The Blackout of 2003

1
The Blackout of 2003

• Emily Stoner
• Sources
• http//www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/19/blackout
  .hearing.ap/index.html
• http//www.cnn.com/2003/US/08/16/power.outage/inde
  x.html
• http//www.cnn.com/2003/US/08/15/power.outage/inde
  x.html

2
Basic Information

• Started in Ohio
• Largest blackout in history
• Full power outage took about 9 sec.
• Happened on Aug. 14, at approximately 409pm

3
Who was affected?

• 7 States
• -New York
• -New Jersey
• -Ohio
• -Pennsylvania
• -Michigan
• -Connecticut
• -Vermont

• Canada
• -Windsor
• -Ontario

• Roughly 50 million
• people total

the grey area on map shows Area affected.
4
Monetary Issues

• Great number of losses
• About 6 billion economic losses in U.S.

5
Problems it caused

• Mass Fear
• -terrorism
• Heat Related Deaths
• Fires/Arson

• Water Problems
• -boil to drink
• -cities couldnt pump water supply

• Looting
• -mostly in major cities
• -Toronto alone 114 cases

6
More Problems

• Cell phones in vast/immediate demand
• -people throughout east couldnt use phone lines
• Stores running out of light sources
• -flashlights,candles, and batteries

7
Transportation problems it caused

• Public Transportation overflow
• Subways stopped
• -4 hr. evacuation
• Airlines grounded
• Elevators stopped
• Traffic lights off
• No gas pumps

8
Causes

• Lack of warning between stations
• 1st Energy Corp lack of reaction to 30 min. power
  failure
• Power grid problems
• -peoples carelessness

9
First Energy Corp.s Violations

• Inadequate training of workers
• -computer problems
• -didnt warn other stations
• Violation with industrial grid
• Failure to comply with Federal reliability
  Standards

10
The Aftermath

• Congress passed bills with Federal reliability
  standards
• Power Corps are checked more frequently
• First Energy Corp
• -lost many customers/money