The FBI is investigating more shots fired near a substation yesterday outside Columbia, South Carolina. WRAL's investigative data journalist Ali Ingersoll looked at federal data to track the trend in these types of attacks.
COUNTY. SURE. YEAH. INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE. THERE, AARON. THOMAS, THANK YOU. >> THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING. MORE SHOTS FIRED NEAR SUBSTATION. THIS HAPPENED YESTERDAY OUTSIDE COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA. IT DID NOT RESULT IN ANY OUTAGES AND THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE. WE'RE TOLD WRAL'S INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALIST ALI INGERSOLL LOOKED AT FEDERAL DATA TO TRACK THESE TRENDS IN THESE TYPES OF ATTACKS. >> THAT REPORT OF SHOTS FIRED NEAR THE SOUTH CAROLINA HYDRA STATION IS CONSIDERED SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, A PHYSICAL THREAT TO THE GRID. LUCKILY AREA RESIDENTS DIDN'T HAVE ANY RAMIFICATIONS FROM THOSE ACTIONS. THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. AND YOU CAN STILL HAVE. >> A DISRUPTION AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE HAD DISRUPTIONS LIKE THOSE IN MOORE COUNTY EXPERIENCED THIS WEEK OUTAGES AND SITTING IN THE DARK DUE TO PHYSICAL ATTACKS TO THE GRID ARE RISING. DATA SHOWS THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 70 PHYSICAL ATTACKS ON THE POWER GRID THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. THE DATA ONLY GOES BACK THROUGH THE END OF AUGUST. SO THE 2 ATTACKS IN MOORE COUNTY AREN'T INCLUDED. WE LOOKED AT REPORTS DURING THE SAME TIMEFRAME DATING BACK TO 2012 AND FOUND A SURGEON PHYSICAL ATTACKS ON ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. MORE THAN DOUBLE THIS YEAR MARKS THE MOST IN THE LAST DECADE DURING WHICH THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILAR INCIDENTS IN CALIFORNIA, ARKANSAS IN UTAH. >> IT'S JUST >> HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND WHY. >> THE APPROPRIATE AGENCIES HAVEN'T MOVED MORE EXPEDITIOUSLY HERE OVER THE LAST 9 YEARS. AND THAT'S THAT THE GREATEST CONCERN TO ME AND AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE, YOU KNOW, THE SECOND WAKE-UP CALL THAT WILL MOVES INTO IT. MORE RAPID ACTION. >> WHILE A PHYSICAL ATTACK INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM FIRING ROUNDS AT SUBSTATIONS TO SABOTAGING THE SYSTEM AND VANDALISM. THOSE WITH DUKE ENERGY SAY ALL OF THOSE ACTIONS PUT PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES AT RISK. SOMETIMES THE SEEMINGLY SIMPLE ACT CAN HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS. AND SO WE HAVE TO FACTOR ALL THAT INTO OUR SECURITY WATCH RESPONSE PLAN FOR WRAL NEWS. ALI INGERSOLL. >> THE DATA SHOWS THERE WAS A PHYSICAL ATTACK ON A SUBSTATION IN DURHAM IN MARCH. NO OUTAGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
