Comparison of Communication Networks Power Resilience during Man-Made and Natural Disasters

This paper compares communication networks power resilience during man-made and natural disasters. The performance analysis of communication networks in each case is done using resilience models that consider grid outages and refueling delays for the backup diesel generator. Hurricane Ike and its impact on the Texas Gulf coast is used an example for natural disasters. The observations from Ike are compared with simulated nuclear attacks on various locations in the Gulf coast. The locations in the Gulf coast chosen are Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson and Orange counties. All these counties experienced significant impacts due to Hurricane Ike. The simulations indicate that the network topology and the logistics of refueling both have significant impact on cell site resilience in both hurricane and nuclear attacks conditions. However, there are differences in spatial characteristics due difference in time scales and the damage forcing actions of each disasters.