Did You Know? Squirrels Are The Cause of Most U.S. Power Outages

Can you believe this? According to the American Public Power Association (APPA), squirrels are behind the majority of power outages in the United States.

Typically, squirrels cause issues by digging or gnawing through electrical insulation or by themselves actually becoming a current pathway between electrical conductors.

In 2016, utilities reported 3,456 outages caused by the clever little rodents. This meant power was cut off to more than 193,873 customers all because of squirrels!

The APPA's eReliability Tracker technology assists in gaining a better understanding of the timing and patterns of squirrel-related outages throughout the years. After four years of monitoring, the trends became clear. We can definitely expect more squirrel-related disruptions in the spring and fall.

In 2015 former deputy director of the National Security Agency, John C. Inglis, said, "Frankly, the number one threat experienced to date by the U.S. electrical grid is squirrels."

And now you know!

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Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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