by Dan Bobkoff August 14, 2013 3:01 AM NRP.org

 

Ten years ago, a sagging power line 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 another circuit. The resulting cascade created a massive blackout in the Northeast U.S., affecting power in eight states and part of Canada.

Some 50 million people were left without power for days after the lights went out around 4 p.m. on the 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. There was a mix of excitement and fear.

Many New Yorkers were trying to get home from work. There were no subway trains, so competition was fierce for buses and cabs.

"Just get us to Washington Heights, man," a man on the street said. "I'll give you a lot of money for Washington Heights."