Parts of New York City went dark Saturday in a massive power outage that affected 72,000 customers at its height, the CEO of New York City’s utility company, Con Edison, said. John McAvoy said the cause was still under investigation but said it was unlikely to be a manhole fire or an excessive load of power.
The power went out at 6:47 p.m. from West 42nd St. to West 72nd St. and from 5th Ave. west to the Hudson River. Five of the six networks were restored by 10:30 p.m., McAvoy the CEO of energy provider Con Edison said. Coincidentally, Saturday’s power outage struck on the 41st anniversary of the 1977 blackout, which lasted until July 14. New York City went dark during the 2003 blackout of the East Coast and again after Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012.
There were no reported injuries, the New York City Office of Emergency Management said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is campaigning in Iowa as he seeks the 2020 Democratic nomination, said he would be returning to New York City by Sunday morning. The New York City Office of Emergency Management activated its emergency operations centre. The New York City transit system worked with Con Ed to restore power in affected subway stations. Photos of darkened subway stations were shared on social media. The Fire Department of New York said it responded to multiple calls of people stuck in elevators. Jennifer Lopez was performing at Madison Square Garden when the power went out. The venue was evacuated due to security concerns. The Millennial Choirs and Orchestras took their performance to the streets outside Carnegie Hall. Several Broadway shows cancelled their Saturday night performances.
>Alma Siddiqua
