I think that whatever is going to happen
will happen whether we want to or not. I believe these things are meant to pass and at most we can delay them from happening but not stop them.
As for prayer, I believe that it doesn't work like most people think it does. What I mean is, when we pray, we're not actually talking to God per say, but to something that binds the entire universe together. I recently came across an article somewhere that said some Russian scientists had discovered that human DNA reacts to human speach.
Found the link:
http://www.rense.com/general62/expl.htm
So, to me, that makes perfect sense when, for example, we are told to pray for the recovery from an illness, we might actually be instructing our DNA to repair the damage or fight some infection in our bodies. But, I guess we also need something called "Faith" for it to work.
So, all we can really do now is brace ourselves and do what we can to protect ourselves and loved ones the best we can.