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The Effects of Electricity Blackouts

An electricity blackout, often called an outage, is the loss of electricity to an area, that damage to the power lines, a short circuit in the system or a problem at the power station usually causes. Blackouts can last for mere minutes, or last much longer. Either way, a blackout can be a huge problem for everyone.

  1. Industries Affected

    • An electricity blackout can affect the machines and procedures that various types of industries use, literally bringing them to a standstill and putting a stop to work. Companies lose money and manufacturers don't meet their deadlines -- affecting an entire country's economy in the long run. Electricity outage problems are responsible for severely holding back the Indian economy, for example.

    Transportation Issues

    • Electricity powers the public transport networks of many countries, and so when a blackout occurs, transportation grinds to a halt. Commuters are affected the worst; outages leave them trapped on trains in huge numbers. For example, in Italy in 2003, a blackout caused 110 trains to stop, stranding 30,000 people inside.

    People Stranded

    • Outages lead to public conveniences such as elevators in high-rise buildings being inoperable, which can cause many members of the public to become stuck inside. In New York City, a massive blackout in 1977 resulted in hundreds of people having to sleep outside because they couldn't get back to their homes.

    Hospital Issues

    • A loss of electricity can have serious consequences for hospitals, which rely on electricity to power critical systems. In situations involving a blackout, hospitals are forced to rely on emergency power generators, which run on diesel and can be vulnerable to supplies running low. Even with fully functioning generators, hospitals are unable to expend much power, and often must go without computers and air conditioning, for example.

    High Cost

    • An electricity blackout, by damaging industries and commerce, causes a country to lose money, because consumers spend less and manufacturers produce less. For example, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, at the time of publication, each year power interruptions result in the United States losing $80 billion.

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