So…. around 4:20 yesterday, the lights around my cubicle got REALLY bright, then fizzled, then went out. Our building had “blinked” once or twice before, but when the lights didn’t come back after a minute or two, people began to mill around. We realized that it wasn’t just our floor, it was the building. A security announcement over the P.A. confirmed that. We went to the windows and realized that the lights in the intersection were out. then we saw the smoke from the buildings all over brooklyn as the diesel generators kicked in. Then we saw the same smoke in manhattan. Then the same smoke in Jersey. This was going to be an interesting day in New York City.
Some people panicked a bit. Our building has a 360 degree panaramic view; the walls were lined with people staring out the windows. I went to the north side of the building, which faces my neighborhood and the Con Edison plant behind it. I didn’t see any plumes of smoke or emergency lights, which was a good thing. my nerves pretty much settled at that point. [Objective]