{"id":12575,"date":"2021-11-12T21:02:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T03:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polywater.com\/?p=12575"},"modified":"2026-04-23T05:19:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:19:59","slug":"sealing-conduits-for-resilient-electrical-and-telecommunication-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.polywater.com\/en\/knowledge-hub\/sealing-conduits-for-resilient-electrical-and-telecommunication-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Sealing Conduits for Resilient Electrical and Telecommunication Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A mission-critical system or service is indispensable to a functioning community, the economy, and public safety. If the system or service fails or is disrupted due to power outage or damage, commerce and community life can be severely compromised or completely halted. Electrical grids and communication networks are at risk worldwide. Global demand for electrical power and data bandwidth is growing at an increasing pace. As demand increases, potential damage and risk to infrastructure also increases. In many countries, aging assets and unreliable funding further plague these systems\u2019 operational integrity. This paper focuses on how natural disasters compromise mission-critical assets in electrical and communication systems, and how strategies are developed to reduce the risk. Any strategy must begin with collaboration among key stakeholders, such as communities, utilities, and government agencies, and depends on commitments to include system resilience projects in annual operational plans and budgets.<\/p>\n

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, floods, tornados, and bushfires are examples of extreme weather that wreak havoc on people\u2019s lives, homes, and businesses and impose serious consequences on society. Consumers are typically unaware of behind-the-scenes work required to provide reliable power and digital access, but outages bring instant and unwanted focus.<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Severe weather events are increasing the need to seal out water<\/strong><\/h2>\n

More frequent, intense, and costly weather events are forecast. According to the authors of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in late 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, \u201cextreme events are expected to increasingly disrupt and damage critical infrastructure and property, labor productivity, and the vitality of our communities.\u201d They describe the stresses on infrastructure resulting from heavy rainfall, flooding, extreme heat, drought, and bushfires. The impact on energy and communication systems is acute, ranging from frequent and extended power outages to expensive restoration or system replacement. Such repairs are especially important after flooding causes water penetration in system components. (USGCRP2018)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related Content: <\/strong>Understanding and Mitigating Manhole Explosions: An Interview with Stuart Hanebuth<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Impact on U.S. electrical and communication systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Between 2012 and 2019, the U.S. experienced multiple weather-related events resulting in billions of dollars in damages, the loss of thousands of lives, and lengthy disruptions in service. (CCES 2020) (Smith 2020) According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 680 power outages between 2003 and 2012 were caused by weather. Each outage affected at least 50,000 customers and seriously disrupted operations for businesses and residences. (Richard 2018) The combination of severe weather and aging infrastructure typically results in even higher expenses for utilities. The cost of a single storm can range from $500,000 to over $1 billion, depending on the number of customers without power. (Richard 2018) Power outages also cause downtime in digital networks, which average $140,000 to $540,000 in losses per hour, depending on the business. (Lerner 2014)<\/p>\n

\"Flooded<\/p>\n

The DOE determined that flooding affected a significant number of power plants: (Brody 2020)<\/p>\n