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Our Heroine escapes New York amidst the Biggest Blackout Ever
By Jackie Damrau, Contributing Editor
Remember the song, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"? If not, don't worry about it. I am simply carbon-dating myself in the past.
August 14th: Where Were You?
What were you doing on August 14, 2003, just past 4:00 P.M.? I was sitting in my hotel room at the Long Island (New York) Marriott Hotel reading "Living Your Best Life" by Laura Berman Fortgang. If you recall, this is the day that the largest blackout ever occurred across the Eastern seaboard from Toronto, Canada through Ohio, all of New York, and down almost to Washington, DC.
Gradually, darkness settled across the city. No lights, no twinkles, no shimmering filled the void. The hotel had its back-up generators running, but even so hallways had minimal light. A single elevator ran, with a manager aboard to take you to your floors. The restaurants and bars served what meals and drinks they could by candlelight – not as intimate as you would think. Everyone roamed about the lobby trying to find out what to do in the darkness.
What did I do? I ate a BLC (bacon, lettuce, chicken) that cost me $9. You see, tomatoes ran out early —probably because of the darkness. In retrospect, though, I think they were consumed in the multitudes of salads, etc. that were consumed that night. A good substitute was chicken, which made for an interesting sandwich. After eating this scrumptious meal, I ventured back to my darkened room to pack my suitcase for my return trip to Dallas on Friday, the 15th.
Packing in the dark, showering, and going to the bathroom leave something to be desired. Have you ever thought how much we are dependent on electricity? Toilets don't flush; hot water doesn't run. (Do you like cold showers – ooh! What a feeling! Too bad, it wasn't a Toyota.[An ancient ad campaign. Yet another carbon-dating.—Editor]) Now that I began to recall each drawer that I stashed stuff in, I managed by the dim light from the hallway to pack my suitcase. I ventured to the darkened bathroom to feel my way around, finding my toiletries to pack them away.
Feeling confident that I had located everything and had it all in one place, I ventured out to the hallway to see what others were doing. In some rooms (that had their doors open) people used laptops, cell phones, cigarette lighters, indiglo watches, etc. as illumination swords. If only I'd had my Star Wars light saber, I would have been better off. Alas, I didn't want to waste my precious batteries that night.
Sleeping that night was another new experience. The hotel management roamed the hallways all night. They asked that you keep your doors open so air could circulate. They said that they would pop their heads in occasionally to see if you were still breathing. It was like being in a hospital where the staff checked your vitals every few hours, minus the needles and the rude awakenings.
New Day Begins! Still in Darkness
The next day has arrived. Friday, time to head for the airport. New York: 3 A.M., still pitch black. I'm driving from Long Island to LaGuardia Airport. How I had hoped I wouldn't get lost… Alas! Thankfully, I found an Asian gentleman stocking his floral shop by minivan headlights. He directed me to the airport. Guess what! Found the car rental return spot and took the short ride to the airport.
The hotel didn't tell a lie: the airport was open. What I failed to ask was, "Are any flights arriving and departing?" A big "NO!" The airport had people, but no electricity (i.e., no flushing toilets, no running water – all electric, you see).
The airport saga began at 4:30A.M., with me in line at the American Trans Air (ATA) ticket counter, hoping that my 8 A.M. flight would go. By 7:30 A.M., the 6:15 A.M. flight was cancelled. My flight is up next. 9:30 passes, then 10:30 – no messages about canceling my flight. Then they mark the next three flights as "Delayed." (That's my flight and the next two.) Destination: Chicago Midway Airport. All remaining flights after the 10:30 A.M. flight were cancelled.
I was still standing in line at noon when they announce that they have two planes ready to go to Chicago Midway. Communications at its best: manager with bullhorn in hand tells us that all non-New Yorkers/New Jerseyans will be taken care of first.
They will be doing everything manually: manual check-in at the ticket counter; manual TSA search of checked luggage; manual security search of your carry-ons and body. This will be followed by a mad dash through a very hot, humid terminal to get to the gate where you can board a nicely air-conditioned airplane. I pull out the Texas driver's license to prove I don't belong in New York. Please, send me home to the overgrown prairie where cattle roam, tumbleweeds blow, and the Texas power grid remains intact!
Finally the ticket counters open, and I'm caught in a big whoosh of pushing, sweaty people. Guess what! Standing in line from 4:30 A.M. until 12 P.M. paid off. I'm in front. I get my manual boarding pass. A sigh of relief, I push through the people, get to the manual security feel-n-frisk, get passed through to the gate, then another line to wait in.
At this point, I recall that I hadn't had any food or water since 6:30 P.M. the previous night. Due to over-heated terminals, and lots of warm human bodies, I pass out. Though heat stroke is not my friend, it tried to embrace me. Well, it didn't win—my stubborn nature did.
Halfway Home
I make it onto the plane and am on my way to Chicago. At least, if I don't get any further, I can spend the night at my mother-in-law's house. Hubby has called to let Mom-in-law know that I may, or may not, be coming. I land in Chicago at 4 P.M., claim my checked luggage at baggage claim, get to the ATA ticket counter, and I'm greeted with a large smile. Person works real hard to get me a flight home to Dallas. Aha! She finds one! Uh-oh – one seat left on the last flight leaving at 10 P.M. (Yuck! Six hours to wait.) Well, time to eat!
Three meals, three Mountain Dews, an apple fritter, and two glasses of iced tea later, I think my hunger is quenched. I board the plane at 10 P.M. The pilot comes over the speaker and says we will be 40 minutes delayed while they change a flat tire on the front of the plane. We wait! What's another 40 minutes, in the scope of this saga?
We leave! We land in Dallas about 12:30 A.M. Saturday, the 16th. I grab the ill-fated checked luggage and the yellow polka-dotted Parking Spot bus to my car. Now I'm in the car driving out of the gate headed home.
I arrive home at 1:30 A.M. to a husband welcoming me with a large glass of water. He then whisks me off to bed to sleep! Ooh, air-conditioning, cold sheets, flushing toilets, running water… LIGHTS!
Note to Self:
Pack a flashlight and extra batteries in the future. Never take electricity for granted again! It is a simple commodity that we've become too reliant on.