Power Outage

Did you see the power outage in the northeast. Boy I'm so glad I don't work or live in NY. Our power went out 3 or 4 times this afternoon.

there was something talked about on one of our local radio stations this morning tha suggested that Mars being so close to the earth has soemthing to do with the power outage. They also said that things are going to go haywire the closer it gets. And this will go on until it moves farther into the solar system.
Who knows maybe it does have something to do with that?
I'm no rocket scientist so I don't know! (LOL)

They blocked all the tv shows this afternoon on ABC, CBS, and NBC here for ongoing coverage of the power outage. It was amazing to see all of the people walking over the bridges and on the roads. I only hope that people watched their water intake so they don't collapse.

We lost power for 1 1/2 hours this afternoon and oddly enough it came back on just before the big blackout. I joined my neighbor in the shade under her big tree - much cooler. I can't even begin how to imagine how hot some of those high rises are - ugh. The Red Cross set up stations to give people water. The pictures of the people waiting for the ferry to take them across the river were amazing. I'm sure I would have passed out from the heat.

Of all the weeks to be in N.Y.C.! My DH is taking a computer class this week in downtown Manhattan when the lights went out today, shortly after 4:00p.m. (E.S.T.)! He has been calling me from his VERY WARM hotel room almost every hour to get an update on what is happening. Thank goodness that he has a mini-bar in his room that it stocked with food and drinks....guess that's dinner for tonight!! He said that he was reading the newspaper via a "glow stick" that was handed out to all hotel guests. Just hope that they are able to get the power on by tomorrow, so that he can take Amtrack back home!

Sorry to hear that Shirley but at least he's safe thank God. So many are still stuck in elevators and on the subways and thousands upon thousands taking the very long walk home. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The blackout encompassed Ontario, New York, Detroit, Cleveland to name but a few cities and all part of the grid. I believe that some power has been restored and I hope that our DG friends are safe. Canada was saying it was lightening that caused the outage.

Yes, you are right Louisa. He is safe and is not walking miles and miles and miles and miles.....to his home! Bet a lot of people will take a 3-day weekend beginning tomorrow!!

ours only blinked off!!!
maggie i bet your dh was a bit frightened-i know i would have been!!

Ouch - the biggest inconvenience I can remember "suffering" here in the Mich. UP from a power outage was a month or so when ours went out and we went down to our local bar & grill and found theirs was out, too, so we couldn't get food; luckily the beer taps still worked!! Can't begin to imagine being stuck in an elevator in a high-rise or some such thing; hope the lights (and computers, of course) are back on for everyone soon!

My DD always has some sort of energy food in her bag, in case of such emergencies. It's not a bad idea, especially if you have children or people in frail health with you. A protein bar doesn't take up a lot of space, considering the benefit it offers. We both make it a point to have a small bottle of water, too. It's not much, but it could keep you from fainting.

YEAH!!!!
Our power just came on!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!!! Here's hoping it is restored for all the rest of our DG family today!

We didn't lose power yesterday; we lost power Wednesday night for 3 hours. Thankfully it wasn't too hot - the sun had already gone down, so the temps were falling at the time.

My DH works in Times Square -- him and his business partner both brought rollerblades to work after 9/11 in case of another emergency They took off their suit jackets, laced up and rollerbladed from 50th St. to 167th Street and rolled over the George Washington Bridge. They hitched a ride at that point to get them a little further North and I drove south to pick them up. I still haven't heard from other relatives that were stuck, not sure if made their way home yet. Hope to hear soon!

Shirley1md and Alyssum - So so happy that both your guys are safe! Anyone heard from Padre? I know he helps at a Nursing Home and wondered about him all last evening.

Just found out my BIL is still in Manhattan -- stayed in the lobby of the Ernst and Young building all night long along with co-workers. Still waiting for Metro North to be up and running. . . . .

My mum's neighbours were due to go to canada yesterday, but we noticed their windows open this morning so their trip must have been postponed.

Hope all you DGers are not badly affected and things get back to normal quickly

Just seen you guys on the news. People sleeping in the streets of NY because they couldnt get home!!:O and walking 8 people deep down the roads just to get home.

Hope you all get your power back soon.

Power went out here yesterday around 4:00pm but was up & running when I got up this morning. Did a lot of reading by candlelight last night.

I noticed something really interesting as I was driving through Marion, Ohio on my way home last night. Because of the lack of electricity, people were out on their porches, taking a walk, talking to neighbors, playing at parks, cooking out,... It made me realize just how much we isolate ourselves from society behind technology like TV, computers, ... Did anyone else notice how when we lost access to all those material things that require power, we became more humane?

Gee, Detroit area is still a mess..our kids..just got theirs back on..now they worry about the sewers backup. they are 70 miles...east from us....we lost it..for about 5 hrs...and it came back on last night...but then....bingo..it went off again..for 3 hours...we have a generator..so we used extenstion cords..to help out with three houses....nothing is lost...all back again..here anyway....our kids...cleaned out their basements...so if the water came up...good time ...for fall cleaning...time early....smiles...
Diana

Here is an update: As of this morning, shortly after 8:00 a.m., the power came back on in my DH's hotel. Around 9:00 a.m., the hotel restaurant was able to serve the customers breakfast. My DH was very hungry by that point, because all he had for dinner last night was a couple of snack foods and water from the mini-bar that is in each hotel guest room. He is still waiting to find out if Amtrak will be up and running this afternoon. He has a reservation on the 5:00pm train. Hopefully, they will honor it, because they still have to provide transportation for all the travelers "stranded" in N.Y.C. last night! At the very least, the train will be packed with people....probably standing room for half the ride back home.

