Where you on a boat when the power went out ?
August 14, 2013 10 years ago this week the Northeast suffered the largest blackout ever experienced. Were you out on your boat when it happened ? On our mooring in Norwalk harbor, having just finished a picnic supper aboard, we were astonished to see the lights ashore go out as if a magic wand waived first over Sono and then around to East Norwalk. Eventually, only the lights of cars ashore and the running lights of boats in the channel were visible. Instantly, there were no landmarks and for some, a real test of navigation. A great night to spend on the boat, with plenty of power and movies on the laptop ! It began when a sagging powerline hit a tree near Cleveland, tripping some circuit breakers. To compensate, power was rerouted to a nearby line, which began to overheat and sink down into another tree, tripping yet another circuit. The resulting cascade created a massive blackout in the Northeast, affecting power in eight states and part of Canada. Over 50 million people were left without power for days after the lights went out on that sticky summer day. New York seemed transformed with a flip of a switch. On the Upper West Side, strangers, who moments earlier had avoided eye contact, started chatting - they now had something in common. It was both exciting and scary. Do you remember where you were ? Read more here
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