Apparently, there are currently major power outages in the Northeast affecting New York City, Cleaveland and Detroit.
Does anyone know how or why?
Update @3:39pm: BoingBoing is reporting this as is the front page of CNN.com.
Update @3:41pm: It appears that Ottawa and Toronto are also having problems.
Update @3:42pm: Reuters has the story too with no additional information.
Update @3:49pm: Canoe news of Canada also has the story. Still no new information.
Update @3:54pm: Ashlee says a Consolidated Edison plant blew up.
Update @3:56pm: CNN says the Niagara-Mohawk Power Grid overloaded. Officials don’t believe the outage is related to terrorism.
Update @3:59pm: CNN has a developing story.
Update @4:03pm: NPR’s Cory Flintoff just reported on KERA 90.1 on the outage. WNYC’s Kari Nolan reported that all 5 bouroughs are out of power. Parts of Long Island and parts of New Jersey are also affected. An amusement park in New Jersey has left people stranded on the rides. In Manhattan, Cellphones are all jammed, and all traffic lights are out. This has hit right at the beginning of their evening rush hour. Albany, NY also saw power loss, however, it has been restored. On the East side of Lower Manhattan a Consoldidated Edison power station is on fire.
Update @4:07pm: CBC has the story as well.
Update @4:08pm: NPR’s Melissa Bloc is now reporting that the cause of the outage is the Manhattan fire.
Update @4:08pm: Jess just called from Sudbury, Ontario. They don’t have power there either. Been out for almost an hour.
Update @4:10pm: The overloaded power grid has caused power stations to shut down in an automatic and preventative fashion, as they are programmed to do. The fire in Manhattan is due to a problem with the automatic shutdown. In 1965, the north eastern United States and all of eastern Canada lost power for 13 hours.
Update @4:15pm: ABCNews, Washington Post, Herald Tribune, InternetNews.com, NBC4, KCTV5.
Update @4:38pm: In looking for information about the United States power grid, I learned something odd. The power grid is divided into three pieces: the East (which includes parts of Canada) the West (which includes parts of Canada) and Texas. I guess people don’t want to share with us. Or, maybe the other way around.