Since many locales have suffered some form of natural disaster in recent years, world and thought leaders have begun to hone in on massive preventive solutions that are now commonly lumped under the label “resilience.” How can the manufactured physical infrastructures of our societies be rendered resilient to Mother Nature’s near- and long-term attacks?


Electrical distribution systems of every scale are a central focus of this question. While the United States completed its national build-out for general electrification decades ago, populations in every country in the world have come to demand and expect the daily availability of electric utility power.


However, they do not always get it. Take Cairo, for example. Daily power outages are common there and have become a political issue. In April, NPR aired correspondent Leila Fadel’s report, “Egyptians Fear Power Outages Could Fuel More Unrest.” It covered how life without electricity in Cairo is the result of “an electrical grid that needs repair and a government that finds it difficult to respond.” Egyptian hardware stores have had trouble keeping generators in stock because people are taking the matter into their own hands.


The consistent delivery of electricity isn’t only a concern in other countries. Two years ago, Richmond, Va., experienced a major weather system that rolled through the state overnight, knocking down trees and cutting off power all over the city. When everyone emerged to survey the damage, the widespread presence of electric generators was striking. Many people had power, even though thousands had been reported without it and line crews had yet to respond. Local folks were prepared because Richmond’s many previous storms had taught them to be ready for any possibility.


Hurricane Sandy hit on Oct. 29, 2012, causing extensive damage. More than 23,000 people were without refuge, and 8.5 million without power, especially in New Jersey and New York. One year later, tens of billions of dollars had been spent helping victims, repairing infrastructure, unblocking transportation corridors and cleaning up debris. Sandy was well beyond the scope of other disasters, but many asked, “How could we better prepare for events of this scale before they happen?” Consensus settled on the concept of resilience.


Andrew Zolli described this thinking in a New York Times op-ed on Nov. 2, 2012: “It’s a broad-spectrum agenda that, at one end, seeks to imbue our communities, institutions and infrastructure with greater flexibility, intelligence and responsiveness to extreme events and, at the other, centers on bolstering people’s psychological and physiological capacity to deal with high-stress circumstances.” 


Resilience-thinking has started to become a focal point of conversations in many fields, including urban planning, design, engineering and construction. It centers around what is happening, rather than how it happened and the planning around it. 


In a future that might include extreme weather events, Zolli said resilience “isn’t just about building higher walls. It’s about accommodating the waves.” From the restoration of wetlands that protect coastlines, to temporary (possibly inflatable) infrastructure, to electrical microgrids that resist loss of power in transformer explosions, a common philosophy of resilience could change the future of natural disaster preparedness.


There is overwhelming potential for the electrical contracting industry to play a starring role in the transformation to resilience, especially through service-based opportunities. George Fechter, a specialty contracting company owner and executive with more than 40 years’ experience in both electrical and mechanical field services, recently had a role in the planning and implementation of initiatives to harden major facilities for resiliency after Hurricane Sandy.


“We need systems to prevent the costs and losses of disasters, not to duck and cover,” Fechter said. “A doctor diagnoses, treats and monitors. Why can’t contractors offer the same service, upon which owners will depend?”


Owners of facilities that are buttressed with resiliency are rewarded in their insurance premiums. For electrical contractors, opportunities to improve resiliency in customers’ systems might be likened to engineering submarines—installing waterproof equipment, wiring, connections and electrical rooms. Fechter said 90 percent of the effort in the subway systems restoration in Lower Manhattan went toward waterproofing the electrical systems.


The third pillar of sustainable service success is systems that will enable service delivery to be sustainable. Lower Manhattan, hit hard by Sandy, strived to be sustainable but had not gone very far to be resilient. Combining resilience with sustainability holds intriguing possibilities for electrical contractors and the future of the electrical power systems that are the center of their business.