Power Restored; Blackouts Still Possible

[undergroundrailroad]

Power Restored; Blackouts Still Possible


By LARRY McSHANE
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 16, 2003; 1:51 PM


Air conditioners were humming Saturday and lights blazed again across most of the Northeast following the worst blackout in U.S. history, though getting electricity back didn't help those in Cleveland enjoy clean tap water, and some regions were still experiencing rolling blackouts.

After a 32-hour shutdown, the nation's largest subway system began rolling again in New York at midnight. And in Michigan, where auto plants were paralyzed and officials had warned power could be out through the weekend, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said electricity had been restored to just about everyone - but she still urged residents to conserve.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Granholm said Saturday. "If people don't conserve, we will have rolling blackouts."

The return to normalcy came as a leading investigator said the failure of three transmission lines in northern Ohio was the likely trigger of the blackout that spread through eight states and Canada.