Citywide Blackout 12-2-2014

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 11:23 AM

Drove my honey in late today, and was surprised to find a number of traffic lights out on the east side...then across Mack, all the way downtown. The illumination under Cobo Hall is dark, and WDET is reporting the CAY building and other city properties...including schools...are part of this power outage.

It appears to be city power.

On the way back across town, I went up to Warren/Forrest. Most of the lights were out until near Gratiot, where most of them worked. The Boulevard's lights were out, though.

Crazy. Anyone have any backstory on this?!

**rex** · December-02-14, 11:42 AM

That low level hum has been aliens diverting electricity to power their salt mine clone farms. They overtapped the grid bruh.

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 11:42 AM

I was walking back from Woodward Coney around 10:30 and the traffic lights went out. Apparently the city power grid [[not the DTE grid) is down.

Media is reporting that all fire houses are without power. DPS is going to a half-day.

Also, media is reporting that DFD has a greatly diminished capacity to respond currently.

**mtburb** · December-02-14, 11:44 AM

Actually, several [[albeit very small) DTE pockets within the city are also down. These pockets aren't even exclusive to the city-they also extend all the way out west to Middlebelt, down to Eureka and up to Hall Road. There is, however, a significant pocket just east of Oxford without power right now as well.

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 12:05 PM

Here is the Freep's take on it.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...roit/19777075/

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 12:11 PM

And Neavling's @ MC Muckraker

http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/1...uel-available/

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 12:14 PM

Call me crazy, but why are DFD trucks without fuel? If there are city pumps that don't have power, why wouldn't they just go to the many gas stations around the city that do have power and offer diesel?

**mtburb** · December-02-14, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

Call me crazy, but why are DFD trucks without fuel? If there are city pumps that don't have power, why wouldn't they just go to the many gas stations around the city that do have power and offer diesel?

Because by the time they do reach even the closest gas station...guess what...we'll be hearing news of half of DTE's customers loosing power at the same time, including all gas stations in the city.

**jcole** · December-02-14, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by mtburb

Actually, several [[albeit very small) DTE pockets within the city are also down. These pockets aren't even exclusive to the city-they also extend all the way out west to Middlebelt, down to Eureka and up to Hall Road. There is, however, a significant pocket just east of Oxford without power right now as well.

Those little purple dots on the DTE outage map could be as few as one person without power in each instance.

**ronaldj** · December-02-14, 12:23 PM

This was a quick thread for this occurance. Spouse and I were in a clinic near Kercheval and Van Dyke. Power went out at exactly 10:32 AM. We got sent home.

Checked out DTE Energy Outage Map. They are showing one customer out of service. The picto-dot shows the location near Seyburn and Goethe. Assume it might be transformer but our home just down the street has power.

Estimated repair time between 1-3 PM. Cause under investigation.

**mikeg19** · December-02-14, 12:28 PM

Everybody out there today will be screaming "why aren't my lights on? why aren't the traffic signals working? This is an outrage!." Pan to tomorrow when they are asked about raising taxes to invest in infrastructure and the response will be a resounding "fuck off."

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by mtburb

Because by the time they do reach even the closest gas station...guess what...we'll be hearing news of half of DTE's customers loosing power at the same time, including all gas stations in the city.

So instead of chancing it and going for the gas stations they're just turning the trucks off and going out of service?

By the way, this outage doesn't affect gas stations. It only affects city ran gas pumps.

It's incompetence that they don't have a system in place to go to a normal gas station, fill up, and submit an expense.

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

Everybody out there today will be screaming "why aren't my lights on? why aren't the traffic signals working? This is an outrage!." Pan to tomorrow when they are asked about raising taxes to invest in infrastructure and the response will be a resounding "fuck off."

They're working on getting off the city grid and on to the much more reliable DTE grid. The answer is less government. The answer is to get off of the shitty, falling apart, city-ran, city-mismanaged power grid.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · December-02-14, 12:41 PM

All of Detroit's 100 year old infrastructure is failing, lighting, sewers, etc.... It needs to be replaced, but where is the money going to come from?

