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Sabotage

April 10th, 2009 at 02:45 pm

I was without Internet all day yesterday but my situation was minor compared to what could have happened. There was a major communication services outage in the south Bay Area caused by the

Text is sabotage and Link is http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12106301?nclick_check=1
sabotage of someone who climbed down a manhole in the middle of the night and cut several critical fiber-optic cables (in four different locations). It is clear our infrastructure is unprepared for acts of vandalism of this magnitude. I also think it also gives us a preview of what to expect in the event of a serious natural disaster (e.g., major earthquake). This vandalism will cost thousands of dollars to repair, impacted all communication and emergency services, and put lives at risk.

Aside from the inconvenience, the worst part is that many people were without BOTH cell phone and/or landlines. They were told to go out to flag a patrol car in case of emergency... as if this were easy or practical. Fortunately no one died as a result of a 911 emergency or a fire that could not be reported, but I heard of some very serious situations involving critically ill people. I hope they throw the book at the wretch who committed this vandalism and make him pay. There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s) so that gives you an idea of the seriousness of the crime.

On the positive side, we got some much-needed rain yesterday. So, I caught up on my sewing, went to the bank and the grocery store (saved ~$15 with specials), and enjoyed reading by the fire with TC snuggling next to me. My DD1 is coming today to spend the weekend, and I can't wait to see her. I'm off to the airport in a few minutes. We will spend a few hours relaxing at a local spa, enjoying each other's company. On Saturday we are supposed to go whale watching off Monterey Bay, weather permitting. My DS and BIL will go with us so it should be a fun family outing.

Posted in Family & Friends, Live and Learn | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Sabotage”

  1. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 03:01 pm 1239375703
    1239375703

    I had not heard of that vandalism! Many of our systems are so vulnerable to maliciousness. Sometimes it seems a wonder that these things do not happen more often.

  2. cptacek Says:
    April 11th, 2009 at 05:42 am 1239428525
    1239428525

    $100,000 reward! Wow! Hope they catch the person!

  3. whitestripe Says:
    April 11th, 2009 at 05:49 am 1239428976
    1239428976

    we had that last year in our area - but it was a poor trainee worker who accidently cut the cable. Frown communications for my network (which is a major one) were down for a whole day - including eftpos machines, mobile, internet, landlines, faxes etc. poor guy must have felt so stupid!

  4. fern Says:
    April 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pm 1239451305
    1239451305

    I have never been to a spa, but it sounds very relaxing. Have fun on the whale watch!

  5. Analise Says:
    April 16th, 2009 at 06:58 am 1239865123
    1239865123

    The reward is now up to $250,000... hope someone turns in the saboteur(s).

  6. scfr Says:
    April 20th, 2009 at 03:34 am 1240198481
    1240198481

    I really hope they catch them. Such a horrible, reckless thing to do.

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