Major Power Outage Strikes Several Cities in U.S. and Canada

August 14, 2003

Major Power Outage Strikes Several Cities in U.S. and Canada
A major power outage simultaneously struck several large cities in the United States and Canada late Thursday afternoon. Cities affected include New York; Boston, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Toronto, Ontario; and Ottawa, Ontario. The power outage occurred shortly after 4 p.m.

According to http://www.cnn.com/, much of Midtown Manhattan and Wall Street were shut down, including the city’s public transportation systems and the Long Island Railroad. The three New York area airports and the Toronto and Cleveland were ground stopped because the outage made it impossible to conduct security screening of passengers and luggage, officials said. Travelers, regardless of where they are traveling, are encouraged to call their airlines to check for delays.

Officials do not believe the event to be the result of terrorism. The cause of the outage is reported to be an electric overload at a Niagara Mohawk power plant.

"From what we’re hearing it’s affecting all of Toronto – street cars, trolleys, traffic lights, all the things we use to get from one place to another," said Joseph O’Neill with Tourism Toronto.

NTA members: If you need assistance contacting affected areas or those traveling to those areas, contact NTA Headquarters at 1.800.682.8886 (US & Canada), or 859.226.4444. Also, a topic has been set up on the Member Forums for those members who need to communicate.