auroras are only one effect.

ROCKS AND SOIL ELECTRIFIED BY THE SUPERSTORM: Across the USA on May 10th and 11th, the biggest geomagnetic storm in decades.

something was also happening underfoot.

Strong electrical currents were surging through rocks and soil.

The biggest voltages along the US eastern seaboard and in the Midwest were as much as 10,000 times normal.

NOAA and the US Geological Survey shows some of the 'hot spots' during the early hours of May 11th.
https://spaceweather.com/