Birds on the Brain

Like the terrorist attacks in 2001, Hurricane Sandy has exposed one of New York City’s most vulnerable points: the concentration of telecommunications infrastructure in Lower Manhattan. Carriers adjusted after those attacks by moving equipment to more secure points within buildings and ensuring their networks could keep running even if parts weren’t functioning. Yet it is clear in the wake of the storm that key facilities remain exposed to disruption by disasters—especially in areas like Manhattan that are dense with high-volume telecom users.