern.

Although the likelihood of this kind of geomagnetic storm, like a big hit from a space rock, is extremely low, its impact would be great. By comparison, the probability of a large meteorite hitting Earth is at some fraction of 1 percent.

If recent events are any indication, such an outage could take nations weeks, months or even years to repair. Power failure disrupted 600 million in India. The northeast United States went into a blackout following severe Earth-bound storms. The damage from these events are still being assessed. One can only imagine what havoc a planet-wide would cause.

While there's nothing anyone can do to prevent a major solar storm, there is plenty for preppers. Start here with 30 Items for a Home Survival Kit. Then up your preparedness with the Stay Alive book for advanced survival information.

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