Power Outages

Preparing can make a difference!

At 5:27 p.m., November 9, 1965, the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark. From Buffalo to the eastern border of New Hampshire and from New York City to Ontario, a massive power outage struck without warning. Trains were stuck between subway stops. People were trapped in elevators. Failed traffic signals stopped traffic dead. And, at the height of the Cold War, many thought Armageddon had arrived. One pilot flying over a darkened New York City stated, "I thought, 'another Pearl Harbor!'" By 5:40 p.m. that evening, 80,000 square miles of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada, were without power, leaving 30 million people in the dark.

Blackout History Project

Preparation Checklist

• Have a battery powered AM/FM radio
• Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio
• Have extra fresh BATTERIES
• Have a FLASHLIGHT
• Have a corded phone as most cordless phones need power!
• Bottled water
• Non-perishable food items such as cereals and canned goods (and a Manual Can Opener)
• A first-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher
• Rain gear
• Blankets
• Enough extra prescription medications and special needs items such as diapers or formula for infants, to last several days

Web Resources

• National Grid
  Call 1-800-909-1212 to report a power outage or any other electrical emergency
  
• Dig Safe®
  1-888-DIG-SAFE