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| Washington sweats and tempers fray as power outage continues | Washington sweats and tempers fray as power outage continues |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| It may be the heart of American political power, and bristling with military and intelligence assets, but for three days now much of Washington DC and its suburbs have been disabled – essentially by trees falling on power lines. | It may be the heart of American political power, and bristling with military and intelligence assets, but for three days now much of Washington DC and its suburbs have been disabled – essentially by trees falling on power lines. |
| Nearly 440,000 households – or about one in four in the greater Washington area – remained without power again on Monday morning, following violent storms on Friday night. | Nearly 440,000 households – or about one in four in the greater Washington area – remained without power again on Monday morning, following violent storms on Friday night. |
| The prolonged outage in the mist of a sweltering heat wave has provoked widespread frustration. The local power utility, Pepco, has said it will take a week before power is fully restored. | The prolonged outage in the mist of a sweltering heat wave has provoked widespread frustration. The local power utility, Pepco, has said it will take a week before power is fully restored. |
| There was little sign of any upheaval in official Washington: the centre of the city has power, and Congress is on holiday this week, making for an easier than anticipated anticipated morning commute. | There was little sign of any upheaval in official Washington: the centre of the city has power, and Congress is on holiday this week, making for an easier than anticipated anticipated morning commute. |
| But there was a sense of crisis in city neighbourhoods without power, and among advocacy groups relying on staff exhausted by the heat. The National Cancer Institute tweeted ordinary web services would not be available because of the heat and power outages, it said. "A lot of us are hot," it said. "Please be patient." | But there was a sense of crisis in city neighbourhoods without power, and among advocacy groups relying on staff exhausted by the heat. The National Cancer Institute tweeted ordinary web services would not be available because of the heat and power outages, it said. "A lot of us are hot," it said. "Please be patient." |
| In north-west Washington, many local businesses remained shut. Supermarkets and gas stations ran out of bagged ice, or began rationing one per customer. | In north-west Washington, many local businesses remained shut. Supermarkets and gas stations ran out of bagged ice, or began rationing one per customer. |
| Workers at a local supermarket still without power spent the morning Monday scanning perishable items before disposing of them. Then the lights flickered back on. | Workers at a local supermarket still without power spent the morning Monday scanning perishable items before disposing of them. Then the lights flickered back on. |
| Traffic lights remained out at major crossings. Navigating local roads remained tricky, with roads closed off by yellow tape because of downed trees or live wires. Crews have yet to clear away large trees that toppled on homes, crushing roofs and downing power lines. Many city streets remained littered with branches and other debris. | Traffic lights remained out at major crossings. Navigating local roads remained tricky, with roads closed off by yellow tape because of downed trees or live wires. Crews have yet to clear away large trees that toppled on homes, crushing roofs and downing power lines. Many city streets remained littered with branches and other debris. |
| Some tried to make the best of things. Residents rigged up their own power sharing system, stringing extension cords together to run fridges and fans off power borrowed from neighbourhoods living on blocks that did have electricity. | Some tried to make the best of things. Residents rigged up their own power sharing system, stringing extension cords together to run fridges and fans off power borrowed from neighbourhoods living on blocks that did have electricity. |
| Neighbours whose power stayed on offered freezer and fridge space on local web sites. People sought shelter with friends and relatives with electricity. "I'll be honest. Last night my kids and husband suffered through the heat in my house and I left and went and slept in a neighbour's basement," said Amanda Orr. | Neighbours whose power stayed on offered freezer and fridge space on local web sites. People sought shelter with friends and relatives with electricity. "I'll be honest. Last night my kids and husband suffered through the heat in my house and I left and went and slept in a neighbour's basement," said Amanda Orr. |
| "I couldn't stand it. I was dying. I have a very low tolerance for heat." | "I couldn't stand it. I was dying. I have a very low tolerance for heat." |
| Power in her area was shut down at 5pm on Sunday as power company was making repairs. | Power in her area was shut down at 5pm on Sunday as power company was making repairs. |
| A local parenting blog tried to use the crisis to mobilise a citizen's campaign to reform Pepco. | A local parenting blog tried to use the crisis to mobilise a citizen's campaign to reform Pepco. |
