More than 1 million power outages in the Northeast after blockbuster fall storm

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

One of the strongest October storms in recent memory exploded off the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday night before tearing through the Northeastern United States. The storm unleashed damaging winds and pockets of flooding rain.

Tropical storm-force wind gusts rattled the Mid-Atlantic while some hurricane-force gusts battered coastal New England, the hardest-hit area. One location in eastern Massachusetts clocked a gust at 93 mph.

More than 1.3 million customers lost power, mostly in New England, the most since Hurricane Sandy five years ago. There were 300,000 customers in the dark in Massachusetts and 400,000 in Maine.

The 400,000 power failures in Maine, where winds gusted to 70 mph in spots, represents almost one-third of its population and surpasses the number during its great ice storm in 1998.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/10/30/over-one-million-power-outages-in-the-northeast-after-blockbuster-fall-storm/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.52c3f0056083

[Stuart G]

1. Hope the power comes back soon to all affected. nt.

[IronLionZion]

2. America is the greatest country in the world

don't forget.

Meanwhile electricity is close to free in Germany.

My office building lost power early this morning but it's back now. Lots of downed trees in the DC suburbs. Between the storm and the indictments, things are very exciting today in the most powerful city in the world.

[OnlinePoker]

9. What are you talking about - Germany has the second highest household rates in Europe

They trail only Denmark. They also have the highest industrial rates.

[IronLionZion]

10. There Was So Much Wind Power In Germany This Weekend, Consumers Got Free Energy

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-30/record-winds-in-germany-spur-free-electricity-at-weekend-chart

In all fairness, this has happened in Texas also. So America is still the greatest country in the world. Other countries are welcome to compete for the number 2 spot in awesomeness.

[DFW]

12. Gee, I wish someone would acknowledge that and pay our electric bill here in the Rheinland

They're trying to get away from fossil and nuclear, but we're nowhere near there yet, and someone has to pay for the upkeep on all the wind and solar power stations, too. The number of people who don't pay for their electricity here in Germany is negligible. Better news in 20 years or so, we hope.

A friend of ours out in the country has a self-sufficient property (LOT of land for Germany) that supplies all its electrical needs with solar panels, but he's the exception, and he still has gas stoves and water heaters (he didn't buy his house new, although there have been some renovations since it was built 300 years ago).

[NickB79]

21. The consumers got no such thing

It's like when farmers sometimes dump milk down the drain because they're losing money on every gallon:
http://time.com/4530659/farmers-dump-milk-glut-surplus/

That doesn't translate into free milk at the grocery store, does it?

[Cryptoad]

3. hope all my Maine Buds are ok

[Shanti Mama]

4. No power in Portland.

Bought the makings of a great picnic supper for tonight. No internet and no cell service in my little pocket, so it's great to log in to find all the news!

[Cryptoad]

7. Godspede

[DFW]

13. A freind of ours just moved from Salinas, CA to southern Maine this week

Great timing........

[elleng]

18. SURPRISE!

[Achilleaze]

5. ...and still the republicans continued to lie about climate change

dangerous republican lies

[Hortensis]

6. 1.3 million HOUSEHOLDS without power in area far larger than Puerto Rico.

Predict the return of power to the NE is going to provide a stark and bitter contrast to those of our citizens in Puerto Ricans who have access to news. Day 40.

Hurricane Maria has now caused the longest blackout in US history: Only 30 percent of Puerto Ricans have power, extending the island’s lead in this outage. (ME: That's 30% of 3.4 million.)

...It’s worth noting that of the top 10 outages, nine were due to hurricanes, and eight occurred after 2000. This is in part due the fact that populations are growing and more are living in harm’s way, increasing the impact of extreme weather.

Though power grids across the United States do try to anticipate blackouts, they only prepare for disruptions measured in minutes, not days, weeks, or months.

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/10/30/16560212/puerto-rico-longest-blackout-in-us-history-hurricane-maria-grid-electricity

[AtheistCrusader]

8. This can be largely solved by putitng distribution lines underground.

it's expensive, but so is putting up new lines every other frikin' year when we get a new 50 year storm every other frikin' year.

[Delphinus]

11. Amen.

Some of our city (the new, more expensive parts) have underground lines. The older parts, we get undone by ice storms and winds.

[Cryptoad]

14. + a gillion

[IronLionZion]

17. They have this same discussion after every big storm

and every time they decide its not worth the cost to dig and bury the lines.

[snooper2]

23. They probably do it so the lineman keep their job security

Just like cities continue to use iron pipe for water lines instead of PVC...

Gotta keep those foundry jobs going

[AtheistCrusader]

25. There would still be things to fix, but to a degree, yes.

For instance, underground vaults would still flood, and transformers would still pop, and sometimes new lines would need to be run through the piping. Above ground substations could still be trashed by debris..

Lots to do, but less of it, and in concentrated focal points that make a total refit faster, enabling the entire grid in days, rather than spending months stringing new lines.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. I know a couple of guys in Montana who can fix this.

They were tied up in another contract, but I hear they're available now.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. stay safe there .

if tesla(not the car company, the scientist ) had his way, wed not need power lines at all

[AtheistCrusader]

22. Unfortunately the physics just wasn't there.

Can be done somewhat to a degree within a room or other very focused, limited ways. Just not the way he'd envisioned it.

[Vinca]

19. We just watched the local NH news and there was a video of a house going down a

flooded river and being smashed into pieces on a bridge. Lots of damage, but I haven't heard of any injuries or deaths. Somehow we lucked out and didn't lose power or have any damage.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. Video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-41823105/house-swept-away-by-raging-floods-in-new-hampshire

Quite frightening how quickly efficient it is at reducing it to lumber.

[jpak]

20. 500,000 lost power in Maine

worst evah.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Still no power in my little corner of coastal Maine.

[AllaN01Bear]

27. y do i learn more about my country from a newspaper in the uk than i do

from newspapers or electronic media here ? good coverege from that paper. up too early to think.