NICHOLAS PACKWOOD EMAILS: “Power went back on in Toronto about five minutes ago ( 10:45 p.m. EST). CBC’s national broadcast is cutting in and out.”
UPDATE: Packwood sends more:
It turns out only parts of Toronto have power back and the Premiere (Governor) of Ontario has warned us to expect rolling black-outs over the next two days at least. Non-essential workers have been asked to stay home tomorrow.
Ok, that’s that. Let’s see if I can send this email before the power goes out again…
Folks, get a big, honking UPS. I need your reports. . . .
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s one:
Our power in Long Beach, Nassau County, Long Island, NY came back on at about 10:30 PM.
My daughter was in Manhattan today, luckily just got off the subway when the power went off. She walked across the Williamsburg Bridge from downtown Chinatown) to Brooklyn and then went to a firehouse where my husband and I picked her up at about 9:00 PM.
Everything was very orderly, there were police at every important intersection, traffic in Brooklyn and Queens was moving very smoothly. During the afternoon we were listening to the NYC Fire Department transmissions and everything was going very well. The dispatchers do a wonderful job keeping in touch with all the fire companies. The most interesting thing we heard was that a woman on the Long Island Railroad train was having a baby and they dispatched a tower truck to the site. I think the train was on an overpass and they had to bring her out in the bucket.
Interesting.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s more:
When the power in New York City is restored it will take at least 6 hours for the subway system to be restored. There are approximately 900 miles of track in the system and every signal and every train has to be checked before service can be resumed.
People are standing in the street holding up destination signs and drivers are picking them up and taking them home.
Bars are giving away their tap beer, or are selling it at a very low price.
Circle Line, which operates sightseeing boats around Manhattan, put their boats into service to carry people across the Hudson River to New Jersey, free, I believe.
Most, or all, of the bridges and tunnels are open only one way – out of Manhattan.
Some restaurants are open and are feeding people for free.
There is some gouging going on by taxi cab drivers.
I have only heard of one looting report, 3 people arrested in Brooklyn.
If I sold backup generators, I’d try to be the first one across those bridges into Manhattan when they open. . .