20 years ago: Northeast blackout leaves 50 million people in the dark
By
Jordan Burrows
/ CBS Detroit
20 years ago: Northeast blackout leaves 50 million people in the dark
(CBS DETROIT) - It's the largest blackout in U.S. history, and in Detroit, millions of people were without power for at least a day.
The 2003 Northeast Blackout left more than 50 million people between the northeast and portions of Canada without electricity.
Cars line up for gas at a BP station on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit during the power outage Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003. The station was using a generator to operate its pumps.
JOHN F. MARTIN / AP
On Aug. 14, 2003, at about 4:10 p.m., millions of people living throughout Metro Detroit and Michigan were without power for at least one day, some even longer.
CVS manager Michael Lee, far left, tries to keep order at his store Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, during the power outage in Detroit. Graham kept his Jefferson Avenue store open for about two hours during the outage and sold goods from the front door. Security officer Roland Graham is second from left.
JOHN F. MARTIN / AP
The report said this was all because of a tree branch in Ohio that sparked an outage reaching seven other states and Canada.
FILE - In a Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 file photo, customers wait in line to buy essential items at a grocery store in Grosse Pointe, Mich. Ten years after a blackout cascading from Ohio affected 50 million people, utilities and analysts say changes made in the aftermath make a similar outage unlikely today, though shifts in where and how power is generated raise new reliability concerns for the U.S. electric grid system.
Paul Sancya / AP
It is estimated the blackout caused millions of dollars in damages in Michigan and billions around the country.
The blackout affected cities like New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and others along the northeast.
Jerry Hoisington, Senior Central Systems Supervisor, monitors the Detroit Edison Electrical System Operation Center in Detroit, Monday, Aug. 18, 2003. Hoisington was at the controls of DTE Energy's system operations center Thursday when the blackout of 2003 left millions in eight states and Canada suddenly without electricity.
PAUL SANCYA / AP
The blackout led to rule changes for trimming trees near power lines, technology upgrades for responding to outages and fines for utility companies that risk the grid's dependability.
Jordan Burrows is a Hoosier and loves the Midwest. He jumped at the opportunity to work for CBS News Detroit and is excited to anchor the weekend mornings and report throughout the week.
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