Where were you when the lights went out??

[ohiomobprincess]

Hi all,
I'm one of the unfortunate people who had to survive the "Great Blackout" of 2003. I was driving home and the radio stations started to go out one by one. The stop lights were all out and when I got home all my power, my telephone and cell phone services were out. Talk about feeling isolated. No internet, no nothing. Of course I had no batteries in my radio and no food in the house. I braved the trip to McDonalds, hoping it would be open. McDonald's was open and everyone else in the area decided to go at the same time I did. The stores that were open were packed. The only gas station open had about 90 cars surrounding it. It's been a nightmare. Power came on in my city (Fairlawn, OH- in between Cleveland and Akron) at around 9:30 p.m. Many are still without power. Anyone else with a story to share?

[CashMoneySoviet]

I was at home, I tried everything to keep sanity, I read, drew, played gameboy, cards, scrabble, and Simpsons Clue, still bored out of my mind. We had tons of candles going in one room. Our living room looked like the lights were on!

[Yellow Apple]

Well I don't live in that area, so I was at work having a normal day. I first heard about the blackout in the car on the way home. Then when I got home I turned on one of many news broadcasts about it.

So, no story here.

[Blazingorchidlv]

I dont live there either...but my friend does...he lives in NYC...so I'm very depressed...cause I don't get to talk to him!! :'( Maybe hell call me this morning. Sigh...so sad

[marybethp]

at work. Went home and cooked on the grill

[Yellow Apple]

I dont live there either...but my friend does...he lives in NYC...so I'm very depressed...cause I don't get to talk to him!! :'( Maybe hell call me this morning. Sigh...so sad

From what I've been reading, power is coming back online now. It's just a slow process since the grid is so huge.

[jakersnake]

I'm a New Yorker, and let me tell you, it was a crazy night! I work across the Hudson river from the city, and our building is hooked up to a generator, so we just got a flicker at first. Then we started getting reports that the city's lights were out. Several friends and I left work, had to take a water ferry across the river back into the city. One of us had actually left work before it happened, and had gotten stuck on a train that had stalled between Jersey and the City, so he had to walk through the subway tunnel back out to the street and back to the ferry we were waiting for. Took 2 hours to get a boat across the water, people were crazy, everyone was impatient, no one could get calls through on their cell phones, and by that time it was going on 8:00. We got to NYC's ferry dock and there were literally thousands of people trying to get on just a few boats back to the other side, stretched out over quite a few city blocks. We walked from one end of the city to the other end, where I have a friend on the East Side, passing through Times Square as we went. Pitch Black. If anyone here lives in NYC or has been to NYC, trying to picture Times Square with no lights... it's a bit surreal. People were everywhere. Bars were going crazy, cuz it was really the only thing for people to do. Got over to the east side and by that point the only lights were coming from cars and the occasional overhead copter floodlight.

THankfully, I live near the Con Edison plant, so my neighborhood was one of the first to get their power back this morning.

All in all, it was definitely an interesting experience. Could actually have been really fun, if it weren't for the no air conditioning thing. :-)

[jakersnake]

We are staring to get things back piecemeal. Parts of all the five borouighs and Manhattan are up and running. They say it shouldn't last the weekend.

[Paulie]

Bars were going crazy, cuz it was really the only thing for people to do.

I could think of other things for people to do that don't require lights or electrical power.

[Amanda]

I could think of other things for people to do that don't require lights or electrical power.

By which you of course mean reading the Bible by candlelight, yes?