Could a really large flare kill people on Earth?

NASA scientists answer some frequently asked questions about the sun, space weather, and the effects on Earth. Each video is one or more scientists responding to the question above it.
The scientists interviewed are:

Dr. Holly Gilbert, NASA Heliophysicist
Dr. Alex Young, NASA Heliophysicist
Dr. Phil Chamberlin, NASA Research Heliophysicist and SDO Deputy Project Scientist

Phil: Solar flares can't kill people, there's not enough energy that gets down here to the surface where humans live. We're protected by the Earth's atmosphere and the Earth's magnetic field so that most of the energy that's associated with the solar flare or coronal mass ejection, doesn't even reach the surface of the Earth.

Animation Number: 10941
Completed: 2012-03-20
Video Editor: Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
Interviewees: Holly Gilbert (NASA/GSFC)
Alex Young (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Phil Chamberlin (NASA/GSFC)
Producers: Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
Genna Duberstein (USRA)
Project and Technical Support: Swarupa Nune (Vantage)
Videographer: Rob Andreoli (AIMM)
Series: Narrated Movies
Goddard TV Tape: G2012-032 -- General Heliophysics Space Weather Interviews