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Subscribe to RSSMany areas of the U.S. were sweltering on Wednesday, while many Mid-Atlantic residents are still without power and air conditioning after a recent storm. NBC's John Yang reports.
Updated at 5:54 p.m. ET: In the aftermath of violent storms that knocked out power to millions from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, sweltering residents and elected officials are demanding to know why it's taking so long to restring power lines and why they're not more resilient in the first place.
The answer, it turns out, is complicated: Above-ground lines are vulnerable to lashing winds and falling trees, but relocating them underground involves huge costs — as much as $15 million per mile of buried line — and that gets passed onto consumers.
With memories of other extended outages fresh in the minds of many of the more than 735,000 customers who still lacked electricity Wednesday, some question whether the delivery of power is more precarious than it used to be.
"It's a system that from an infrastructure point of view is beginning to age, has been aging," said Gregory Reed, a professor of electric power engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. "We haven't expanded and modernized the bulk of the transmission and distribution network."The ongoing outage meant no July 4 holiday for thousands of utility workers who scrambled to restore power across the region.
The storms that began Friday knocked out power to 3 million and have been responsible for the deaths of 26 people in seven states and the District of Columbia, including two people who died after accidents in Virginia.
The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, on the Maryland border, said Wednesday a utility worker from Florida crashed after her truck had brake problems. The bucket truck's driver, 57-year-old Jacqueline Green, died after going downhill into an intersection and hitting a semi-trailer Tuesday. Authorities also said there was a death in Richmond caused by a falling tree but no other details were immediately available.
The Weather Channel's Kelly Cass takes a look at the national forecast.
Much of the afflicted areas faced yet another day of scorching heat, with the National Weather Service forecasting temperatures in the 90s and above from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast.
Utilities warned that some people could be without power - and unable to run their air conditioners - for the rest of the week.
The region still most affected was West Virginia and the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountain section of Virginia, accounting for close to half of the lingering outage.
The powerful winds that whipped through several states late Friday, toppling trees onto power lines and knocking out transmission towers and electrical substations, have renewed debate about whether to bury lines. District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray was among officials calling for the change this week and was seeking to meet with the chief executive of Pepco, the city's dominant utility, to discuss what he called a slow and frustrating response.
"They obviously need to invest more in preparing for getting the power back on," said Maryland state Sen. James Rosapepe, who is among those advocating for moving lines underground. "Every time this happens, they say they're shocked — shocked that it rained or snowed or it was hot — which isn't an acceptable excuse given that we all know about climate change."
Though the newest communities do bury their power lines, many older ones have found that it's too expensive to replace existing networks.
To bury power lines, utilities need to take over city streets so they can cut trenches into the asphalt, lay down plastic conduits and then the power lines. Manholes must be created to connect the lines together. The overall cost is between $5 million and $15 million per mile, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., a nonprofit research and development group funded by electric utilities. Those costs get passed on to residents in the form of higher electric bills, making the idea unpalatable for many communities.
Power lines are already underground in parts of Washington, but initial estimates are that it would cost as much as $5.8 billion to bury them throughout the entire city and would cost customers an additional $107 per month, said Michael Maxwell, Pepco's vice president of asset management.
North Carolina considered burying its lines in 2003, after a winter storm knocked out power to 2 million utility customers. The North Carolina Public Staff Utilities Commission eventually concluded it was "prohibitively expensive" and time-consuming. The project would have cost $41 billion and taken 25 years to complete — and it would have raised residential electric bills by 125 percent.
An onslaught of recent extreme weather around the country, including heat waves, wildfires and flooding, has increased strain on infrastructure already struggling to meet growing consumer demand. And some scientists predict the severe weather will only increase, though it will take time to study this year's weather before any conclusions can be drawn.
Pepco has contingency plans for dealing with severe weather like tornadoes and hurricanes and runs periodic drills in which staff go through the process of responding to mass outages. In this case, though, the hurricane-force winds lashed the region with no advance notice, creating a type of quick-hit storm that caught the utility flat-footed and for which it had not practiced, Maxwell said.
Cliff Owen / AP
A Gulf Power lineman works to restore a power line in Middleburg, Va., on Tuesday.
"That's going to be a very big lesson for us," he said. "We need to understand how we recover from this."
A stress index created by the North American Electric Reliability Corp., which monitors the country's power supply to annually assess its performance, shows that day-to-day performance seems to have improved, but there was an increase in high-stress days. The company counted six high-stress days in 2011, slightly more than the three preceding years. Weather was a contributing factor in nine of the 10 failures severe enough to generate a federally required report in 2011.
But utility insiders acknowledge that the math is little comfort when a customer's air conditioner fails during a triple-digit heat wave and the food spoils.
"The industry is getting better and better," said Aaron Strickland, who oversees distribution and emergency operations for Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Atlanta-based Southern Co. "In my opinion, I think the expectations of customers are higher and higher because we depend so much on electricity. ... We expect to push that button and it works."
