I'm in Ann Arbor, MI, one of the many cities affected by the power outage. Yesterday, I was in the parking lot of my local library, on my way to pick up a book I'd reserved, when I saw that the lights in most of the stores were flickering on and off. Finally, right about the time I got to the door of the library, the lights went off for good. At the time, I just thought it was too many people using A/C or at the most, a neighborhood outage.
The library closed up, and I never did get my book, so I just drove home. As I approached every traffic light, I thought to myself, "Maybe the power is on HERE," but none of the lights worked, and as I approached my house, I realized that the whole southern and western sides of Ann Arbor were out. I didn't think to turn on the radio, but my sister called me and said that the "whole eastern side of the country" was blacked out. It wasn't quite accurate, but it was pretty close. That's when I realized that this was huge.
All I could do was sit around and wait while the air got hotter and hotter - I took out the ice from the icemaker and packed some lunchmeat and yogurt in it, but other than that, I just read Time Magazine. I went to bed at about 2200 with the lights still out, because I was schedule to report to UMDPS at 0530-0830 for my Friday shift the next morning.
When my alarm went off at 0445, the power was still out. I called dispatch at DPS, and they said that I should still come in. I grumbled, but I was just happy to have the hours (work=$$). I got there, and was amazed to find that the whole building had power! The Public Safety building was set up as a crisis center for the University, and all the dignitaries were gathered in the conference room (they even took the computers from the student employee office!). The power supply was generated by a natural gas generator, which took over the second the power went out yesterday. When radio communication is your only link (as it is with a police department), it's imperative that they be prepared. Still, that must be one HUGE ass generator.
Anyway, I was snookered into working from 0530-1330, instead of my scheduled 3-hour shift. I spent the day unlocking buildings as people requested them, and helping people find their way around campus. One interesting note though: I found a missing person!
Some lady from Grand Blanc (west side of the state) called to say that her husband had gone to Ann Arbor last night and wasn't answering his cell phone, and she hadn't heard from him for 12 hours. The dispatchers sent out a BOL (Be On the Lookout) for a white 1987 Porsche with a Euro front plate that he had driven to Ann Arbor. About an hour after the announcement, I was driving down a campus street, and a white older-looking Porsche caught my eye - I pulled around, and saw that it had a Euro front plate! I radioed in, a police unit was sent out, and they eventually found the guy - he had stayed the night at a campus hotel because he didn't have enough gas to get home.
Then, I went to my parents' house after work, and the power was STILL off. It finally came on at about 2:00, but the strongest lightning storm I've EVER seen (I felt a metallic taste in my mouth during a few of the lightning strikes) knocked it out for a few minutes after that. Now, however, it seems like it'll be on for good.
I'm SO exhausted, so drained, but so happy to be done with the outage. I haven't yet been home to my condo, but hopefully the power is on there - I just hope not too much of my food is kaput.
Let's hear your stories!
The library closed up, and I never did get my book, so I just drove home. As I approached every traffic light, I thought to myself, "Maybe the power is on HERE," but none of the lights worked, and as I approached my house, I realized that the whole southern and western sides of Ann Arbor were out. I didn't think to turn on the radio, but my sister called me and said that the "whole eastern side of the country" was blacked out. It wasn't quite accurate, but it was pretty close. That's when I realized that this was huge.
All I could do was sit around and wait while the air got hotter and hotter - I took out the ice from the icemaker and packed some lunchmeat and yogurt in it, but other than that, I just read Time Magazine. I went to bed at about 2200 with the lights still out, because I was schedule to report to UMDPS at 0530-0830 for my Friday shift the next morning.
When my alarm went off at 0445, the power was still out. I called dispatch at DPS, and they said that I should still come in. I grumbled, but I was just happy to have the hours (work=$$). I got there, and was amazed to find that the whole building had power! The Public Safety building was set up as a crisis center for the University, and all the dignitaries were gathered in the conference room (they even took the computers from the student employee office!). The power supply was generated by a natural gas generator, which took over the second the power went out yesterday. When radio communication is your only link (as it is with a police department), it's imperative that they be prepared. Still, that must be one HUGE ass generator.
Anyway, I was snookered into working from 0530-1330, instead of my scheduled 3-hour shift. I spent the day unlocking buildings as people requested them, and helping people find their way around campus. One interesting note though: I found a missing person!
Some lady from Grand Blanc (west side of the state) called to say that her husband had gone to Ann Arbor last night and wasn't answering his cell phone, and she hadn't heard from him for 12 hours. The dispatchers sent out a BOL (Be On the Lookout) for a white 1987 Porsche with a Euro front plate that he had driven to Ann Arbor. About an hour after the announcement, I was driving down a campus street, and a white older-looking Porsche caught my eye - I pulled around, and saw that it had a Euro front plate! I radioed in, a police unit was sent out, and they eventually found the guy - he had stayed the night at a campus hotel because he didn't have enough gas to get home.
Then, I went to my parents' house after work, and the power was STILL off. It finally came on at about 2:00, but the strongest lightning storm I've EVER seen (I felt a metallic taste in my mouth during a few of the lightning strikes) knocked it out for a few minutes after that. Now, however, it seems like it'll be on for good.
I'm SO exhausted, so drained, but so happy to be done with the outage. I haven't yet been home to my condo, but hopefully the power is on there - I just hope not too much of my food is kaput.
Let's hear your stories!
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