This message was edited Friday, Aug 15th 2:20 PM

Shirley, that's great that the power came back on at your DH's hotel. It was strange this morning seeing one side of the street in NYC with power and across the street - no power. I certainly hope his train is up and running shortly.

One more update: My DH was able to take the 3:00pm Metroliner out of Penn Station in N.Y.C. and arrived home safely by 7:00p.m. All's well that end's well! :~)

Hurray Shirley! He'll always have the tale to the story - "where were you when the lights went out?" !! So glad he's home.

Me too! He won't ever forget THIS computer class, when the lights went out in N.Y.C.....

Does anyone have any experience with an automatic generator powered by natural gas for residential use? I am thinking of getting one, Our company has a big one that provides power for lights, computer, etc.

Birdsall...I have two generators. Not sure what you mean by automatic unless that means they turn on all by themselves when the power goes out. With mine I have to go plug turn them on manually.

If I can help please holler.

I've been so worried about what is going on - the TVs here were showing the scenes in new york and alluding to terrorist activities, i hadnt seen the coverage, but a friend of mine called to see if my family was ok. then she told me and got me all scared cause there was a news blackout - still cant figure out why - but then i was able to get intermittent reports from fox and cnn and feel much better.

Pebble, I'm so sorry you had to go through that scare. If you know anything about the blackouts in the 70s, it's about like it was then, although over a larger area, I think. We have had such strange and extreme weather, and we were warned years ago this would happen with so much more a/c being used. It sounds like the experts are now saying it was simply overload on the systems. I'm sure it was difficult, and even dangerous for people who depend on machines for health management. But it was good to see people out on the streets, helping each other, visiting with neighbors. There were people sleeping on the sidewalks of NY, and no one mentioned a word about them being bothered. That's amazing!

Shoe - I am thinking of a generator that is powered by natural gas and comes on automatically in the event of a power outage. It also tests itself automatically on a regular basis. I hear they are sold in Home Depots, but I have not investigated them yet. I plan to do that on Monday.

Another thing that I did a while back was to get a whole house surge protector which is a rather simple device that is wired into your main circuit breaker box. I think I paid a couple hundred dollars for it installed.

We had a bad storm last year, and a whole street not far from us was wiped out. Computers, faxes, TVs, air conditioners, etc. were fried. Electrical Contractors' truckcs were lining the streets.

WOW! Now THAT was a bad storm!
That surge protecter sounds like a good thing to have. I have a couple in the house but hear that they are not 100% useful.

I remember checking on natural gas and propane generators several yrs ago. They were quite a bit more expensive that gasoline ones. Can see why you'd want one tho...no need to store gasoline, no worry about large power outtages that would affect even gas stations where you'd need to get gasoline from, they burn cleaner, etc.

Would like to hear what you find out, if you care to post back. Thanks!

Hi guys. We had quite a time here at the infirmary. Some men were stuck on a floor other than their own and we had to carry them up/down to their own floor and then bring their wheel chair to them. The nurses and nurses aids were given flashlights to aid in performing their chores. All meals were served on paper plates since there was no dishwasher available. The gas for the stove remained on so the chef could cook with the aid of flash lights. We had just received a shipment of the inserts for the liturgical candles. I think they are some type of alcohol lamp. We put them on the stairwells and corridors as safety lights. They lasted the 16 hours we were out of power. The emergency lights stayed lit for several hours but then gave out. One of the security staff of the university told me today that there were less thefts and arrests in New York City than on an ordinary 24 hr. day in NYC !!! All the students were moved to the university library with their bedding for the night. The library had its own generator and provided the necessary security and had the necessary lavatory facilities. [You gotta keep a step ahead of the lawyers] Some of the kids even drove into the city to see what it looked like without lights, including traffic lights. Portable power units were brought to the biology building where the refrigeration units in the cancer research labs had to be maintained. I went to bed. In the morning, when the power returned I got the large boilers fired off and when the steam pressure was high enough restarted the central air conditioning unit. By 11 am we were back to hot water, elevator service and air conditioned dining room with hot food. We thank God that none of our patients were on breathing support equipment requiring electrical power. All done, it was an inconvenience but also an experience that showed that we could all work together to get through it.

Great to hear from you Padre. Glad you are alright.

Glad everyone is ok. I noticed nmax's remark and it is so true. I know people in need must have their equipment but the other population seemed to just gel. Like the good old days.

Padre, glad to see you check in. Glad all went good (as good as it could've) for you and that things are back in working order. (I bet you are VERY tired tho from this ordeal and hope you are now resting up.)

Weeds, I saw nmax's post too...it's true, during times like this we begin to act like Family again and become much more civil and outgoing to others.

It happens here when we have a hurricane.

Padre and all the rest affected by the power outage, so glad not to hear of any serious problems with any of you. We don't realize how much we depend on electricty until it is not available. Donna

Horseshoe and Weeds:

Glad you noticed my post. I certainly feel for those who absolutely needed the power and were without it. For the rest of us though, it gave us a taste of what its like to be social again. I hope we remember it. I'm thinking of building this lesson into my family life by routinely acting as though the power were out and socializing with each other without any electronics involved. I'm only 30-something, but I grew up in a remote area where we didn't have all the latest gadgets and as the norm used our imaginations to stay entertained.