Because the probability
of a large Near Earth Object impact is so incredibly low,
it really doesn't make sense to try and prepare for such a
disaster. However, if you are prepared for more likely disasters
such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes then you would
be reasonably well prepared to handle the most likely problems
from an NEO impact - namely a shortage of food and water.
Click here for general information
on preparing for disasters.
Of
all natural disasters, an asteroid impact is the only type
that is possible to predict and prevent. Scientists have been
studying ways to detect and deflect (change their direction)
NEOs. It is estimated that we would need to know about an
impact at least 10 years ahead of time. That may seem like
a long time but most objects in space have predictable movement
so if we have discovered the object we can track it (of course
this would not help for objects we have not discovered). With
a 10-year warning we would have enough time to send spacecraft
to try and deflect it. While such concepts have been studied,
there is no active plan. Still, without a way to defend against
an impact, we could at least prepare for a known event and
evacuate the impact area.
