We really need to start harden our grid and in all ways prepare for something like this. It will happen again and I suspect we will say: “no one could have predicted it” once it does.
https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsFeatures/2020/Pages/New-ca...
Telegraph operators were able to communicate even though disconnected during the event.
>the Miyake Events (including the newly discovered 14,300-yr-old storm) would have been a staggering entire order-of-magnitude greater in size
and that now 9 of them have been found.
The following links the 2017 Fusa Miyaki-led PNAS paper (complete) concerning 'Large 14C excursion in 5480 BC..."
In the future it won’t be “this bridge is good for 1 in 100 year storm” but “this bridge has a 99.99% chance of surviving every storm during its design life.” That will include the very rare events beyond the 100 year horizon.
It's really not that hard to see this isn't a binary choice.
If the grid collapses in any meaningful way because of a solar storm, we're all f'ed, try rebuilding the grid without a grid. Something tells me this won't happen.
I'm guessing what actually happens is a few breakers trip, the grid is out for a few days and we're back up and running a few days later.
SCADA controlled water pumps never cared what the date was, maybe it ran on the cycle for the wrong day and the backup kicked in, big whoop.