If you lived in the NorthEast US and Canada...

[DVS]

What would you be doing for entertainment, tonight? Sex? Sleep? swimming, maybe?

If you don't know, there is a major power outage in the Northeastern US that affects New York, and surounding areas, including Toronto, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan.

I remember back in the 60s? when there was a similar black out. Everyone slept out on their balcony and I understand there were a few babies conceived.

edited to add the following.

You know, I should have thought of this angle in the beginning...

So, please amend my thread to be the following:

If you DON'T live in the black out area, what would you do to get by, if you did?

AND

If you DO live in the black out area, what are you doing to get through it, or what did you do to get through it, if your power is back on? From what I am hearing, most stories are going to be memorable, for one reason or another.

Please pardon my bad for not adding the second (and more important) part of this question in the beginning.

 

[MathGirl]

I've got everything I'd need for such an eventuality: Cat, shotgun, portable radio, flashlight, book.
MG

 

[Chicklet]

I don't have a gun, but I've got three cats...does that make us even?

 

[Guest]

With our scandalous energy crisis in California I've been through more blackouts in the past year than I can count now. Have everything in readiness all the time; am used to reading by candlelight.

Yes, I remember the NYC blackout and the little baby boom that occurred nine months later.

Good to see you, DVS.

Perdita

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by Chicklet I don't have a gun, but I've got three cats...does that make us even?

Dear Chickie,
No, that puts you ahead. I just hope they could find the litter box in the dark.
MG

 

[Never]

I do live in the northeast. I'm playing on Lit, of course.

 

[wildsweetone]

LOL Hiya DVS! I notice you didn't let the cat out of the bag as to what you were up to


I read about the outage from my homepage:

http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,213494-1-9,00.html

It reminded me rather nastily of when my two young children were in nappies (diapers for you northern hemisphere lot). In one single week we had 12 power cuts.

Our water in the country, comes from rainfall which is then stored in tanks. The water is pumped from the tank to the tap. The pump runs using electricity. When the power is off there is no water coming out of the taps, nothing, zilch, nil, nought.

The reason for all those power cuts was the weather too. Nope, not an electrical storm. Just wind. The wind would send naturally growing tree branches to rubbing against the overhead powerlines and before long, whammo we'd be having a power cut.

That was about 12 years ago. To this day, when there is strong wind around or stormy weather, I boil the kettle and fill up flasks. Talk about pavlov's dog. Am I well trained, or what?!

 

[M.A.Thompson]

What I did....

Power came back on around 10:15. I took my kids outside and showed them something I grew up with and once upon a time took for granted: a starlit sky devoid of ambient light from the cities. It was wonderful!!!!

 

[destinie21]

I was lucky the power in my house never went out si it was business as usual.


Wait why was I lucky?

 

[The_old_man]

Remember the 60s blackout, cooked supper on the fireplace grill. I carried a 45, the wife had a 9mm. The kids loved it.

 

[destinie21]

nevermindhttp://sakuraland.com/Art/Anime/Sailormoon/Two/sm13.jpg

 

[English Lady]

We had a blackout earlier this year,the power was off for at least 8 hours. It was evening, i was just about to cook us dinner,we ended up ordering out and eating take away in bed after my little girl fell asleep (I did her some sandwiches if i remeber right) It was early this year,so it went dark around 4pm...we wnt thru a fair few candles!


We ended up sitting and singing and playing with my little girls batter opperated musical night light*L* When she went to bed Hubby and i ate,then we fucked....slept a bit....fucked some more ..slept again and were startled awake by the lights coming back on *L*

 

[DVS]

I do live in the northeast. I'm playing on Lit, of course.

You know, I should have thought of this angle in the beginning...

So, please amend my thread to be the following:

If you DON'T live in the black out area, what would you do to get by, if you did?

AND

If you DO live in the black out area, what are you doing to get through it, or what did you do to get through it, if your power is back on? From what I am hearing, most stories are going to be memorable, for one reason or another.

Please pardon my bad for not adding the second (and more important) part of this question in the beginning.

 

[DVS]

Re: What I did....

Power came back on around 10:15. I took my kids outside and showed them something I grew up with and once upon a time took for granted: a starlit sky devoid of ambient light from the cities. It was wonderful!!!!

COOL!