Still, he noted Friday's storms pummeled the region with no advance warning, and "you can't prepare for that.""You don't see it coming," Strickland said. "It just happens."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.
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Leave a Comment:
Hey, America. Want to create jobs & solve the power outage problem at the same time? Then bury the power lines underground! It ain't rocket science, people!
No problem, you pay! :<) Actually most utility companies will do it if you foot the bill.
There sure is an easy fix! Put all power lines under ground, then it will not happen again in the first place!
But this country is learn resistant. No investments into our infrastructure - just make as much money from your customers, with as little investment as possible!
That's why the US will stay a 3. world country, as long as such philosophies wont change!
Take a look at Europe! Germany, Switzerland, Austria.... you wont find power lines on weird crocket wooden poles... :-)
This country is the greatest country on earth... yeah... sure... when it comes to cheating customers !!!
Underground? what about floods? You apying the cost ior are you another leach who thinks they should get everything for free?
Yes they do. And social conservatives miss the pre-1860 period the most.
~ Oh, I wish I were in the land o' cotton
ol' times there are not forgotten,
look away . . .
look away . . .
look away, Dixie Land ~
You might remember that the slave owners and KKK were democrats.
If Americans don't like it they can leave and move to Japan and see how horrible the power lines are in Tokyo!!
$15 million per MILE? WTF I guess Rolex makes backhoes and pvc pipe now.
I feel badly for all of those people who continue to survive the stom that left them without the 21 century comforts of our daily life..As a survivor of Hurricane Andrew in Miami in 1992 I and my family spent WEEKS without power and lost most of our worldly possessions...... Let this event be a warning that we are all still a bit too soft and further that everyone should have an emergency preparedness plan....
It's amazing how stupid people are. Global warming or not, one #$%$-ing storm isn't caused by anything man-made. Your existence is in the way of the natural movement of storms that have ravaged this country, and others, for thousands of years. Get your heads out of your collective, stupid, post-modern American butts. Work more, party less, and take care of family. The power lines are JUST as vulnerable as they were 20-30 years ago. The average American just doesn't have patience to accept the fact when the storms hit it will be bad times afterwards. Just get over it. Move on. Stop thinking that someone else is not doing their job just to make you unhappy. And screw the politicians.
And here inlies a core delusion: "Work more and party less..." sounds like the solution. But in practice it's irrelevant. What does work really mean and why? People tend think of the word in terms of being evermore productive to your employer, as though this alone solves the problem. Trouble is we need to close the loop in economics and think the process thru. There must first be a potential market of eligible consumers for such productivity to mean anything or bring fruition for employer. So what really does it mean to work more? What, "works"? Going shopping and spending money is productive work for retailer and producer you're purchasing from, is it not? No one thinks of it this way. And too many put all weight upon the employer in this country like they hold all the cards to an economic recovery and job production.
I have said this for a very long time now. We need to invest a certain portion of our GNP into our infrastructure every year. It has to be inviolate and not be scrutinized by any politician. I might even go so far as to suggest that it be an ammendment to the constitution. It needs to be spelled out by segment, i.e. power generation and distribution, transportation, new power research, technology research, etc. You could take it from the defense budget. An America with a strong infrastructure is a strong America.
It is quite comical how naive or blind the conservative camp is in this arena. Such people think somehow a private entity will step in and fix everything better than the public utilities at some point. The public utilities just seem too akin to some socialist provision for the unentitled. "There'll never be enough quality anything to go around and serve everyone equally, and there shouldn't be." is the real GOP song and dance: "My power bills are helping pay to keep the lights on in crime ridden, drug infested neighborhoods where their power bills are subsidized. UNACCEPTABLE!!! Those damn lazy undeserving inner city and trailer trash libtards are suckin me dry. Cut 'em off, now!!!"
One word.....GENERAC.....it's the insurance policy that returns on the original investment......stop Biatching...
"Still, he noted Friday's storms pummeled the region with no advance warning, and "you can't prepare for that.""You don't see it coming," Strickland said. "It just happens."..."
I fail to see how any advance warning would have made any significant difference. There's little crews could have done to prevent the damage that occured to the system as a whole via an advanced warning even days to a week in advance. As the article points out, despite the fact the utilities should have been more responsible to improving and securing the grid from such occurances, the system is aging and needs upgrading in ways few cities can afford. To compound the problem, there's this current blind push to cut back budgets further that are needed to make such improvements. America is cutting off it's nose to spite it's face. And there's no end in sight as the lemmings march right off the cliff of no deposit, no return disposability. Don't reinvest your profits adequately and just do whatever suits you with them alone to pad your bottom line and no one else's and this is invariably the result, dumbass private sector.
At $68/hour I'll take my sweat as time, talk to my union if you don't like it.
Lovin' that overtime.
I wonder how many white people died because of this. Does that make Obama a racist? Or should more than a few people who accused Bush of the same apologize?
