Whatever was the cause, I am shocked that circuit breakers did not isolate the problematic location automatically.
@DAD - So are we all! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
According to the local press: "Critics have been calling for breakers to be installed throughout North America's grids for some time, only to be told that there is no money to fund such a massive infrastructure overhaul..."
There were similar massive power-outs in 1965 and in 1996. Rather a pity the politicians (and media) prefer to waste time blaming each other and making political hay, rather than making a serious attempt to address the vulnerabilities of the huge grid. Knowing whose "fault" is was -- meaning, it appears, identifying where the surge or whatever started -- doesn't change the fact that the other links in the chain could not isolate themselves quickly enough to prevent the cascading failures.
