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As if the Millennium Bug were not enough to contend with, there is another factor scheduled: solar flares. TIME (Sept. 9, 1996) reported: "Cosmic Storms Coming." Storm damages in the past has disrupted satellite communications.
Magnetic field lines are affected during such storms. The result: ". . . powerful currents surge through high reaches of the atmosphere, where they can utterly scramble broadcast signals. . . . These surface currents can corrode buried pipelines, interrupt transatlantic phone conversations and overheat electrical transformers. . . . The next solar maximum, due sometime in 2000, could create worse nightmares. For one thing, modern societies, with their cellular and satellite navigation and communication systems, have become more vulnerable than ever to electronic disruptions. Equally worrisome is the fact that electrical utilities have created enormous power grids in an effort to save money. The power outages that plagued the American West this summer [1996] provide a dramatic illustration of how vulnerable these systems have become."
The year 2000 poses a lot of problems. Be prepared.
For the government's technical report on flares, 2000-2005, visit the following site: http://www.sel.noaa.gov/info/Cycle23.html
For TIME MAGAZINE's summary, visit this one:
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