How the Internet was saved from Hurricane Sandy
While most of lower Manhattan was without power, one key building remained lighted: 60 Hudson Street, one of the most important Internet hubs worldwide. Even during the worst of the storm, the building kept the country connected through an array of well-maintained generators…
Property manager Shaun Mooney, former Marine and volunteer firefighter, describes this job as “Mission Critical”—“the lights have to stay on no matter what.” Preparation for Sandy started the week before the storm, with staff meetings devoted to assessing supplies and personnel needs. When power in lower Manhattan went out on Monday evening, chief engineer Ernesto Martinez’s team monitored generators and pressure sensors. To make sure windows didn’t blow out, his team opened select airway channels throughout the building to equalize pressure.
The group slept in cots and sleeping bags “in just about every uncomfortable place we could,” Martinez said with a laugh. “It decreases sleep time,” he added. He arrived Sunday and didn’t leave until Wednesday evening.
Blowback
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Every terrorist organization in the world thanks you for this information.
meci on November 4, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Exactly what I was thinking. Not very smart.
Braveheart on November 4, 2012 at 5:46 PM
This is Newsweek we’re talking about. Newsweek articles and information may be two mutually exclusive things…
Atlas on November 4, 2012 at 5:52 PM
They should have periodic exercises where they just pull the plug on the building and show that it is not essential. If they can’t do that then the internet is hopelessly broken.
pedestrian on November 4, 2012 at 5:52 PM
Every terrorist organization in the world thanks you for this information.
meci on November 4, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Unless those terrorists have figured out how to crack the Wikipedia site, in which case it wouldn’t matter.
sharrukin on November 4, 2012 at 5:56 PM
No sweat, we can always turn the Internet over to the gubmint or the UN.
N O T !
petefrt on November 4, 2012 at 5:56 PM
With a little planning, a lot of people would’ve come through this with much less pain. Even if you plan to ride it out, move your most irreplaceable possessions to a safe place. And if you plan to ride things out, have enough food, clean water, batteries, and winter camping gear stored on the top-most floor. You shouldn’t have be without food, clean water, or warm clothing if you plan ahead.
RBMN on November 4, 2012 at 5:58 PM
The locations of major connection hubs is not in any way, shape, or form classified information. They can all be easily looked up on the intertubes. You guys may as well be complaining that the telephone company prints a phone book full of addresses for terrorists to attack.
NotCoach on November 4, 2012 at 5:59 PM
Seems to me that lower Manhattan might have a tendency to flood in a storm like this. They ever consider moving this place to a more high ‘n’ dry location? On the other hand, see what a little planning and preparation can do for ya’? Bloomy? Christie? Anyone?
stukinIL4now on November 4, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Read the book “Tubes” by Andrew Blum. This is not a big secret.
RayinVA on November 4, 2012 at 6:07 PM
“… one of the most important Internet hubs worldwide ….”
Other than that is a so overused adjectival phrase which tells us nothing, it’s fairly clear that this hub needs to be downgraded to one of vary many, such that doesn’t matter if they have to shut off the lights for a time.
Even so, kudos to the people who worked hard keeping it up and running.
Dusty on November 4, 2012 at 6:09 PM
I thought the whole point of the Intertubes was decentralization in case of catastrophe…
Akzed on November 4, 2012 at 6:14 PM
If above ground wiring were buried many of the power failures would not have happened.
BL@KBIRD on November 4, 2012 at 6:20 PM
Maybe in the future everything will be buried, but not any time soon. No one is going to take on the capital expense of burying everything. They will only do it for new construction, or when old construction needs to be replaced. Burying everything that is currently above ground will bury us under utility bills that would likely bankrupt us.
NotCoach on November 4, 2012 at 6:25 PM
Yeah, but Romney was nuts for saying private corporations can carry out much of the emergency response in disasters. Because they’re only interested in profit. That’s why they’ll work 4 days straight sleeping in office hallways — for the money.
Socratease on November 4, 2012 at 6:25 PM
Not if Comcast owns it…
Akzed on November 4, 2012 at 6:25 PM
I wonder if 60 Hudson is this one, that happens to be down right now.
Dusty on November 4, 2012 at 6:30 PM
Computers guys whole lives revolve around keeping the servers up and running. I know,I was standing by to hand carry the ones I’m responsible for to a backup location in case of flooding. This story should come as no surprise.
Rocks on November 4, 2012 at 6:32 PM
Bull, pure and simple.
The basic architecture of the Internet was conceived to withstand a nuclear war. One hub, regardless of the amount of traffic it handles, would not bring the Internet to its knees by going down.
Vatican Watcher on November 4, 2012 at 7:11 PM