Blackouts- What is going on?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Any one have a clue? The power is on in New Hampshire but the news seems clueless.



Apparently NYC, Detroit, Toronto, and other cities are all without power. Plants reported on fire and possible explosions?



I wonder what the heck is going on.
«1345

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 93
    toweltowel Posts: 1,479member
    My brother is a security engineer who does a lot of work for ConEd. He called from NYC a few minutes ago and reported that the "entire grid is down" and was wondering what the hell was going on. All I can find is what's on the breaking news headlines on the major news websites.
  • Reply 2 of 93
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    They say people in the subways in NY are trapped and that one of the power plants is on fire.
  • Reply 3 of 93
    jante99jante99 Posts: 539member
    The answer is simple:

    The World is Ending!



    All the biblical signs agree that August 14, 2003 is the end of the world. This event has nothing to do with high power demand from air conditioners, terrorism, or random accidents. This is simply just the end of the world. No need to be alarmed. Continue posting on Appleinsider like usual.
  • Reply 4 of 93
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    oh shit...



    Hopefully this is just bad energy management and not something worse...





    ... like terrorism for example. World will not end until January 15, 2068.
  • Reply 5 of 93
    longhornlonghorn Posts: 147member
    Too much AC?
  • Reply 6 of 93
    I'm in ithaca new york right now... power is on but some of the flourescent lights in the hall are out... was using my powerbook on AC adapter until the maintenance guy for the building walked by and said that the entire NY state power grid was having problems and there could be spikes that ruin my computer... gladly switched over to battery...



    seems like several NE cities are having problems... hopefully this is just related to the heat and not related to terrorism
  • Reply 7 of 93
    its not terrorists. its just the jackasses who set up the 3 major power grids in america and are supposed to be able to operate independently but obviously are not right now. i hope some engineer somewhere is smacking himself in the head right now.
  • Reply 8 of 93
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Works for me. I hope that's all it is. Any one major city wouldn't make me think twice, but several at once is a little spooky.
  • Reply 9 of 93
    Works fine in Ohio.
  • Reply 10 of 93
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    From the Post



    Quote:

    NEW YORK - A massive power outage swept across swaths of the eastern United States and Canada on Thursday, leaving sections of New York, Detroit, Cleveland and Toronto without electricity, witnesses said.



    Subways in New York came to a complete halt, and power was out at all three of the New York area's major airports. Commuter train service also came to a halt, and cellular telephone service was disrupted.



    The Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Forked River, New Jersey was not functioning, according to people familiar with the plant's operation.



    A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they did not know the reason for the power outages, but said the department was looking into it.



  • Reply 11 of 93
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    Yikes, I wouldn't want to be in the NY subway or in any elevators in any of these cities, especially in this heat.
  • Reply 12 of 93
    daverdaver Posts: 496member
    Power is out here in Sharbot Lake, a little north of Kingston, Ontario. I'd better conserve my iBook's battery as much as possible.



    I don't really mind that the power is dead, but I am annoyed that authorities and the media seem so clueless. Besides the nuclear plant in New Jersey that was mentioned in the Post story above, I read that fire has been reported at the Con Edision generating station in New York.



    The CBC says that this is the largest power disaster to hit North America in nearly 40 years:

    Quote:

    In November 1965 a blackout struck eastern Canada and the northeast U.S. turning out the lights for more than 13 hours.



    Nice.
  • Reply 13 of 93
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    I think it's great that there's already a small group on slashdot joking that microsoft did it.
  • Reply 14 of 93
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    I think the news is saying that the cause is an overload of a Niagara-Mohawk power grid.
  • Reply 15 of 93
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MCQ

    I think the news is saying that the cause is an overload on a Niagara power grid or some such.



    This article is reporting differently:



    Quote:

    However it appears unlikely an overload of the Niagara Mohawk power grid could cause such widespread damage on its own. The company Web site says serves 1.5 million customers in upstate New York.



    http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/08/14/power_030814
  • Reply 16 of 93
    toweltowel Posts: 1,479member
    My brother is apparently better informed than the networks:



    He reports that there was a major failure somewhere on the Niagara-Mohawk mainline, maybe in Canada. The outages elsewhere are mostly automated shutdowns designed to protect equipment from physical damage. In NYC, at least, all equipment was brought down successfully, without damage. The flames reported at NYC powerplants were a result of residual fuel left in reaction chambers when the turbines when they were shutdown - sort of like a back-fire.They're presently just waiting for the power authority to give them the all-clear to start things up again. No word, though, of when that will be, or when the precise point of damage will be isolated.



    Also no word of terrorism, but my brother notes that there are a number of points on the power grid in Westchester where a guy who knows what he's doing could cause something like this with a pair of clippers and a crowbar.
  • Reply 17 of 93
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    This article is reporting differently:





    http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/08/14/power_030814




    Apologies, I misread what I saw on TV, I just noticed Niagara and forgot the other part... will edit my post.
  • Reply 18 of 93
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    My concern now is not that this started as terrorism but that it could end that way. Shite, did you guys notice the SEA of people pouring out onto streets and bridges all over NY? If ever there was a prime opportunity for low-tech suicide bombers or anyone interested in localized germ / chemical attacks.



    Probably NY is MORE secure than most areas as far as screening for this type of stuff but once it gets dark the problem could take on an ugly dimension. Also, some of the TV "experts" are noting you could have more blackouts if these plants aren't restarted with the proper timing / sequencing. FUBAR.



    Forget aircraft carriers George (and Governors), buy an f-ing power grid that works!







    Hopefully we get through the night with nothing but some looted storefronts and muggings.



    One humorous aside: Texas is the only state with its own grid. Everything west of Texas is on one grid and everything north and east of Texas on the other. Including parts of Canadahh, eh?
  • Reply 19 of 93
    hegorhegor Posts: 160member
    This happened on the west coast six or seven years ago. Poop happens.



    I just feel really bad for those who may be sensitive to the heat.



    If this is terrorism (which it probably isn't) then its an evil but a brillant attack.



    NY Mayor Bloomberg just announced that the power will start coming back but it may take a several hours.
  • Reply 20 of 93
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MCQ

    Apologies, I misread what I saw on TV, I just noticed Niagara and forgot the other part... will edit my post.



    No, you probably read right. Most places seem to be saying that it was a failure in that grid. I just thought I'd add this article to the mix since it acknowledged that theory and disagreed.
Sign In or Register to comment.