Manhattan blackout of July 2019

Manhattan blackout of July 2019

Location of Manhattan within New York City
Date	July 13, 2019 (2019-07-13)
Location	Manhattan, New York
Type	Blackout
Cause	Generator fire or ttransformer fire

On July 13, 2019, at approximately 7 pm EST, the West Side of Manhattan in New York City experienced a power failure. Con Edison, the energy utility serving the area, reported that approximately 73,000 customers were without power. Power was fully restored by midnight that same evening. The outage occurred on the anniversary of the New York City blackout of 1977, which left 9 million customers without power.

Effects

The outage commenced around 6:47 pm EST, leaving 73,000 customers in Manhattan's West Side without power for about three hours. It affected six power sectors and encompassed an approximately 30-block area in midtown Manhattan, from Times Square to 72nd Street, and from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported that the entire subway system was affected by the outage. Some subway complexes were without lights, and service was affected on several lines. Limited service was available on the 1, 2, and 3 lines (West Side); 4, 5, and 6 lines (East Side); and on the 7 line from Manhattan to Queens. New York City Subway advised passengers to take buses instead of using its underground stations.

Areas affected by the outage included Times Square and parts of Rockefeller Center; most theaters on Broadway cancelled their shows for the evening. Of the 30 shows currently running on Broadway, only the four shows playing on the east side of Broadway were able to perform. Performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center were also cancelled. However, some performers from the cancelled shows entertained audiences on the sidewalks outside the theaters. The blackout also canceled a Jennifer Lopez concert at Madison Square Garden.

Causes

Con Edison initially attributed the outage to a mechanical failure that it felt could be resolved relatively quickly, but did not give an estimate on when power would be restored. According to the New York City Fire Department, the blackout was caused by a transformer fire at West 64th Street and West End Avenue.

However, Con Edison later said that the power failure originated at a substation on West 49th Street. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo further specified that an explosion and resulting fire at the substation caused damage to other substations. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio initially said via Twitter that a "manhole fire" was the cause, though he later stated that the outage was due to a transformer fire, and that no foul play was suspected.

John McAvoy, Con Edison's chairman and CEO, said that although mechanical failure was likely the cause of the outage, a full investigation would be required for a definitive answer. McAvoy further stated that "excessive load" due to summertime energy demand was not likely a contributing factor to the blackout.

Restoration of power

Power began to be restored around 10 pm, and was fully restored to all six sectors just before midnight on July 13, 2019.

Aftermath

Gov. Cuomo was critical of the power failure, calling it "unacceptable" due to the breadth of the outages, as well as in light of previous problems with power substations. He called for an investigation by New York's Department of Public Service to identify the cause of the outages, and to "prevent an incident of this magnitude from happening again".

However, he praised the response of the city's denizens, saying via Twitter, "When things are at their worst, New Yorkers are at their best, and they were at their best tonight."