Flooding, winter storms, and coastal events create year-round outage risk, especially in urban and suburban areas.
Flood and Winter Reliability Constraints
New York's grid vulnerability is unusual because much of its core infrastructure sits underground. Consolidated Edison, the utility serving New York City and Westchester County, relies on buried cables and substations to deliver power across one of the densest urban areas in the country. That design protects against wind and falling trees but creates a different exposure: flooding.
When Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012, storm surge overwhelmed underground substations across Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Con Edison reported that more than one million customers lost power, five times the outage count from Hurricane Irene a year earlier. Salt water intrusion into substation equipment required lengthy drying and testing before re-energization. The company reached 98 percent restoration within 12 days. Across the broader Northeast, the U.S. Department of Energy documented roughly 8.5 million customer outages in eight states during Sandy.
For backup sizing in the New York metro area, storm surge is the defining risk. Underground equipment damaged by flooding takes longer to repair than downed overhead lines, making outages of a week or more a realistic planning baseline even where infrastructure is buried.
Federal disaster declaration for severe flooding from hurricane remnants affecting the New York metro area.
Source: FEMA DR-4615NRI winter weather score of 89.9 is the highest individual hazard score among the three tracked categories for New York.
Prioritize essential loads and indoor-safe operation, then add comfort loads.
Core household loads for a short-duration event: refrigeration, medical support, and communications.
Load
338W
Target
12h
Minimum
6,700 Wh
Covers most non-major weather events. Check surge compatibility for the refrigerator compressor.
Size this scenario in calculatorFull critical-load bundle for a longer disruption, adding air circulation for comfort.
Load
421W
Target
24h
Minimum
16,700 Wh
For events beyond 24 hours, add solar or a second battery to extend coverage.
Size this scenario in calculatorCritical Note: No single portable power station in our database covers the full 12-hour baseline at this load (6,144 Wh max). Use solar recharge, load rotation, or expandable systems for longer events.
Assuming outages are only winter-related when flood and wind events can also disrupt service.
Sizing for electronics only while omitting refrigeration and heating-support loads.
Ignoring apartment and multi-unit constraints for indoor-safe backup usage.
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Composite score: 91.5 / 100
Rating: Relatively High
Top modeled hazards: Riverine Flooding, Winter Weather, Strong Wind
Hurricane score: 87.5
Winter Weather score: 89.9
Wildfire score: 34.5
Total (2014-2023): 19
Most recent: 2023-07-22 Severe Storm
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | 5 |
| Biological | 4 |
| Severe Storm | 3 |
| Snowstorm | 3 |
| Flood | 2 |
| Winter Storm | 2 |
Required Wh = (Total Load W × Target Hours / Inverter Derate) × Safety Factor
Inverter derate: 0.70 (30% real-world loss)
Safety factor: 1.15
Rounding: Up to nearest 100 Wh
New York has an NRI composite risk score of 91.5 (Relatively High), with 19 federal declarations from 2014 to 2023. NRI winter weather score of 89.9 is the highest individual hazard score among the three tracked categories for New York.
For the primary scenario on this page (Essential 12-hour backup), the estimated minimum is 6,700 Wh for a 12-hour target. Refine this in the calculator with your actual devices.
NRI is a modeled risk index based on hazard exposure, vulnerability, and expected loss. FEMA declarations reflect federally declared incidents. They answer different questions — use both signals together for planning.
Buying a high-watt model without a clear load plan, resulting in short runtime for essentials. See the common mistakes section above for more state-specific pitfalls.
