Houston, We All Have a Problem

“Houston, we have a problem” is a phrase immortalized by the crew of Apollo 13.  In the wake of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, it’s clear that we all have a problem.

Overnight, a flooded organic fertilizer plant suffered explosions after its regular and back-up power went down.  If this the worst that befalls the the affected region, its people and the country will be very lucky.

It is also a warning of what might happen with far larger and more devastating effect if we allow our electric grid to remain vulnerable, not just to natural phenomena like terrestrial or solar storms, but to sabotage, cyberwarfare or electromagnetic pulse attacks.  For example, widespread blackouts for a week or more could cause Fukashima-like explosions at nuclear power plants across the country.

Houston’s post-Harvey problem underscores that we must secure the grid now!