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The contributory factors: an aging electrical grid, a series of technology flaws and a few overgrown trees. Lack of proper maintenance led to a cascading series of outages stretching from Michigan to New England and up into Ontario, Canada. Number of people affected: 55,000,000!
Picture this...
Commuters in New York City and elsewhere had to sleep on steps, hitchhike or walk home as trains were rendered powerless and gas pumps stopped working; food spoiled as refrigerators and freezers thawed; jugs of water sold out as supply plants lost their ability to supply consumers; minds were set to wandering about terrorism fears less than two years after 9/11. Source: Northeast blackout of 2003
Swarms of stranded people attempted to leave Manhattan, August 14, 2003.
All bridges and tunnels out of the Big Apple were swarmed with cars and people.
All bridges and tunnels out of the Big Apple were swarmed with cars and people.
Citizens even took it upon themselves to mitigate the effects of the
outage by assisting elderly neighbors or helping to direct traffic in
the absence of working traffic lights.
Where were you during the blackout of 2003?
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