Blackout
I finally realized that the only phone I have which works without being plugged into the wall was the modem in my laptop. The only access number I had was to Lancaster, PA, which Michelle used while on press for some job or another. So I’m sitting on the floor, plugged into a landline, paying long-distance to Pennsylvania, listening to mind-numbing, repetitive news radio coverage about darkness.
After making sure Lila and Michelle were ok, unplugging most everything and turning off the circuit breakers, I spent a few hours helping neighbors get to their apartments. Our building has 18 floors, the stairwells are ventilated with electric fans at the top of the shafts. I went up and down several dozen times, making sure the doors were open, lighting candles, helping people see their keys in the dark and sweating excessively. Our building has emergency lighting, but it’s evacuation lighting and ran out of power after an hour or two.
I really haven’t been able to enjoy the spectacle of this whole thing, partly because I don’t know how long it will last. Also, I can’t get “Let’s Roll” out of my head. This feels like some kind of test, measuring how we’d (I’d) react when something bad happened. So far, so good. I was going to go to the hospital to see if they needed volunteers, but everything is so calm the firemen across the street are hanging out on the sidewalk talking to people.
I tried taking a few photos which I’ll post when the power’s back.
The heat wasn’t that bad today. Highs were in the low 90s, but humidity was low and there was a nice breeze. The news is largely incompetent.
I made some notes earlier:
8:15pm There are some lights visible in Brooklyn, the big Chase tower (I think that’s what it is) is lit up, as is the building in front of it. Beth Israel Hospital and the NY Eye and Ear Infirmary are both lit by emergency generators. For some reason, Beth Israel’s sign is lit up. I wouldn’t consider that emergency-related.
There’s still light in the sky, but it. is. dark.
Tons of people still on the sidewalks.
Our water pressure has dropped to pretty much nothing, faucets are dry and the toilets don’t flush anymore. I’m really unhappy about this. We have lots of bottled water, but no water is going to be hard with Lila.
9:40pm Fireworks over Chinatown. Sidewalks still crowded.
10:04pm Someone, probably on IndyMedia or Democratic Underground, will accuse Bush of orchestrating the blackout as an excuse for why Iraq is such a mess.
Someone, probably a very right conservative, will blame Canada.
At some point in the past hour, one of the buildings in Brooklyn went dark.
I’d really like to see an area come back online, to see if it trickles on like in the movies or just blinks on all at once. But I’m getting really tired, despite the second wind finagling an internet connection gave me.
