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Two weeks ago, the Earth came close a catastrophe from a nuclear flare from the sun. Massive surges of energy or electromagnetic pulses, known as EMP’s, could have knocked out electrical equipment all over the planet.

In 1989, an EMP knocked out Quebec, Canada’s electrical transmission system and this year in May, one of the largest solar flares ever recorded took place. The chance of a major solar flare hitting the Earth by 2020 is 1 in 8. A solar flare could knock out electronic equipment worldwide but not all experts agree that solar flares are predictable. Their motto is ‘Don’t panic but prepare’. A solar storm would be a challenge but not cataclysmic.

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