The blackout in New York turned into a crime the same day 42 years ago

by



[ad_1]

But it was not the first time that a major power cut hit the city on the same date. In 1977, at the beginning of a sweltering heat wave, a 25-hour power outage sowed panic in the city.

During the power outage decades ago, people were unable to guide traffic and become aware of it, as was the case on Saturday. At the time, a recrudescence of crime erupted as people invaded the dark streets, looted and lit the shops.

Throughout Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, more than 1,000 fires have been fired, including 60 major ones. According to a government study, nearly 2,000 properties were vandalized, two people died and 436 police officers were injured.
"For looters, vandals and arsonists, it was Christmas in July, a party, a carnival, a vacation," said Milton Lewis, a member of CNN, KABC.
Customers turn to an employee of a New York bus travel agency after the power outage in Manhattan on Saturday.

In one day, there were nearly 3,000 arrests, according to a study commissioned by the Electrical Systems Division and the Energy Department.

"In the areas most affected by looting and vandalism, the considerable amount of garbage, garbage and spoiled food has necessitated the addition of 82 sanitation trucks and 4,000 workers to carry out the cleaning operations", indicates the study.

See the current come back in the middle of a press conference

At the time, the system collapsed for several reasons

The 1977 power outage was caused by a combination of events.

The storms that hit the city that night caused malfunctions in the Con Edison system, which eventually disappeared. Con Edison's system collapsed following a combination of natural events, equipment malfunctions, suspicious system design features and operational errors, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

"The lack of major emergency preparedness was, however, of paramount importance, so the operating staff did not use existing facilities to prevent a system failure," said the commission. .

According to this study, this breakdown had an estimated cost of $ 350 million.

[ad_2]

Source link