The apocalyptic news even has the White House prepping. The federal government of the United States recently announced preparations to protect against a possible EMP blast.

The repercussions of the devastating solar flares would be catastrophic, taking out energy grids for months, rendering cell phones, electronic payment, and internet communication useless. The fragile $2.6 trillion economy would dissolve and everything would go dark as the desperate, unprepared masses fall into a panic.

As GPS systems shut down, people will be clueless about their location, looking around dumbfounded and afraid. GPS-dependent oil drilling would come to a halt. Train networks would stop transport. As high frequency radio communication went out, aviation would become null and void.
 

12 percent chance of EMP blackout in the next seven years

In 2012, Earth was spared as a powerful geomagnetic solar storm brushed by Earth's orbit. Scientists are predicting that this cycle of intense solar activity will continue till 2022 and believe there is a 12 percent chance Earth could be hit in the next seven years.

Space weather consultant John Kappenman puts it bluntly, "Frankly, this could be one of the most severe natural disasters that the country, and major portions of the world, could face."

Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, John P. Holdren warns, "Space weather is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has the potential to cause substantial detrimental effects on the Nation's economic and social well-being."

The White House has implemented a six-step plan, starting with the deployment of measurement equipment, which includes using the Richter magnitude scale to forecast solar events in the same way earthquakes are judged. The plan additionally calls for increasing the amount of satellites in space to give earlier warning. Space weather forecasters can currently predict a solar event only 15 to 60 minutes before it occurs. In a major power outage, there will have to be an expedient and mass effort to replace Extra High Voltage transformers. Power could go down for months even in the best circumstances.