Here's the scenario:

Regardless of whatever we might hear about across the big pond all day long, there will still be over a million people in Times Square on New Years Eve. Reporters and crowds playfully wonder will the lights stay on? TV world wide coverage. This is the big one. Lights stay on after the ball drops, crowds will cheer with elation.."we've beat the bug"...I surmise 97% of the world will take that moment to mean that.

OK..now, let's say those lights don't stay on. Let's say massive NYC power outage, almost immediately. Media from all over the world. All the major networks have power generators, all those remote vans have them.

Here's the question...will they continue to cover the crowds? Will they show the rest of the USA whats going on? Anyone think they'll go back to the studio, with some smiley faced anchorman saying, "huh, that was funny, okay, here's some tape of last years new years"? Or will it be interviews with the drunken revelers about "So how ya gonna get home now?". They'll continue to party regardless I'm sure.

I don't think even the most dire of news reports from overseas will sway the masses from their belief that nothing is going to happen HERE. They'll be out there,..with their Y2K t-shirts and millenium count down baseball caps, whooping it up. Dick Clark will blather on about the milestone to come. It will be THE TEST to many people. Times Square, and nothing else. -kritter

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), August 24, 1999

Answers

IF that were to happen, I think they would keep rolling(I mean what's the point to censor now, those in the know are far removed from the masses), however they would probably soon cease due to 50-100,000 people trampling on them in a freaked frenzy. "Crap, my fucking dumbass neighbor was right----run!!"

-- CygnusXI (noburnt@toast.net), August 24, 1999.

How are they going to cover anything if there is no power.

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), August 24, 1999.

another scenario (BTW, good post, Kritter)

At 12 midnight EST, the Baccarat Ball falls into the 21st century... Everyone is white-knuckled waiting to see what happens..Five, Ten then Fifteen minutes into the New "M" everyone breathes a sigh of relief...cheers, shouts, raised beer mugs and elation overtake the entire country as we see "all is well." Now that the critical moment has passed, hundreds and thousands of people turn ALL of thier lights on....buildings,homes,factories, etc. as if to say "WE BEAT YOU MR.BUG!".....then suddenly at 12:43am, you have a "snow" tv picture for about 5 minutes. A sudden feeling of anxiety rolls through your body....sweat begins to pour....your heart palpitates,then responds to the adrenaline...THUMP,THUMP.....you now know that the GI's were right. A feeling of impending doom suddenly darkens the room you're in,even though your lights are still on. Each of your family members looks at each other in dismay....the TV in the background giving off that hideous hiss of "snow TV." Your wife runs to the fridge checking the perishables resting in cool solitude, then the pantry admiring the three boxes of cereal,macaroni and cheese, and various condiments...you reach for the 5 year-old flashlight in the drawer just as you hear the "pop" of all electrical appliances in your home going "off" simultaneously. Quiet permeates the room as you click and shake your flashlight to no avail.Screams are heard in the distance, and breaking glass is heard in the neighborhood.Everyone runs outside to view the immediate panic in the streets.Drunken teens hanging out of their car screaming and laughing as the blue lights of a FEMA vehicle begin thier hot pursuit.............your 4 year old daughter says "Daddy? what's happening?"...........

Packing and Preparing, Keepon

-- Keepon (vacillating@hourly.edu), August 24, 1999.

Damn!

-- hey keepon (that's well @said.com), August 24, 1999.

Even people who are aware of possible y2k problems won't come to the worst conclusion right away, IMHO. I don't think people will panic right away, even if their lights go out. "How cozy, the lights have gone out. Let's light our two candles." They'll hear on their car radios, from radio stations with generators, that "They're working on it" and "A few more days" and they'll have their "warming centers" available if your cold. And they'll buy that. After three days they'll start complaining. "We're running out of propane in our backyard grills. Our house is really cold. The food in my fridge is spoiling" Panic, that will take a week, I'd say, of no electricity. ESPECIALLY when they can no longer have contact with the media. When they feel "disconnected" from what's going on and what's being done about it.

I can picture Foodtowns staying open without lights, checking out people with calculators, imagine the PR they can claim afterwards, that's what they'll be thinking. Picture lines of people with full carts of WHATEVER they can find left on the shelves. (Even items that require refridgeration, I'm sure, because there ARE some stupid people out there, sorry)

Can you picture lines at gas stations where the power is still on? Cash only transactions. Town meetings to give people information announced by flyers? The one guy in the neighborhood with a gun, being asked by his neighbors to "keep an eye on my house, will ya?", while they leave for a "warming center". People not going to work because "heck, the electrics out there anyhow, what could I possibly get done, might as well enjoy this extra little holiday". People not going to work because they fear for their familys well being? Will there be a big "people not going to work" scenario? Can you picture the government sending out notice that "okay, let's all get back to work and see what we can do, even if the electric is off" kind of plea? Areas with power,..TVs on, will watch with complete disconnect. Bet THEY still don't buy necessities in THOSE areas,..couldn't possibly spread here, right? As long as it's not here in my neighborhood, it's okay. I say you can ONLY panic someone if it's in THEIR house, and then only if there's not someone on a TV telling them it's still going to be okay. -kritter

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), August 24, 1999.

I asked whether purchasing alternative means of heating and cooking would be a good idea and got this (and other info) from a large electricity council a couple of weeks ago:

The Electric Utility Industry in [a state] continues to report that the likelihood of blackouts on December 31st, 1999 is the same as it is today or on any other day. Keep in mind that many industries, including large cities, are preparing for the unexpected. Many large cities may not expect any problems on December 31st, 1999 but feel it is in their best interest to prepare for problems anyway. You may also want to prepare for the unexpected. Consider it insurance.

Point: we may not have to wait until midnite.

-- regular (nnn@nn.nnn), August 24, 1999.

I'm just guessing here, but is a lot of the Grid on UTC not EST?

Thus, the lights may go out at 9pm EST well before the ball drops.

Then again they might just stay on for a couple of weeks.

-- Its (All@Conpiracy.com), August 24, 1999.

I thought the grid was on GMT which means lights out at 6pm EST? NO ball droppings except those who didn't prepare or were dumb enough to even think about going to New York in the first place. Can you imagine a 100,000 pollies in one place? Just blows your mind.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), August 24, 1999.

"Can you imagine a 100,000 pollies in one place? Just blows your mind."

I got such a huge laugh out of that line! I didn't realize the grid chips were all on the same time...I thought each was programmed for it's own time zone. Now that I say that out loud, I feel very very silly. Duh...! I'm taking Dec 31 off anyhow, as are probably most of you. I'll be glued to the news and a bottle of schnapps.

Besides that, I will wash every last article of clothing and bedding in this house, give the entire house one last good vacuum and scrub, everyone gets a long hot shower, and then that bathtub has to be filled with flushin' water. There will be a feast of club steaks and fresh fruit, and long swigs of tap water. -kritter

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), August 24, 1999.