Hurricane Laura: Before and after images show devastation from one of strongest storms to hit US

Before & After

Absolute carnage, thought they would have learned by now. Except for Cross Country Main Pylons/Core Transmission Cables (even some of these are being buried) everything else goes Underground in the UK. Transformers on power poles outside property, what for ? get rid of them or place inside a manhole.  That way there are less Outages. If you cleared the road of all the power poles, cables (some possibly still live) and lumps of concrete foundation ripped out of the ground when they were all uprooted there would be negligable debri roadside.

Repairs required… Close off the road & Turn off power. Clear the highway/street of poles, cables and blown transformers. Re dig foundation for poles, replace poles and new foundations. Replace all the cable and re fit. Replace all the transformers (about time these were ditched altogether). Safety checks on all work then switch on. Iron out/fix any glitches. Hopefully all back on…

Meanwhile all homes, businesses and offices in these areas (including all the tech, gadgets and machines etc we take for granted and need to live) have No Power.

Even in the UK the odd power outage (yes, we do get storms here as well). A large percentage is buried in ducting and when a power outage occurs its usually the sub station thats tripped (safety reasons obviously) but usually within a few hours its back on. Except for a number of leafy old villages in the country side which may still have power poles these are normally fixed/replaced in a few hours.

Distribution Transformer

You rarely see these in the UK, usually housed either a secure small fenced/walled off unit (like a large exterior waste bin unit or small garage size brick building). Or, underground with a water tight seal/lid.

Generally, Distribution Network also known as Substations are dotted around the country and are placed in safe locations.

Come on the rest of the world…Catch Up…