Yup. It is a big deal. 3 of out 13 is too many. We need to add more roots servers.
It's kinda funny, because it wasn't really all that many years ago that some of the root servers were just sitting under someone's desk. I'd be interested in seeing what kind of hardware they are running most of the root domain servers on these days, and how big a network connection they have incoming.
Dark Ages 2.0 is descending upon us. Continual warfare and destruction of Mediterranean trade routes took the rise of European civilization off line for hundreds of years. Now the same circumstances have sprung up. In both instances - infighting among the affected parties kept them from fixing the problem.