Merseyside Prepared

Lead Agency in Merseyside – Met Office

Severe space weather is a consequence of the behaviour of the Sun, the nature of Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, and our location in the solar system. The active elements of space weather are particles, electromagnetic energy and magnetic fields, rather than the more commonly known weather contributors of water, temperature and air. Magnetic fields, radiation, particles and matter which have been ejected from the Sun can interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere to produce a variety of effects.

Space weather events have always occurred, but our modern reliance on technology driven systems makes us more susceptible to the impacts.

Different systems are exposed to varying levels of risk depending on technical design, location and the type of space weather that can affect them. Our challenge is to ensure new systems are designed with appropriate engineering solutions to minimize the risk posed by space weather.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS? 

The major impacts of a severe space weather event can be divided into two areas - impacts on technology on Earth and threats to equipment and health in space and at high altitude. They include:

• Power grid outages;
• Disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) / Global Positioning Satellites (GPS);
• High Frequency (HF) radio communications outages;
• Satellite damage;
• Increased radiation levels at high altitude.

WHAT ARE WE DOING IN MERSEYSIDE?

• We have plans in place to manage and co-ordinate the agencies responding to and recovering from severe space weather events;
• Working with key stakeholders to help mitigate the impacts of such events on their core roles;
• Development of ways and means of alerting the public as early as possible when there is a significant risk from space weather.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

BEFORE

• Keep an emergency ‘grab bag’ in your home containing items such as a wind-up torch, battery powered radio, supplies of tinned food and drinking water;
• Register with your utility providers if you consider yourself to be vulnerable;
• Know where the isolation valves/stop taps are for your utilities in case of gas and water emergencies. It may be necessary to shut off the supply to every premises in the affected area;
• Be aware of neighbours who may need assistance.

 DURING

• Consider making alternate arrangements to stay with family or friends;
• Leave one light switched on so you know when the power returns;
• Limit the use of your laptop or smart phone to retain battery power;
• Keep an eye on any elderly or vulnerable neighbours;
• Unplug any sensitive appliances until your power comes back on;
• If travelling ensure you follow the highway code and use traditional based maps.

AFTER

• Check all your circuits and electronic equipment to make sure they are functioning correctly.

WHAT DO BUSINESSES NEED TO DO?

• Carry out a risk assessment to identify potential at-risk areas to your premises and look at introducing preventative measures;
• Create a Business Continuity Plan so that your employees know what to do if your business is affected by loss of critical services;
• Test your plan and adjust it where necessary to avoid complications in an emergency and make sure all your staff have copies of your plan and that they know their responsibilities in an emergency;
• Sign up for alerts from your utility providers;
• Emergency items such as flashlights, first-aid kits, drinking water, food and external batteries for electronics should be kept on-hand for situations keeping employees indoors;
• Protect your data.  In the case that your employees can’t get to the office, or if a new temporary workspace may be needed altogether, be sure your files and data are saved to an external source such as a cloud storage system so no data is lost;
• Have standby power:having a backup power source such as a generator to keep your business functioning;
• Make sure you have suitable insurance and work with your insurer to create a comprehensive business interruption plan so you suffer as little possible.