Every so often we hear about a network outage thanks to some completely non-technology reason: A truck rammed into a pole or backhoe cut the cable. Fred Lawler, Level 3 Communications’ (s LVLT) Senior Vice President of Global Field Services has been in the network building business and on the Level 3 blog he lists top bizarre reasons why optical fibers are cut (and result in network disruption.)

1. Constructions companies and excavators.
2. Trucks and other vehicle-related damages. (Add ships to this list too.)
3. Natural Disasters (High winds, Hurricanes &  Ice storms.)
4. Vandalism
5. A pissed off Southern landowner with a backhoe and a shotgun.
6. Squirrels (and other wild animals.