 

[DVS]

I've got everything I'd need for such an eventuality: Cat, shotgun, portable radio, flashlight, book.
MG

Ummm, watch cat, I suppose?

 

[DVS]

I don't have a gun, but I've got three cats...does that make us even?

OK, watch CATS?

 

[DVS]

The reason for all those power cuts was the weather too. Nope, not an electrical storm. Just wind. The wind would send naturally growing tree branches to rubbing against the overhead powerlines and before long, whammo we'd be having a power cut.

If you recall, that was what happened here in the midwest a couple winters ago.
Our power company had stopped cutting back trees from growing around the power lines to save money.

Then, we get that ice storm where several inches of ice formed on the tree limbs. The added weight and gravity were all it took. It was a major power outage for our city, not to mention the tree limbs all over.

Our trees suffered, and our tempers suffered. Most had their power restored within a week or two, but some people were without power for several weeks.

Don't know why, but I was one of the lucky ones. My power and phone never left me. But, a large limb did leave a tree above my house and it poked a large hole in my roof. Still, I feel I fared much better than most, because I had communication and heat and TV and mostly all of the comforts of home.

This was in a major cold snap, which caused pipes to freeze and burst, and people bought up all of the burnable wood to keep warm. Some rented or purchased gas generators to get by.

But, this recent power outage could threaten lives of the elderly, if it lasts too long. Not only are there no air conditioners to keep them cool, they don't even have a fan to circulate the hot air. That's a dangerous combination for the older folks. Let's hope power is back on for everyone, soon!

 

[Quasimodem]

There was an ice storm in Quebec a couple of years back. Ice accumulated on the hydro wires and eventually pulled them down all over the province.

Some of the more rural areas were without power for up to two weeks. Those with fireplaces or wood stoves had to take in friends and relatives with electric of electric controlled oil furnaces.

If my memory is not flawed, this all took place in January.

That year, Quebec hospitals experienced a spike in babies born in late September.

They were referred to as 'Storm Babies.'

There was a similar spike in 1966 after the Blackout of 65. Hollywood even made a movie about it, but mostly it was an exaggeration. It only lasted one night.

The Quebec Ice Storm affected many of the people for two weeks. The statistical possibility for a "Storm Baby" spike was much higher, especially in Catholic Quebec, where women only take birth control pills to relieve headaches.

As for what I did? I was climbing up and down stair wells, trying to free people trapped in elevators. Emergency services already had their hands full.

What pisses me off, is right away the Mayor of New York claimed the blackout was caused by a problem in Canada. Of course, Ontario's Premier Ernie Eves immediately pointed back at an American Hydro Electric Grid.

No one who actually knows anything about how the Eastern North American grid works have made any official pronouncement. The blame game is strictly political.

I do remember that after nearly a year of hunting, the 1965 Blackout was traced to a $1.50 relay in a New Jersey switching station that burned out in the open position, forming a perfect short circuit. Every time they tried to start the juice flowing, the relay would blow the grid again.

That was why it took 18 hours to get back on line.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

DVS, your AV scares the... out of me! Smiling Hitchcock... brrr!

We've had two days of mad thunder storms. Last night, the sky was a giant light show, with electric blue lightnings brightening up the dark purple sky, and the thunder coming directly at it, louder than thunder normally does, and the lightnings were coming every minute.

I had to go out to buy some milk before the petrol station closed, and I tell you, I was crawling along the walls of the buildings, hoping that the lightning would prefer a tall target over a moving one.

I'm normally not afraid of the thunder, I just get annoyed because I can't watch TV, use the computer, or talk on the phone while there's a thunder going on. But last night, I was actually frightened. I was afraid that I was going to get hit by lightning and die. It was a primitive fear, fromt he days when we watched the sky from the depth of our caves. Powerful stuff.

 

[DVS]

What pisses me off, is right away the Mayor of New York claimed the blackout was caused by a problem in Canada. Of course, Ontario's Premier Ernie Eves immediately pointed back at an American Hydro Electric Grid.

No one who actually knows anything about how the Eastern North American grid works have made any official pronouncement. The blame game is strictly political.

If you are referring to this latest outage, the latest I've heard is they think it started in Ohio.

