Electricity Died Remember August 14,

¶ … Electricity Died remember August 14, 2003, as the day I became enlightened. In case you do not remember, that is the day of the Great Blackout that hit New York City and many other areas of the Northeast and Canada. Today, it might not seem like such a problem, but it showed me that I was unprepared for an emergency and that I was totally and absolutely dependent on the electrical current that flows through the wires in our cities and towns. My whole life depends on this electrical charge, and that night in August 2003 really showed me what I had come to depend on was so important to all of us.

When the blackout first hit, it was daylight, and we all thought it would last a few minutes at most. There wasn't any panic or anything. I was at work, and when it became clear that the blackout was bigger than just a block or two, we started leaving the building. Someone on our office had a battery-operated radio, and we heard the blackout was all over the area, and it looked like it might last for a while. Some people got stranded in elevators and things like that, but that didn't happen in my building. I did know people that got trapped in the subways, though. I'm sure glad I wasn't down there, in all the heat and humidity of August, waiting to get rescued for hours! Anyway, we all started heading down stairs, and a lot of the people seemed to be in a good mood, because we were having some kind of an adventure, and we were leaving work a little bit early.

We got out into the street, and it really began to hit us that whole city was shut down. People were all over in the streets, because the subways and electric trains were not running. Some cars and taxis were trying to get through the crush of people, but mostly, the streets were just full of people trying to get home any way they could. It was a madhouse, for sure. I tried to call home, to make sure everyone was OK, and to tell them I was going to be late, but my cell phone wasn't working. I found out later the circuits were overloaded, and so, there were massive lines of people at any pay phone they could find, trying to call home, call work, whatever.

It didn't even occur to me on the way home, but I was totally unprepared for this blackout, and I had no clue that I should stop on the way and grab some supplies. By the time it hit me, it was too late. Any store that was open was mobbed, and most were closed because they didn't have the electricity to run their lights, their cash registers, and their computers. I was beginning to see that this was more than an adventure; it was getting a little scary. As I walked, I realized that almost all the buildings were dark, there were no street lights, and that the signs and billboards I was so used to were unlit and unattractive. There was no light anywhere! Some buildings had their own generators and emergency lights I guess, but for the most part, everything behind the windows was black. I started to feel really weird about the entire experience. Some people were laughing and joking around me, making a party out of it, and others just looked harried and annoyed as they hurried though the streets. I began to wonder, what are we all hurrying for?

When I finally got to my apartment, of course the elevator wasn't working, so I had to climb up a lot more stairs than I wanted to. When I opened my door, I was greeted mostly with a dim blackness. There was no hum of the refrigerator, no blinking VCR light, and no LED clock on my bedside table. Everything was black, and silent. I opened up the windows to let in some light, but that was fading fast. I realized I had no bottled water, no candles to light, no batteries for my battery-backup clock radio, and even the battery on my laptop was dead. I felt cut off from the world, and lost in my own apartment. I didn't want to open the refrigerator, because I didn't know how long the blackout would last, and I didn't want my food to spoil. There wasn't any way for me to cook anything anyway. I have an electric stove, and obviously the microwave wasn't working. I kept walking into rooms and unconsciously turning on light switches or lamps, and then being surprised for a second when they didn't come on. Really, it hit me. EVERYTHING works on electricity, and when there isn't any - there's just nothing!

Besides, it was really hot inside my apartment, and without air conditioning, it seemed like the best thing to do was head back to the street. Obviously, the fast food places were all shut up, but I looked down and saw that some people were bringing tables, food, candles, and stuff outside. Someone down the street had set up a barbecue grill, and people were cooking. Suddenly it smelled delicious! Neighborhood bars stayed open, and when I found one around the corner, it was filled with people in a party atmosphere. The beer was warm and so were the pretzels, but they tasted a lot better than usual.