Jan 18, 2007 9:30 am US/Eastern
Timeline Of The 2006 Queens Blackout
Thousands Went Powerless During Sweltering Summer
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
Below find the important dates and events related to last summer's Queens blackout, which affected more than 100,000 people during some of the hottest days of the year.
July 17, 2006: Electrical circuits that supply northwest Queens begin to fail after the sweltering state sets a record for electricity use. Blackouts hit a handful of neighborhoods.
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July 18: Subway service to Queens is cut sharply because of inadequate power to the transit system's signal network.
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July 19: The electrical problems are at their worst, with 10 of 22 feeder cables that supply the area down simultaneously.
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July 20: A Consolidated Edison spokesman says the utility is making every effort to get power restored to an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, making his first blackout-related trip to Queens, says he's satisfied Con Edison is working hard to fix the problem; he's criticized for not showing up earlier.
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July 21: Con Ed says the blackout, on its fifth day, is affecting an estimated 100,000 people -- 10 times worse than previously reported.
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July 22: Bloomberg says the damage to Consolidated Edison's underground network is greater than the utility imagined, meaning electricity might not be back for several days. Con Ed CEO Kevin Burke holds his first news conference about the blackout and apologizes to customers.
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July 23: By the seventh day, electricity has been restored to nearly 80,000 people.
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July 24: Cons Ed says only about 8,000 people are still without power.
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July 25: Nine days into the power outage, 1,300 people remain affected.
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July 26: On the 10th day, lights and air conditioners go back on for the last victims of the blackout.
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July 31: Con Ed's chairman is criticized by angry politicians who demand to know why he wasn't aware of the scope of the blackout for several days. He insists Con Ed's system is the nation's most reliable.
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Aug. 22: The city's top emergency coordinator says the city will no longer rely solely on Consolidated Edison for information on the magnitude of power outages.
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Oct. 12: Con Ed, in its own report, praises its handling of the blackout. Politicians scoff at the report.
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Jan. 17, 2007: A report by the state's Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, says Con Ed's performance during the blackout was "unacceptable." It says about 174,000 people lost service or experienced low voltage.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
