Dedicated power

ieales"Where all the services are underground, there are vaults with transformers.In my current location we have small above ground transformers every few houses and a large vault with a larger transformer."

I understand underground electric service but I have never heard of the transformers themselfs actually being installed underground or what some would call "below grade" and that would be for the reason you mention that it would be subject to the results and effect of flooding.

It would seem like the transformers used would have to be somewhat sealed being that they are filled with oil.

jea48"There are at least 5 million of them across the US. They are quite common in large cities in the north. Downtown NYC is full of them. In many cases below the sidewalks in front of buildings. How is water kept out of the vaults? Sump Pumps for one."

Thank you very much for this information which I find "suspect" as a matter of practice but it explains a lot the US has a reputation for very unreliable electric service and having now done some Googling on this purely for curiosity I see that flooding has often caused massive power outages sometimes lasting for weeks!

Very unreliable electric service?
Thank you very much for this information, which I find "suspect". Good grief. Flooding has caused a lot of problems, depending on the severity. The solution, of course, would be to not allow anyone to live near any of the thousands of miles of seacoast, nor near any rivers or streams. I think if we displace 50-100 million citizens living along the Mississippi and Missouri drainages, for a start, we can nip this problem in the bud.