U.S. not prepared for...

strong solar event: Solar Storms Pose Increasing Threat to Modern World. Our critical electronic infrastructure consisting of communication satellites, GPS, the electrical grid, and aviation would all experience serious disruptions. Here's a hint of things to come:

"They spoke of a solar storm in May of 1921 that stunned scientists with its power and one in March of 1989 that blacked out the entire power grid in Quebec, Canada, in just 92 seconds. In 2003, the "Halloween storm" caused a massive blackout in the Northeast U.S. and $10 billion worth of damage to electrical systems."

But they do produce incredible aurora!