This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/nyregion/nyc-power-outage.html

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Power Outage on Manhattan’s West Side Affects 42,000 Customers Power Failure Hits Manhattan’s West Side, Leaving 62,000 Customers in the Dark
(about 2 hours later)
A power failure struck the West Side of Manhattan on Saturday evening, plunging subway stations into darkness, stalling trains, stranding people in elevators and for a time leaving parts of Times Square without its customary bright lights. A power failure plunged a stretch of the West Side of Manhattan into darkness on Saturday night, trapping thousands of people in subways and elevators for a time, leaving drivers to fend for themselves at intersections with no traffic signals and eerily dimming the lights of a swath of Times Square.
Con Edison said that about 42,000 customers were without power, mainly on the West Side. The Fire Department said the failures stretched from 72nd Street to the West 40s, and from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River. Stores emptied out, and Broadway shows did not go on: Most theaters canceled their performances. In restaurants and bars, people drank by the light of their smartphones.
“Unfortunately, we do not have an estimated restoration at this time,” Con Edison said. “Our crews are working as quickly and safely as they can to restore service.” Mayor Bill de Blasio, asked whether anything nefarious happened, said Con Edison believed that the blackout was caused by a mechanical issue that could be resolved in a relatively short period of time.
The New York City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, said on Twitter that there had been a “major disturbance” at Con Edison’s 49th Street substation, and that the utility was working to fix it. He said the A, C, F, D and M subway lines were affected. Con Edison said that the power failed around 7 p.m. and that about 62,000 customers were in the dark, mainly on the West Side. The Fire Department said the failures stretched from 72nd Street to the West 40s, and from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River.
The Fire Department said it was responding to a transformer fire at West 64th Street and West End Avenue. There was also “smoke in multiple buildings” on the West Side, the department said, and it was responding to “numerous” reports of people stuck in elevators. It did not say whether the fire was connected to the cause of the failure. Shortly after 10 p.m., Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, announced that six power sections had been knocked out, and two had already been restored.
The crowds were larger than usual in Times Square, where buildings were dark on Saturday even after the famed billboards turned back on. The Broadway League, a trade association for producers, said the power failure was affecting several theaters, causing delays in admissions. He said Con Edison had told him that the other four would be restored in the next two hours.
Images on Twitter showed darkened subway stations and inoperable traffic lights. Con Edison then confirmed that. “We’re estimating most customers will be restored at midnight,” the utility said.
“We’re getting reports of power outages in station complexes throughout Manhattan,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Twitter. “We’re working to identify causes and keep trains moving.” The blackout happened on the same date that a massive power failure in 1977 plunged the city into darkness. (Now as then, Times Square — usually blindingly bright with crowds strolling to theaters — was dark, and traffic signals were out.)
Fadela Elferdaousy, 42, of Queens, was stranded at the Columbus Circle subway station. She had planned to take the A train home when the power outage occurred. On Saturday night, the police asked drivers to avoid the area between West 42nd and 74th Streets, between Fifth and 12th Avenues.
“I saw all these crowds,” Ms. Elferdaousy said. “I was wondering what was going on.” At intersections, police officers and civilians worked together to direct traffic while fire trucks and ambulances screamed down side streets. Two young women posed for a selfie in the middle of 46th Street before an officer rushed over and chastised them, saying, “Ladies, this is not the time.”
At first she thought something happened at Trump International Hotel and Tower, she said. A spokesman for Con Edison said the failures apparently stemmed from a problem at a substation on West 49th Street.
Police officers waved people out of the Columbus Circle subway station around 7:30 p.m. The Shops at Columbus Circle was evacuated shortly after. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subways, said that “our entire system is affected” and that there was only limited service on the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 lines on the West Side; the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 lines on the East Side; and the No. 7 line between Manhattan and Queens.
Police officers and civilians worked together to direct traffic while fire trucks and ambulances screamed down side streets. Two young women posed for a selfie in the middle of 46th Street before an officer rushed over and chastised them, saying, “Ladies, this is not the time.” The Fire Department said it had sent firefighters to a transformer blaze on West End Avenue in the West 60s, where Con Edison also has a facility. It did not say whether that fire was related to the power failure.
Freddi Goldstein, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was campaigning in Iowa for president, said the mayor had been briefed on the blackout and that the Office of Emergency Management was responding. There was also “smoke in multiple buildings” on the West Side, the Fire Department said, and it was answering “numerous” reports of people stuck in elevators.
The failure comes on the 42nd anniversary of the 1977 power failure that plunged the New York skyline into darkness, triggering widespread looting and arson. That blackout caused an estimated $310 million in damages and was sparked by lightning strikes in Westchester County. With signals not working, a group of men in shorts and T-shirts were directing traffic at the intersection of 10th Avenue and 47th Street. With no police officers in sight, one called out: “If you’re going to walk, walk now, people!”
Another yelled as pedestrians began to cross hesitantly: “Health and safety! Health and safety!”
Ellie Shanahan, 23, was on the A train between West 50th and 59th Streets when the train stopped unexpectedly. She waited with the other passengers for nearly 20 minutes before an M.T.A. worker announced that there was a power outage and that there would be no train service between West 59th and 163rd Streets.
Ms. Shanahan was on her way to visit her parents in Washington Heights. After evacuating the subway station, she said, she noticed police officers trying to monitor the frantic crowd at 50th Street.
She immediately got on a Citi Bike and rode it north to 125th Street.
“What was craziest to me was there was no traffic lights,” Ms. Shanahan said. “I was in shock, but people still seemed to know what to do. Everyone was being polite even though there were no lights to tell us when to go.”
As she biked north on Broadway, Ms. Shanahan noticed restaurants emptying out and long bus lines. She saw people evacuating a pitch-black movie theater on West 66th Street.
Most Broadway shows — including “Moulin Rouge,” “Hadestown,” “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and “Aladdin” — canceled their performances.
On the sidewalks outside the theaters, the casts staged impromptu outdoor shows. Performers from “Waitress” and “Come From Away” sang versions of songs from their shows, and actors from “Hadestown” improvised a blackout-themed song of one of its songs.
Carnegie Hall announced it was canceling all performances Saturday night. At Lincoln Center, a performance from the Mark Morris Dance Group was canceled, but outside, the Midsummer Night Swing band kept going.
At the Jennifer Lopez birthday-themed extravaganza at Madison Square Garden, the outage occurred during the fourth song. The lights had been shining and the bass thumping and the opening notes of “Dinero,” Ms. Lopez’s hit Latin pop song, had sounded. A crew of dancers was onstage.
Suddenly, the lights went dark, and the speakers fell silent. The only sound was a live drum set, still playing as dancers continued their routine.
It became quickly apparent that this was not part of the act when Ms. Lopez appeared onstage to no fanfare. She made her way to a platform that extended to the middle of the floor. She appeared to be speaking, gesturing for fans to stay put. But with her microphone out, her message could not be heard.
After a while, a backup generator kicked in, and the lights came up.
Minutes later, a high-pitched siren wailed, and the audience was told to leave.