Dive Summary:
- The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) ignored warnings over the past six years that it was not ready for a major storm and lagged behind recommended operating standards, according to state-commissioned reports.
- A state report identified LIPA's outdated power outage management system, which had also been flagged in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last year, as the foremost cause of the utility's deficient response to Hurricane Sandy.
- LIPA's outage management system is run on a 25-year-old mainframe computer, while the utility still uses pen-and-paper as opposed to computer devices.
From the article:
"The Long Island Power Authority’s agonizingly slow response to Sandy came after warnings as far back as 2006 that the utility was unprepared to handle a major storm, failed to upgrade antiquated technology, neglected vital maintenance and regularly underbudgeted for storm response.
A state report and a review of records show that the regional utility lagged behind industry standards by not using smartphones and digital tablets — and at times even printers or fax machines — in favor of pen-and-paper memos and dial-up Internet access. ..."