Last Updated on February 20, 2022 by ellen
Marty and I have always been into preparedness. We stock up. We think about what we’ll need in emergencies. We try to be prepared just in case. You never know what will happen and living in a rural area, if we get stuck, we’re stuck. Blackout PBS American Experience on DVD gave me insight into how people react when the power goes out and it was rather frightening.
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Blackout PBS American Experience
As July 13, 1977 dawned hot and humid, New Yorkers prepared themselves for another sweltering day. But high temperatures weren’t the only thing making them sweat: the crime-ridden city was on the verge of bankruptcy; unemployment was high; police and firefighters had been laid off; municipal services, including sanitation and after-school programs, had been cut; and a serial killer named Son of Sam was still on the loose, keeping everyone on edge.
That evening, a severe thunderstorm hit, and lightning struck a power line in Westchester County; when that line went out, the demand was increased on the surrounding lines. As Con Edison engineers struggled to control the cascading effects of the downed lines, their only choice was to start shedding load, disconnecting customers from the grid in order to prevent a catastrophic failure of the system. But despite their efforts, the lights went out, plunging some seven million city residents into darkness.
Blackout PBS American Experience is about more than 25 hours with no power. During 1977, there were other issues that came into play besides the sweltering summer heat and power loss. Unemployment was at a high, the Son of Sam serial killer was still at large, and there was a growing divide between the rich and poor. The resulting chaos was influenced by all of these factors. The number of crimes, fires and people arrested during this time truly amazed me.
I love that this story was told through the eyes of people who actually experienced it. They share their experiences and feelings and much of the movie is old footage that aired during that time. If you’re looking for an eye opening look at what happened on July 13, 1977 during the blackout, watch Blackout PBS American Experience.
Blackout is available now on DVD. The run time of the DVD is 60 minutes and the SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.
Ellen is a mom of a 25-year-old son and 30-year-old daughter. She is Grandma to one adorable toddler. In what little spare time she has, she loves to read, watch movies, and check out the latest toys and games.
I know there would be issues here in Los Angeles if that happened as well. Over the last few years I’ve become more educated on what I can do with prepping. I had no idea there were so many sources devoted to it -they’re so helpful. I have police, fire, and other resources within walking distance but if there is something like an earthquake–you just have to do your best. This looks like a good one to watch.
I really enjoyed it, Deb.