Power Grid and Natural Disasters: A Framework for Vulnerability Assessment

As unexpected, large-scale and uncontrollable events, natural disasters can cause devastating damages to a society's infrastructure. The possible interruption in electric service is not simply a matter of inconvenience, since in our modern societies this could disrupt many services our everyday lives depend on. Any disturbance in critical municipal infrastructure such as water sanitation and sewage plants, hospitals and emergency services, telecommunication networks, and police stations will add to the devastation and distress during the event, and may severely hinder any post-disaster recovery efforts. The first step to reinforce the power grid against such hazards is to assess the vulnerability of different system components against disaster events scenarios. By identifying the weak links in the system, remedial actions can be undertaken in an attempt to strengthen the energy delivery network. The purpose of this paper is to provide a mathematical framework for analysis of the interaction between natural hazards and the power grid. The outcome of this study can be used in any mitigation technique during the design or operation stages.