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NYC spent the night outside
15/08/2003 20:47 - (SA)
New York - New Yorkers woke with the sun on Friday and got the first glimpse of their city after a night spent in pitch darkness, most of them hungry, sweaty and tired but none the worse for wear.
For the thousands who spent the night sleeping rough, sunrise brought some relief, but the nightmare of how to get back to their families and homes continued.
A massive blackout on Thursday, the worst to hit the United States, plunged millions in the northeastern and midwestern United States and Ontario, Canada, into darkness. That left thousands stranded here, many trapped in offices and with no public transport.
The New York Post featured a picture of thousands swarming across Brooklyn Bridge, with the headline "Paralyzed."
After the traffic chaos of the night before, the streets were relatively empty, with most businesses shut down for the day Friday. Only a few buses and cars were moving around the city compared to normal traffic levels.
In power company Consolidated Edison's New York City headquarters, employees who arrived early were having their identification checked by torchlight.
"We have emergency lighting and that's about it," said one security guard.
Barry Pressman was one of several hundred Con Ed staff members who spent the night in the office building in Manhattan.
"There was nothing for us to do. Everything was shut down," Pressman said. "People were sleeping in chairs, on desks, on the floor, ... anywhere, really."
Meanwhile, nearby Union Square, a traditional hangout for young New Yorkers, looked like it had hosted a mini-Woodstock.
Newspapers, empty beer cans and plastic bottles littered the lawn, along with a sizable number of sleeping bodies.
People who spent the night in the square said hundreds had partied through the blackout, entertained by an impromptu jazz quartet and other musicians.
"People were saying this is one of the best things to happen in New York in years," said Kyle Lorinos, 21, who lives a short walk away but opted to spend the night outside.
"There was music, people dancing, even a couple of fireworks. It was a real party," Lorinos said.
Alex Fleming, 28, a teacher from Coney Island, was less enthusiastic.
"Around 03:00, some people just wanted to sleep, but the damn music went on all night," he said.
Police officers who monitored the square all night said there were no serious incidents.
Those stranded far from home said they planned to wait out the day in the hope that rail links would resume service.
"To be honest, I just want to go home, have a shower and sleep," said Andy Breach, a carpenter. "But God knows when that's going to happen."
Many people had eaten nothing for the past 15 hours, and some enterprising street vendors who set up early were soon swamped with requests for bagels and hot dogs.
For those who ignored official advice to take a day off work, the only way to the office was a rare bus, a shared car ride or on foot.
- AFP
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