Cascading power outage stopped short of Pittsburgh [How Valley Forge Kept Penna Turned On]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Friday, August 15, 2003 | Frank Reeves and Lillian Thomas, Post-Gazette Staff Writers

[Petronski]

While the cascading blackouts that rolled west from New York took out close neighbors Erie, Akron and Cleveland, they stopped short of Pittsburgh.

Southwestern Pennsylvania was spared largely because it's on a different power transmission system and its equipment knew when to shut itself off.

[Petronski]

Officials at [PJM in Valley Forge PA] that said that automatic safeguards already in place and a more robust system were responsible for the fact that it withstood the cascading outages.

[Glenn]

We were sweating bullets at 6 o'clock waiting to see if the grid was going to hold. The disruption to our business was bad enough in the NE and MW. Had it hit Pittsburgh, I'd be on a plane to someplace else now. Today is going to be a long day.

[LadyDoc]

in the 67 blackout most of Pennsylvania still had power also...

[bmwcyle]

Just so my Pennsylvania Power & Light stock does not go down.

[Petronski]

Ping

[Petronski]

For your information.

[martin_fierro]

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[mountaineer]

Even out here in the sticks (W.Va. panhandle, 45 miles from Pgh), we happily sat in lighted, air-conditioned homes. Looks like the closest city affected was Canton.

[xsmommy]

hA! them PA jagoffs know how to do something right!

[Matchett-PI]

Where at in W.Va? Know where the Red Dog Saloon is located on Rt. 30 in PA? Know where the Waterford Downs race track is? Know where that good pizza place is in Wellsville, Ohio (the guy used to have the pizza concession at Waterford Downs)? :D

[mountaineer]

Between Wheeling and Weirton. I'm not familiar with the Red Dog, nor have I visited Wellsville, but Waterford Downs is now Mountaineer Resort and Gaming Center, complete with slot machines, a spa, a concert venue, a fancy hotel and all kinds of amenities (oh yes, and there still is a racetrack).

[nkycincinnatikid]

power outage probably still trying to get into the Ft Pitt tunnel

[ellery]

Not surprising -- doesn't everything arrive in Pittsburgh 10 years late? :-)

[mountaineer]

LOL, it got lost in the West End detour (like most of us).

[Badray]

"...here in the sticks (W.Va. panhandle, 45 miles from Pgh), we happily sat in lighted, air-conditioned homes."

C'mon now. Everyone knows that in West (By God) Virginia, "lighted" means lanterns and "air-conditioned" means that the screen door is open.

(((((ducking)))))

[mountaineer]

I can't really deny it.

[Badray]

You're a good sport, but I'm still gonna duck the next time I see you. LOL

[_Jim]

Holland, Michigan survived too - they have their own municipally owned generating plants - and Thursday afternoon they just happened to be operating 'off the grid'!

Way to go Holland!