Well we don't really know when the magnetic field will drop, or for how long, or how much warning we'll get. Maybe its next year, or maybe we still have a couple hundred years. I think the most important thing is to EXPAND humanity (caps just for emphasis, I'm not shouting). I think we're rational beings, and we should push our inventions as far as we can imagine. Someday, we might colonize other worlds - but to do that, we have to prove that we can colonize the more favorable conditions on earth, like the deep ocean and Antarctica. I'm all forcolonizing Mars, but if we haven't even tried colonizing the oceans, much less Antarctica, then we simply don't have the know-how to do it. And its more than just living there - it has to be self sufficient, meaning local manufacturing.

The potential radiation issues can be engineered around. A wire cage over the whole top could be enough to protect the more delicate electronics. The most important thing is to start doing it. Next time someone tries it, they need to bring bazookas, to keep the governments off their backs.