Severe weather, coupled with aging and overstressed electrical systems, is having a dramatic impact on people and property across the United States. In late 2012, Superstorm Sandy’s devastation left 132 people dead, and more than 8 million people were left without power. Buildings across the Northeast were damaged or destroyed by flooding and fires.
Resiliency is not limited to weather events. Building owners can and should prepare their buildings to defend against cyberattacks as cybersecurity is becoming a more and more relevant concern. In 2004 Lawrence Berkley National Lab estimated that the annual financial loss from power loss in the United States was at an average of $79 billion. This financial burden, coupled with the possibility of loss of confidential or proprietary information is reason enough to examine the resilience of energy systems in buildings.
This section of the Building Owner’s Toolkit is designed to help you make your building more resilient to severe weather or, if your facility has already been damaged by a severe weather event, to rebuild smart. The information in this section is based on an extensive report issued by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association following Superstorm Sandy titled, Storm Reconstruction: Rebuild Smart, Reduce Outages, Save Lives, Protect Property.