New York 2005 Blackout

[Scythe13]

I'm just watching videos on the NY blackout in 2005.

Turns out that most people were just getting on with their normal lives. But that's because they were all told power would be back in 3 hours. That gave them all hope. Hope is the only thing that stopped the 2005 blackout from become a riot scenario. Imagine if the government said they wouldn't ever get electricity again. What do you think would happen?

"Hope is the last bastion of those unable to take action" - Scythe13

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This might sound weird, but I'm study human reactions to high stress scenarios.

[bigpaul]

"what do you think would happen?", you know what would happen, the sheeple would be saying "the govt will help us!", and the lowlifes would be rioting and nicking anything not nailed down.

[Scythe13]

(3 March 2012, 19:41)bigpaul Wrote: "what do you think would happen?", you know what would happen, the sheeple would be saying "the govt will help us!", and the lowlifes would be rioting and nicking anything not nailed down.

I've kind of started to think a smiliar thing. I think people would become paralysed with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

The riots and things like that would happen. But the reality of the world change would cause such trauma to many of the sheeple, I don't think they'd react at all.

[NorthernRaider]

I would give any UK city 24 hours before a certain section of society started looting and rioting.

[bigpaul]

(3 March 2012, 21:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: I would give any UK city 24 hours before a certain section of society started looting and rioting.

all they would need is an excuse!

[NorthernRaider]

(4 March 2012, 10:22)bigpaul Wrote:

(3 March 2012, 21:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: I would give any UK city 24 hours before a certain section of society started looting and rioting.

all they would need is an excuse!

According to Labours Margret Hodge in todays MoS its was poverty and hopelessness that made em do it, which I find odd cos the north east has the highest poverty levels, lowest quality public housing, highest unemployment rates, most social deprivations, worst public health service, shortest life expectancy, worst youth unemployment in the country, But the kids in Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle did not riot.

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(4 March 2012, 10:46)NorthernRaider Wrote:

(4 March 2012, 10:22)bigpaul Wrote:

(3 March 2012, 21:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: I would give any UK city 24 hours before a certain section of society started looting and rioting.

all they would need is an excuse!

According to Labours Margret Hodge in todays MoS its was poverty and hopelessness that made em do it, which I find odd cos the north east has the highest poverty levels, lowest quality public housing, highest unemployment rates, most social deprivations, worst public health service, shortest life expectancy, worst youth unemployment in the country, But the kids in Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle did not riot.

I'll add that yesterdays BBC news reported that the seventh stabbing in a small area of London within a few weeks occured yesterday, Operation trident team are in charge, now there is a suprise.

[Skvez]

Some scum would start to riot as soon as the lights went out. They'd be the ones pinching the TVs even though the power won't ever come on again.

A few people will try and flee to somewhere else, do reckless speeds on the unlit and un-trafflicklit (un-traffick-lighted?) roads having collisions that block the roads and make all travel much harder.

Some bureaucrat will seize the opportunity to declare himself (they're usually men) as tin-pot dictator with "emergency powers" to do pretty much whatever they want.

Most people will be paralysed by their normalcy bias, they are the ones who continue to use a toilet that won't flush even when it's starting to overflow onto the bathroom floor. They have no ability to accept that the old rules don't apply anymore. And they blame someone else for their bathroom floor being covered in their own filth. They'll be peeking out from behind the curtains as their street burns and waiting for someone to come and make everything right again.

[Scythe13]

(8 March 2012, 18:46)Skvez Wrote: Some scum would start to riot as soon as the lights went out. They'd be the ones pinching the TVs even though the power won't ever come on again.

In a large scale catastrophe, the police and military get deployed. Katrina shows that. However, it was only a localised issue. What would happen in a national emergency, I couldn't say.

It's pretty simple to suggest martial law would be in place, but it would be localised martial law.

The vast majority of people would be waiting for the police and other people to take control. Responsibility of action is low.

[NorthernRaider]

Remember that in Katrina and more so on Andrew some more remote communities watied nearly 14 days for any useful help to arrive. on a lesser scale in the UK when the country gets hit with severe cold weather some communities even recently have gone 9 days without help.

[Bucket]

NR, you're right about no help for over a week.

During the last heavy snow, the village my parents live in was cut off for a week as they couldn't get the snowplough up the hill, and so couldn't get the electricity board vehicle there to put the power back on.

Why I decided to start prepping for the next time.