NYC Blackout: What It Was Like When the City Lost Power in 1977 | NBC New York

As New York City grapples with a blackout affecting large swaths of Manhattan, here's a look back on the blackout of 1977, which occurred 42 years to the day before.

More on today's blackout: A blackout across much of midtown Manhattan and part of the Upper West Side knocked out power to more than 45,000 customers for more than two hours on Saturday evening, Con Edison said.

The blackout stopped subway service, halted Broadway shows, disabled traffic lights and may have trapped people in elevators. Carnegie Hall was evacuated mid-show and the singers continued their performance outside.

The power outage was caused by a manhole fire, according to tweets from the NYPD and the mayor.

There was nothing to suggest anything deliberate, according to a senior fire official and a senior NYPD official who spoke on a condition of anonymity. They said the problem appeared to be a transformer issue at the 49th Street and 64th Street substations.


NBC 4 New York on Twitter: http://4.nbcny.com/kAuuwUN
NBC 4 New York on Facebook: http://4.nbcny.com/mbeh714
NBC 4 New York on Instagram: http://4.nbcny.com/g5YlkcI
NBC 4 New York on Youtube: http://4.nbcny.com/iTUpy5e

#NYCBlackout
#Blackout
#NoPower
#News