Wednesday, December 15, 2021
On July 13, 1977, lightning knocked out power across New York City for a sweltering night of looting and arson that left thousands arrested and neighborhoods scarred.
On this day in 1977, lightning strikes knocked out power to almost all of New York City on a hot July night. Unlike the orderly blackout the city had weathered in 1965, this one turned chaotic within hours, with widespread looting and arson across struggling neighborhoods and more than three thousand people arrested before the lights came back.
The difference was context. The city was in a deep economic slump, the night was brutally hot, and a sudden loss of light and cooling on top of that strain was enough to tip parts of the city over. The same failure can play out calmly or violently depending on what surrounds it.
The lesson preppers take is that an extended power outage can change the mood of a place, not just the lights. Home security basics, a way to stay cool, and a plan to stay put and low-profile matter as much as a flashlight when the grid goes down in a crowded, stressed city.
