WASHINGTON BLACK OUT HOW TO

As more and more sections of the electrical network disconnected from the grid, the blackouts accelerated.Īt 4:10 p.m., the system connecting the region south of the Great Lakes, including the cities of Detroit and Cleveland, across the country to New York and New Jersey experienced a profound failure. by the failure of a transmission line connecting eastern and northern Ohio, and then a second line failed in the same area. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., a brush fire caused a transmission line south of Columbus, OH, to go out of service. Transportation must work at its absolute best in these kinds of situations, and our objective is to help the transportation community bring their resources to bear at the most important time.' How Did the Blackout Happen?ĭespite the heat and humidity on August 14, the network of electric transmission lines in the East was carrying a standard load for that time of year. If we can't get the fire trucks and ambulances to the scene, we can't put the fires out or help the injured. 'But the more we look at large-scale situations, the more we see that if transportation doesn't work right, it's too hard for other responders to do their jobs. 'Historically, transportation has been viewed as an important support function during disasters,' says the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Emergency Transportation Operations Team Leader Vince Pearce. Restoring transportation operations is vital to safety, freight movement, and national security. Cameras and variable message signs were not operational as well, making it difficult for managers to gather and communicate information to the public-except through the lenses of cameras on news helicopters. By the next day, a heavy rain had flooded several sections of depressed freeway because the sump pumps used to remove water from these sections had no power, and backup generators were unavailable. In Detroit, MI, the August 14, 2003, power outage hit just at the beginning of rush hour, leading to heavy congestion on miles of freeways.

Other systems include tunnel lights and ventilation intelligent transportation systems (ITS) equipment such as cameras, loop detectors, variable message signs, and electronic toll collection equipment and pumps to control flooding in depressed roadways.

Traffic signals and public transit are only part of the transportation facilities that depend on electricity. The city's extensive commuter rail network also closed down, leaving few options for routing stranded customers back to their homes in New Jersey and Connecticut since approximately three-fourths of work trips into Manhattan are made using transit. The New York subway system ground to a halt, stranding more than 400,000 passengers in tunnels. In New York City, workers poured out of the highrises only to find the streets gridlocked, because traffic signals at all of the city's 11,600 signalized intersections had ceased to operate. The massive power outage left a swath 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) long–including portions of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and Canada–in the dark. history rolled across much of the Northeast from Detroit to New York City on a hot and humid Thursday in August 2003.

WASHINGTON BLACK OUT HOW TO

Massive power outages offer multiple lessons on how to position the transportation system for optimal performance during disasters.

Washington black out