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NEW YORK (CBS) ― The first time it happened was in 1965; the madness struck again in 1977. But it could never happen again. Or could it? On Thursday, August 14, 2003, the lights went out.

The Blackout of 2003 was the largest power outage in the nation's history. In a matter of minutes, 50 million people across eight states and Ontario, Canada, were powerless.

Businesses shut down; trains stopped in their tracks; and traffic lights weren't working. Everything just came to a stop.

With cars stalled, people were forced to take the long way home, hoofing it across the Manhattan, Brooklyn and 59th Street bridges.

In the midst of the crisis, it came as no surprise that street sellers and businesses decided to exploit the situation by overpricing necessities such as water, batteries, flashlights, gasand food.

One Harlem resident told CBS 2 News that he was charged $2 for a flashlight, when the price was originally 99 cents.

Another area resident was outraged when a taxi driver charged her $20 to go from 42nd Street to 99th Street, when she usually paid $7.

Another man was dumbfounded when he was asked to pay $48 for two pizzas.

Even the youngest New Yorkers felt the sting of the blackout gouging. At least one ice cream truck created a special treat called the "Blackout Special." The only thing "special" about it, it seemed, was that it costs double the usual price.

Not everyone was out to take advantage of the situation. Many neighbors organized their own outdoor festivities and parties that lasted throughout the night.

Some stores stayed open for the tens of thousands of lost tourists and commuters who had nowhere to go. They went and bought as much food and drinks as they could because they were preparing to stay the night on the streets.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, so people made the best out of what they had.

Prevention

What caused the Blackout? Coming barely two years after 9/11, many wondered if this could have been another terrorist attack.

When it became clear that terrorists were not involved, everyone wanted to figure out who was responsible for this mess.

American and Canadian experts pointed the finger at First Energy Corporation of Ohio, which faced major violations. First Energy failed to react within 30 minutes or notify nearby systems. Though they analyzed the situation their operators were inadequately trained.

This blackout began when three high-voltage transmission lines short-circuited and went dead when they came in contact with trees that were to close to the lines.

Yet something still wasn't right. After all, this is New York, and there must have been a way all of this could have been prevented. A year and a half before the lights went out, the operator of the New York power grid delivered a dire warning that something was going wrong with the state's electrical systems.

In March of 2002 NYISO President William Museler sent out a report that read, "New York remains headed toward a very serious power shortage unless it acts immediately."

And then, in February 2003, officials raised red flags again, saying the power lines were hopelessly strained. The report also mentioned the lack of transmission investment could result in reliability problems in the not-too-distant future.

Utilities have been pouring less money into power transmission lines, even as demand for electricity increased. And the only thing former Governor George Pataki could say was, "We tried."

On the day of the outage, Con Edison reported and then retracted its claim that New York City would have power by 1 a.m. By early evening, two New York airports and a Cleveland airport were back in service. Half of the affected part of Ontario had power by the morning of August 15, though even in areas where power was restored, some services were still disrupted or running at lower levels.

By August 16, power was fully restored in New York and Toronto. However, Toronto's subway and streetcars remained out of service until August 18 to prevent the possibility of equipment being stuck in awkward locations if the power was interrupted again.

Power had been mostly restored in Ottawa, though authorities warned of possible additional disruptions and advised conservation as power continued to be restored to other areas. Ontarians were asked to reduce their electricity use by 50 percent until all generating stations could be brought back on line.

In July 2006, another Blackout hit New York again, this time targeting the northwest section of Queens. For five days Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside had no electricity. Things like no television, hot water and, in some cases, no flushing toilets were a bother for the young and healthy. However, for the sick and elderly, what had started as an inconvenience had become a threat to survival. Con Edison was unsure what caused the power outage, but then it turned out that 22 feeder cables that's suppose to supply 400,000 people failed when ten of those cables went down, overloading the remaining twelve. Data submitted by Con Edison in August, 2006 indicated that the failed feeder cables had been in service an average of 16 years, along with the oldest failed cable of 59 years.

But as Mayor Michael Bloombergsaid in 2003, New York showed that after what happened during the blackout in the '70s, the city has the resilience to conquer adversity and not succumb to it.

The People's Reactions
Things calming down 24 hours after mass blackout
Why did cell phone service go down during the blackout?
Some Iraqis are overjoyed at the news of the blackout
Babies born in the midst of the Blackout
Robert Connolly, a hero of the Blackout of 2003
Tourist missing since Blackout is found safe and sound
Grandma missing since the Blackout is found
Los Angeles Blackout Reminiscent Of August 2003

What Politicians Have To Say
Political fallout from Blackout continues to grow
Blackout reinvigorates Mayor Bloomberg
Congress holds hearing on Blackout

What Caused The Blackout?
Exclusive: Could the Blackout have been avoided?
Blackout of 2003 could have been prevented
Long Island Power Authority Prepares For Higher Power Demands
Connecticut faces the possibility of rolling blackouts
Eight-hour timeline of Blackout has been complied

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