Superstorm Sandy Anniversary a Reminder to Keep the Grid Reliable

Today marks the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. The devastation it caused was made all the worse by widespread and prolonged power outages—painful reminders of how crucial it is for our electricity to be reliable.

Three years later, we know that maintaining reliable electricity is a constant challenge.

80 percent of New York’s transmission lines are 35 years old or older. Like our roads and bridges, they need to be constantly fixed, updated, and replaced. If we do not do that, the cost of repairs after events like Sandy rises even higher. It takes regular and sustained investments to strengthen our transmission grid.

The lessons learned in Sandy’s aftermath are still being applied. For example, utility companies are building floodwalls around critical equipment; introducing submersible remote monitoring devices; installing tree-branch resistant power lines; and protecting substations by using concrete and steel walls.

Finally, this anniversary reminds us once again of the incredible job done by the linemen and utility workers who put in 18 to 20 hours a day to get the grid back up and running whenever it is damaged. These good people face significant risks, usually out of the spotlight; and they were certainly heroes for our communities when we needed them in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Now is a great time to give them a big “Thanks!”

Rob DiFrancesco is the director of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA), a diverse organization of more than 150 business, labor, and community groups. Founded in 2003, New York AREA’s mission is to ensure that New York has an ample and reliable electricity supply, and economic prosperity for years to come.

For more information visit www.area-alliance.org