In Feb 1975 there was a very bad fire in a big Central Office building
> in New York City. Twelve local exchanges and numerous tandem switches
> were knocked out.
> The Bell System mobilized and worked around the clock to get service
> restored. Some burnt panel switchgear was removed and replaced with
> new ESS switches airlifted in. Other gear was cleaned one contact at
> a time with Q-Tips. Some calls were rerouted to other offices.
> Service was restored quickly and known as the "Miracle on Second > Avenue".
> I wonder: Suppose a fire like that happened today: Would it take
> longer or shorter to restore service in today's world?
I think the most prominent recent comparable telecom disaster in the US also occurred in Manhattan, but is perhaps overlooked because it was just a small part of a much larger disaster. I'm referring to the Verizon facilities damaged during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. See:
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some reflections on how Verizon recovered from the loss of a switching office that served hundreds of thousands of voice lines and millions of data circuits.Bob Goudreau
Cary, NC