So because it's in D.C. it's a big deal? This happens everywhere when there is a big storm. There are only so many workers to work on the power lines that are downed. So let the elected officials stew in the heat. Too bad, so sad.
Actually, there is a quick way to get the power back on. The power companies can print out help wanted ads and get unemployed Americans like myself to work as cheap laborers to help with the manual labor like using a chainsaw to cut fallen trees. Saturday, I went out to the Home Depot parking lot and lined up with 40 illegal immigrants to see if I could cash in on the storm from Friday and after standing there for almost 2 hours, only a few vehicles picked up any laborers.
Well, you see...if they get hurt you could be in deep doo doo. No permits, no workers compensation, no...., well you get the idea.
LOL. Get over it, try 3 weeks+ without power. At least your government cares about you Yankees, unlike Louisiana!
"Pepco has contingency plans for dealing with severe weather like tornadoes and hurricanes and runs periodic drills in which staff go through the process of responding to mass outages. In this case, though, the hurricane-force winds lashed the region with no advance notice, creating a type of quick-hit storm that caught the utility flat-footed and for which it had not practiced,"
~~~
I call BS!
They should hire companies with non-union employees to do the job of laying cable...they'd get it done cheaper and faster.
gbjm
i hope you get one of the jobs. you scab a$$ ba$turd you deserve one.
Trust business to do the right thing. After all your money......err......well being is all they care about. RIP
And so we know the answer: If a tree falls in the forest does it make any noise? Yes, for about a week.
The American people are so damn spoiled! Hell, when I grew up, there was no such thing as air conditioning. We had fans and, yes, they blew hot air! I sat many a day in school when it was 80-90 degrees and just had the windows open. Get real people, you are spoiled and you know it.
air conditioning was so rare that if a restaurant had it they advertized it on the front windows. if a car had air it was written in the advertizement. i remember going to bed at night and turning the pillow to try and get a cool side. sweat running down my back. those were the days we are spoiled now for sure. we heated our house with a coal stove when i was a kid and it would get alittle cold at night, water would freeze. don't think i want to go back to those days at my current age and health. very few of these young people could even imagine the difference in life. i have heard some young men comment that they were not near as tough as older men and when i hear that i know i'm talking to a smart young man.
trees did not cause all of this. look in the picture from Va. see a tree? the poor condition of the power lines magnified this problem. the lines sag down so far. the insulation has rotted off and when the wind blows the lines together "pow". The tree cutting contractor had just came through are rural area cutting a few weeks ago. We were without power for 4 days. The fact is the utility companys are not spending to keep the power lines in good condition. they shed alot of their work forces and instead of keeping crews working they fire fight where the problems are with contractors. The lines are in bad shape. It would be a good time for these lines to be put underground where they belong. they could start in the hurricane and tornado areas. the power outages is what delays recovery after these weather events. heres a shovel ready infrastucture improvement job for our unemployed people.
Trust me when I say this....we will all see more hard times financially. Our infrastructure is weak and so is our Government. A Nation is only as strong as the Government wants it to be. Take our lively hood away and they expect us to repair damaged lines with money no one has, that's Government mentality for you, expect more of this kind of crap. Do you really think that the Government really cares about its people, or anyone else? they only worry about themselves. As long as they have their secret underground facilities, all the money and all the power, don't expect anything good from them. We have to start taking care of one another, because that is how our mentality works, unlike our Governments mentality.
Or, in the words of Abraham Lincoln: "A government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Thank you. on this July Fourth, for showing such outstanding patriotism.
Happy Independence Day!
$5 million to $15 million per MILE? What a bunch of B.S.!! Look whos' funding the non-profit that did this research.
When the CEOs of major utilities rake down million dollar paydays, you know that bonus money takes away from improving infrastructures. This will turn into government sponsored interest free loans for bringing infrastructures up to date. It's called corporate welfare. And then about three months after they get the loans, the paydays will shoot up big time.
How many trees do the power companies own? It is the trees that cause the problems.
If residents look around their neighborhoods and see the trees that are taller than the power lines, they will see the homeowners that neglect their vegetation and their civic responsibilities. These large trees are a threat to the community. Their roots damage the sidewalks, roads and foundations. Then when they fall, they damage property.
I believe that trees are beneficial to the community. Every home should have at least one! When spaced properly they provide shade. if packed too close together they hold in heat and block any breeze.
But, our trees should never become a threat to our neighbor's home or the community. Personal responsibility!
I bet it would be far cheaper to bury all the lines compared to the cost of repair as well as the economic loss and the loss of revenue due to the power being out for extended periods.
Guess again. During flooding, the entire infrastructure will be wiped out. That will take weeks or months to repair. Flooding in the NE area years back destroyed much. Burying doesn't solve all the problems.
You're right, burying doesn't solve all the problems.
It just solves all of the most common and most frequent problems.