Impact and Space Weather and How to prepare for Rare Disaster Events

...part of the extended info series on How to prepare your Personal Emergency Plan | this page is also accessed via bit.ly/SpaceWeatherPreparedness

Scenario Impact and Space Weather

Go-Bag for immediate evacuation; EVAQ8.co.uk Passionate about Emergency Preparedness

Disaster Survival Kit;EVAQ8.co.uk Passionate about Emergency Preparedness

EVAQ8.co.uk - passionate about Emergency Preparedness / assess- prepare - stay safe - recover

CME coronal mass ejection | solar storm

"Solar storms are much more likely than large asteroid strikes", according to astronomer and writer @DrStuClark quoted in New Scientist¹, and history shows that they can be devastating. The last big one, the so called 'Carrington Event' occured in September 1859, turning skies red and causing sparks to fly from telegraph machines shocking operators and causing fires. Today, this scenario would play out dramatically different. Space weather can disturb and knock out satellites, power grids and radio communications. Also see Extreme Space Weather Impact on engineered systems and infrastructure (PDF, Royal Academy of Engineering 2013), NASA FAQ on spaceweather; NOAA’s first space weather satellite DSCOVR goes operatonal 27Jul16; MetOffice space weather @MetOfficeSpace; NOAA Space Weather Scales;

2016 Solar storm scientists prepare for geomagnetic event that could destroy technology across the world for years
2015 And now, the space weather: Space weather report to keep GPS on track
2014 UK Met Office opens 'solar storm' centre
2012 Earth in for bumpy ride as solar storms hit and No room for complacency over solar storms

NOAA ACE real-time solar wind; solarmonitor.org; FlareAware

Impact

Rare events like meteor strikes or impact by space debris are difficult to anticipate and plan for. In their immediate vicinity they have the potential of being apocalyptic events; i.e. the historic Tunguska event. Not everyone wants to consider such near end-of-the-world scenarios yet we are all impacted even if they happen far away from us. Real-time tracking i.e. N2YO.com; Space Junk monitoring ie Satview.org

2015
TB145 - The Conversation: Now that’s a close shave: secrets of the Halloween asteroid headed for Earth (esp. the 'so what would happen' scenario)
M-27M unmmanned cargo space craft falling back to Earth (Guardian)

2013 Chelyabinsk, Russia 1500 people injured, 7000 building damaged (Wiki);
Accidents and Asteroids (euronews); Giant Impact Hypothesis (Wiki; some evidence 06/2014 ET, BBC)

1. ASSESS

these are rare events and difficult to plan for despite international monitoring
implications depend on size, nature of the object and impact site and may well lead to severe destruction and massive disruptions of media and supplychains

2. PREPARE

findout more and get involved i.e: Neoshield2-agents; BBC Sky at Night; Asteroid Zoo;
prepare your evacuation and disaster survival plan
stock up on emergency food supplies and waterpurification to assure safe drinking water supplies
prepare a Go-Bag and Shelter-in-Place Emergency Kit (what Kit do I need?)

3. STAY SAFE

keep informed, alternative information system outside the main grid i.e. various amateur radio, satellite phones
follow guidance of the emergency services, shelter-in place or evacuate as advised

4. RECOVER