Hurricane Isaias took its toll on the greater NYC area, leaving about a million customers without power. While acts of nature may be unavoidable, the real source of frustration to those left in the dark was the inaction and lack of communication from their respective power companies. Yury Dvorkin, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, told WCBS-TV that the delays in restoring service can be traced to a lack of planning. And, the planning is not done, he suggested, because “it’s expensive…and they are going to be paid anyway.”

Earlier this summer, Dvorkin had challenged the lack of that type of preparation in remarks before the New York City Council. In that testimony, he observed “it is important to ‘what-if’ every possible contingency and pre-emptively plan for mitigation and corrective actions.” The Isaias response seems to have proven the wisdom of his earlier words.

The CBS-TV news segment can be watched here. Dvorkin’s appearance comes around the 2:30 mark.