We need stronger utility lines

Why is it that we tolerate a utility system so fragile that it breaks for a significant number of MLGW investors (yes you, citizens of Shelby County and elsewhere) on a regular basis every time a thunderstorm rolls through the Mid-South? Rather than think of this as a SNAFU (many Third World countries do consider this normal), why doesn’t MLGW fix the problem? Yes, MLGW does hire contractors to trim trees, and the majority of us have probably seen these contractors on a hack and destroy mission, and yet that does not solve the problem. Instead, it puts off the inevitable: If MLGW ever wants a robust system, they must harden their transmission network. A system that is so fragile that it cannot withstand a mild Mid-South thunderstorm is a problem for our community (and a persistent topic of conversation that does detract from our ability to attract new residents).
Donald Thomason, Memphis

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