IP: Stockholm power outage hits high-tech companies: [risks] Risks Digest 21.27

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 10:58:49 -0800 (PST)
>From: Ulf Lindqvist <ulf@sdl.sri.com>
>Subject: Stockholm power outage hits high-tech companies
>
>As reported in various Swedish media, including *Dagens Nyheter*
>(http://www.dn.se/), Mar 12, 2001:
>
>A fire in a tunnel containing power cables caused a long-lasting
>blackout for 50,000 people and a large number of high-tech companies
>in several Stockholm suburbs. The incident happened on Sunday
>morning, and utility company officials hoped that customers
>would have power again late Monday evening.
>
>The largest employer in the area, Ericsson, told 11,000 employees to stay at
>home Monday as their workplace had no power. IBM did the same thing for
>their 2,000 employees.
>
>The blackout also caused problems with other depending services, such as
>water, heating, landline phones, mobile phones, pagers, Internet traffic and
>servers, and public transportation. Police and fire departments have been
>busy with burglaries (no lights or alarms working), fires (caused by candles
>and even indoor BBQs) and black traffic lights.
>
>A spokesperson for the utility company Birka Energi says: "The cable damage
>is total. We cannot handle it with normal rerouting, because all the cables
>were destroyed."
>
>All the cables in one tunnel, that is.  Did anyone mention eggs and baskets?
>
>Ulf Lindqvist, System Design Lab, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave,
>Menlo Park CA 94025-3493, USA +1 650 859-2351 http://www.sdl.sri.com/
>
>   [Egg-sell-ent time.  That's what's called tunnel vision.  PGN]



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