The Verge: Verizon Rushes to Replace Copper with Fiber in Lower Manhattan

The storm surge from Hurricane Sandy inflicted catastrophic damage at Verizon's central office on Broad Street in lower Manhattan when an underground cabling vault was completely submerged in salt water. 

Verizon's Executive Director of Operations, Christopher D. Levendos, tells The Verge's Dante D'Orazio that the best choice is to strip out the spoiled copper and simply to rebuild with fiber.

The full article is online here: 
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/17/3655442/restoring-verizon-service-manhattan-hurricane-sandy