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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