It was a hot summer day. Inside was nice and cool from the air conditioning. We were just setting up the PlayStation on the big screen, when suddenly, power went out.
At first it was nothing unusual. Just a blackout.
We took the batteries out of the TV remote and put it in a small radio that looked like a miniature ghettoblaster, and every station that was up, was broadcasting an emergency blackout. To our astonishment, the entire city was out, the whole GTA was down, and pretty much the entire east side of North America.
In a blackout this large, it only takes minutes before complete gridlock kicks in. I took my motorcycle that day, and on my way home....
- There were pedestrians taking turns guiding traffic at every intersection.
- Gas stations were down = They were loaded with cars, with more cars lined up down the street while the drivers were out of their vehicles or sitting on the curb cause it was a hot day.
- Refrigerators were down. and Ice was sold out. Food supply was already on a timer.
- Restaurants down.
- Banks down, credit cards down. People were broke, while money was nearly useless
- In the evening every residential area smelled of BBQ
- At night without the moon, the only thing we could possibly see was the stars it was so brilliant, it was the galaxy's center for real, and the headlights of cars that managed to make it home.
- Riding at night, all I would see is whatever was in my headlight. No streetlights.
- People trapped in elevators, for up to 3 days in some areas. ( One story of a man and woman stuck in an elevator ended up getting married )
- Subway workers escorted passengers through the subway tunnels, then into dark underground subway stations, then outside to a congested world of people who couldn't get home.
- Traffic like you never imagined.
^ This was day 1. Without any detail.
Several places in the States were said to have riots on day 1. I recall a case where a shop owner and his family protected their business by being stationed on the roof of their store with rifles. Needless to say they never had any issues.
We cannot survive in these numbers without electricity, from the time people are struggling to get home, we're already on our way to Mad Max, where gangs would emerge to salvage from others as neighbors become foes in an effort to survive. 3 days wasn't so bad, but things really do go sour real quick when food and gas becomes scarce.