| Families with time off and second homes decamped to the beach. Others packed air conditioned movie theatres, or prowled around shopping malls looking for free electricity outlets to charge up. | Families with time off and second homes decamped to the beach. Others packed air conditioned movie theatres, or prowled around shopping malls looking for free electricity outlets to charge up. |
| "We charged phones/laptops wherever we could," said Nandini Lal, a writer who lives in the Bethesda area. "Bethesda library looked like a homeless shelter, as it always does during power cuts. | "We charged phones/laptops wherever we could," said Nandini Lal, a writer who lives in the Bethesda area. "Bethesda library looked like a homeless shelter, as it always does during power cuts. |
| "A friend's 60th birthday was completely ruined as her restaurant bailed at the last minute because of power cuts, salvaged slightly when she reconvened it at her house with hastily put together food as she had power. So she spent her birthday being stressed and getting her family to cook, and after all that, half her guests couldn't come because they couldn't live kids in a dark house." | "A friend's 60th birthday was completely ruined as her restaurant bailed at the last minute because of power cuts, salvaged slightly when she reconvened it at her house with hastily put together food as she had power. So she spent her birthday being stressed and getting her family to cook, and after all that, half her guests couldn't come because they couldn't live kids in a dark house." |
| But there were also signs of fraying tempers, and of a mini-revolt against a power utility that consistently ranks near the bottom on national performance scales. | But there were also signs of fraying tempers, and of a mini-revolt against a power utility that consistently ranks near the bottom on national performance scales. |
| Isiah Leggett, the chief executive of Montgomery County, which includes the leafy suburb of Bethesda, has been slamming the utility for taking a week to get the lights back on, saying that was unacceptable. | Isiah Leggett, the chief executive of Montgomery County, which includes the leafy suburb of Bethesda, has been slamming the utility for taking a week to get the lights back on, saying that was unacceptable. |
| "Having our citizens having to go through seven days without utilities is not in my opinion the kind of level of services that we should expect," he told the local WAMU station. | "Having our citizens having to go through seven days without utilities is not in my opinion the kind of level of services that we should expect," he told the local WAMU station. |
| On the local morning radio on Monday morning, callers were furious at Pepco officials. "This is not one storm," complained one caller from Clinton. Others lambasted the authority for failing to modernise the system, or bury power lines. | On the local morning radio on Monday morning, callers were furious at Pepco officials. "This is not one storm," complained one caller from Clinton. Others lambasted the authority for failing to modernise the system, or bury power lines. |
| "It's real work. It's hot outside. People are working 16-hour shifts," Pepco president Thomas Graham pleaded. He appealed for public understanding. | "It's real work. It's hot outside. People are working 16-hour shifts," Pepco president Thomas Graham pleaded. He appealed for public understanding. |
| Customers at a local Starbucks began yanking out cords of people who overstayed a 30-minute deadline for charging phones and devices. | Customers at a local Starbucks began yanking out cords of people who overstayed a 30-minute deadline for charging phones and devices. |
| People erupted in anger on their Facebook pages. "Sizzling heat. No power for more than 30 hours. Because of One. Horrendous. Storm. Nature's Stuxnet? America is powerless these days," Seema Sirohi, a journalist originally from Delhi posted on her Facebook page. | People erupted in anger on their Facebook pages. "Sizzling heat. No power for more than 30 hours. Because of One. Horrendous. Storm. Nature's Stuxnet? America is powerless these days," Seema Sirohi, a journalist originally from Delhi posted on her Facebook page. |
| She said she could not remember such a prolonged power cut in India. | She said she could not remember such a prolonged power cut in India. |
| And, this being Washington, the outage also caused some musings about the limits of American superpower in the case of an unconventional attack. On his Twitter feed, Newt Gingrich, the former Republican presidential contender, quoting a friend, said: | And, this being Washington, the outage also caused some musings about the limits of American superpower in the case of an unconventional attack. On his Twitter feed, Newt Gingrich, the former Republican presidential contender, quoting a friend, said: |
| Friend and coauthor bill forstchen notes washington-baltimore blackout mild taste of what an emp (electromagnetic pulse) attack would do | Friend and coauthor bill forstchen notes washington-baltimore blackout mild taste of what an emp (electromagnetic pulse) attack would do |
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