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 12:46 PM

Channel 7's...

http://www.wxyz.com/news/widespread-...wntown-detroit

They say it was caused by some cable. Neavling thinks it is coming back on soon...don't know who he heard that from.

Curious day...hope they get it cleared up by rush hour. It could get really ugly.

**sumas** · December-02-14, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

They're working on getting off the city grid and on to the much more reliable DTE grid. The answer is less government. The answer is to get off of the shitty, falling apart, city-ran, city-mismanaged power grid.

I was certainly affected by this outage, Dental appointment got canceled, DMC appointment, this afternoon. I called to make sure Kresge Inst. has power. My answer was "Thank God we Do".

Not sure DTE is any better. Lost power for 5 1/2 days and my bill said we used 87% more power. Put that info out on a different thread. We called and the bill was corrected.

With no traffic signals on I figure we need to leave 1/2 early for what should be a 15 minute drive.

My husband did check the web site for DTE they said between 1 and 3 today. ?????

Mostly I am just happy we still have power at home.

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 12:58 PM

OMG...Channel 7's reporter just dropped a "Detroit Hustles Harder" into his story...good lord.

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 12:59 PM

Mayor to have a press conference within the hour...

**mikeg19** · December-02-14, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

All of Detroit's 100 year old infrastructure is failing, lighting, sewers, etc.... It needs to be replaced, but where is the money going to come from?

Not the taxpayers, that's for shit sure. People mindset on infrastructure is "don't see it, don't care about it, ain't gonna pay for it." That is, until a watermain bursts and floods all the houses on a block, or a bridge collapses and kills people, or the electric grid fails because a fucking squirrel gets into a transformer and chews through a 50 year old wire. This entire country is literally falling apart, but nobody wants to drop a nickle to repair anything.

Our future is basically going to be rolling blackouts, crumbling roads returning to gravel, and boiling polluted water to drink....

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by sumas

Not sure DTE is any better.

Allow me to clear it up for you:

99.9% of DTE customers have power today.
0% of Detroit PLD customers have power today.

DTE is better.

**Gannon** · December-02-14, 01:52 PM

You're such an electrist.

**Bobl** · December-02-14, 02:06 PM

If news reports are accurate, and only five fire stations have back up generators, there is work to be done, folks.

**sumas** · December-02-14, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

Allow me to clear it up for you:

99.9% of DTE customers have power today.
0% of Detroit PLD customers have power today.

DTE is better.

Heck you must work for DTE. We have century old trees hanging over pole lines. Been calling asking for proactive trimming. Nada! DTE sucks!

**mtburb** · December-02-14, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

Allow me to clear it up for you:

99.9% of DTE customers have power today.
0% of Detroit PLD customers have power today.

DTE is better.

I'm sure you didn't count the 698 DTE customers just northeast of Milan that are currently without power right now.

In other news, it appears that the 700-some DTE customers east of Oxford just had their power restored.

And about that final sentence: you know the PLD-style meltdowns DTE goes through after every single storm like what happened three months ago:

And how many of you thought the DTE map was going to look like that today?

**Scottathew** · December-02-14, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by sumas

Heck you must work for DTE. We have century old trees hanging over pole lines. Been calling asking for proactive trimming. Nada! DTE sucks!

I choose not to reveal who I do and do not work for. I'll just say that I work downtown.

I still don't see how you can state that DTE is worse than Detroit PLD, but I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Detroit PLD has had a number of catastrophic system failures in the last few years.

I'm watching the press conference and caught a few interesting details:

- Michigan State Police sent 18 officers to help with the situation
- DDOT sent out 40 buses hours ahead of time to help kids get home from work
- The outage was caused by multiple cable failures, not just a single failure
- DPD has backup generators
- DFD does not have backup generators
- DTE is in the middle of a four year plan to get all PLD customers onto the DTE grid