Only fourteen minutes before did scientists discover the coronal mass ejection. People did what they could to prepare, but it was too late to do much. The grid was going down, and everyone was hysterical trying to figure out how they would survive.
Except Jerry. Jerry just sat on his porch sipping lemonade. He'd been waiting for this day for a long time.
In the shed behind Jerry's house was the EMP Reversal Module. He'd built it in preparation for any global war that might come, but a geomagnetic storm would suffice.
Everyone was still screaming when the lights went out. Whether they screamed louder afterwards, or if it just sounded louder from the lack of sight was unclear, but it didn't matter. Moments later Jerry's house lit up.
Bright lights shone all around the house, and whirring sounded from within. Four silos emerged from his roof, then opened up revealing four ceiling fans. They unfolded with just enough clearance to each rotate without touching each other.
The house lifted up from the ground, bathing the surrounding area in an eerie white glow. It remained there until the sunrise, when it soared up into the clouds. Up from the hole the house left behind followed several large airships.
Each one inflated and unfurled as they emerged. They followed the house, surrounding it in the sky, and then connected each other with various ramps and wires. Out from the center of each ship unfolded several structures, and when the deployment was complete, a small city floated in the sky.
The most catastrophic geomagnetic storm in recorded history was the catalyst for a new era of living. A third dimension for people to reside. Efficiency was the way of the future, whether people liked it or not. No longer would they ride around polluting the atmosphere. Instead, they would soar among the atmosphere, letting natural buoyancy carry them. Or they could choose to live in the darkness below; no doubt, many would still choose that.