Originally Posted By: page 77 of report
While a severe storm is a low-frequency-of-occurrence event, it has the potential for long-duration catastrophic impacts to the power grid and its users. Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures, with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in about 12-24 hours; and immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply, and so on.


So basically your normal preparations for loss of power should work, but you might be looking at a longer timeline.

Solar storms have caused power outages before, one example they give on page 16 and page 18 is the 1989 Quebec power outage.
Steps are being taken to make power systems less vulnerable. The fact that there are conferences like the one your link reports is actually encouraging.
The report is an interesting read, but not really earth shattering.

edit:
As they say on page 88,
Quote:
To understand the full potential impacts of a severe space weather event requires understanding not just direct impacts—e.g., disruption to electric power grids—but also the indirect impacts—e.g., how loss of electric power may affect delivery of other services, in computing, transportation, health care, and so on.


Edited by scafool (03/28/09 09:23 PM)
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May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.