Something about a 300 megawatt flow in one direction was interrupted by a strange and unexplainable 500 megawatt flow in the opposite direction. This was what happened in an Ohio plant. The other plants all automatically disconnected, for fear of equipment damage.

They said it was too early to say what caused this 500 megawatt spike or exactly where it was, in Ohio. But, this was the latest I had heard.

Who knows...tomorrow it could be in Michigan, and a 600 megawatt spike.

 

[DVS]

DVS, your AV scares the... out of me! Smiling Hitchcock... brrr!

SUFFER!

We've had two days of mad thunder storms. Last night, the sky was a giant light show, with electric blue lightnings brightening up the dark purple sky, and the thunder coming directly at it, louder than thunder normally does, and the lightnings were coming every minute.

Blue lightening? Sounds beautiful, actually. Was it behind some dark clouds, maybe, and cause it to look blue? Or do you have some strange phenomenon in your country that causes such things?
This causes me to remember the Blue Meanies of the Yellow Submarine. But, it has no connection, other than the name.

I had to go out to buy some milk before the petrol station closed, and I tell you, I was crawling along the walls of the buildings, hoping that the lightning would prefer a tall target over a moving one.

It strikes me rather strangely that you purchsed milk at a petrol station? Do you get your gas at the grocery store, maybe? I suppose this was just one of those quickie stores that has a little of everything?

I'm normally not afraid of the thunder, I just get annoyed because I can't watch TV, use the computer, or talk on the phone while there's a thunder going on. But last night, I was actually frightened. I was afraid that I was going to get hit by lightning and die. It was a primitive fear, fromt he days when we watched the sky from the depth of our caves. Powerful stuff.

As a rule, when you hear the thunder, the danger is over. Thunder comes after the lightening. Lightening is the danger. But, thunder should be respected, too. And, when it was sounding as close to the lightening as you are saying, that means the lightening was very close to you. That means you might hear one thunder, but the next you might not, because the lightening struck you.

Also, I understand what you mean by a taller target for the lightening. This is basically a true thought process. Just don't think it will always work. Strange things can always happen when you are dealing with electrical voltage of nature.

I know of a funeral that was going on once, recently. It was misting and then started into a downpour. The funeral attendees all went for cover. Some went to a metal shed and some went to a tree. The ones under the tree also were holding umbrellas. This proved to be their fate. The lightening struck the tree and the umbrellas were turned into lightening rods. Three of the 4 died.

Tall things like trees are best to stay away from, in a thunder storm. Oh, and golfers with those metal shafts on their clubs? Not a good idea, either. Golf courses usually have large flat areas, and the golfers with their clubs are the tall points.

Another time was told by my father. When he was a young boy, there were kids playing together in the rain. There were several out there together and lighening struck one boy and killed him. The others were not harmed.

Stories like this are wide spread. You just don't mess with Mother Nature when she's pissed.

 

[MathGirl]

OK, watch CATS?

Dear DVS,
No. I don't like musicals.
MG

 

[The_Fool]

I've got everything I'd need for such an eventuality: Cat, shotgun, portable radio, flashlight, book.
MG

Batteries??? For the flashlight and radio of course.....

 

[DVS]

Dear DVS,
No. I don't like musicals.
MG

LOL, I didn't realise what I had said! Oh, but I DO love musicals! And, it's not entirly because I'm a musician. I have a friend, also a musician. He HATES musicals.

He said he will never understand why, in the middle of the story, the actors will stop acting and break out into a song.

Well, I love musicals. West Side Story is my favorite. But, I do understand my friend's point of view...I guess. I just think he's wrong!

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Blue lightening? Sounds beautiful, actually. Was it behind some dark clouds, maybe, and cause it to look blue? Or do you have some strange phenomenon in your country that causes such things?

It strikes me rather strangely that you purchsed milk at a petrol station? Do you get your gas at the grocery store, maybe? I suppose this was just one of those quickie stores that has a little of everything?

Petrol stations in Sweden are like miniature super markets these days... It's insanely expensive, but that's the only place where you can buy milk at 11.45 at night.

I don't know what the eff last night's lightnings were about. I've never seena nything like it before. They were white with blue edges, against dark purple clouds, that got a pink tone to them in the light, and the sky behind the clouds, which was dark blue, lit up to a shade almost like the sky on a clear day.