Fifty Million People Affected in Massive Northeast Blackout
On August 14, a massive blackout swept across major portions of the northeastern United States and southern Canada. Workers in major cities including New York, Detroit and Toronto found themselves stranded as many forms of public transportation ground to a halt. Cascading line trips caused major power stations to go off-line including nine nuclear plants in four states. The blackout, reportedly originated in Ohio around 4 p.m., then quickly swept through the state of New York and parts of New England, Ohio and Michigan.
To put this blackout in perspective, the 1965 blackout affected 25 million people. The 1977 blackout left 9 million people without power and the 1996 West Coast blackout affected 4 million customers.
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