Which is more of a riot: LA or NYC?

[Timothy McVeigh]

                                     BLACKOUTS MAY GENERATE RIOTS,
                                               STATE WARNS

                                     By KENNETH LOVETT


                                     May 25, 2001 -- ALBANY - The state
                                     yesterday warned of possible riots,
looting
                                     and "social unrest" in New York
City if
                                     steps are not taken to keep the
lights on
                                     this summer.

                                     The dire concerns were included in
a new
                                     emergency regulation unveiled by
the state
                                     that will allow backup diesel
generators in
                                     some buildings to begin operating
before
                                     there is an actual loss of service.

                                     With demand for electricity growing
at
                                     faster rates than the supply,
officials have
                                     expressed concerns that a
particularly hot
                                     summer could lead to blackouts.

                                     "Since peak-demand periods
generally
                                     occur during sunny, hot, summer
                                     afternoons, electricity-service
interruption
                                     will expose people to extreme
                                     temperatures, unyielding traffic
congestion
                                     and even trap many people in
elevators,"
                                     the Pataki administration warned.

                                     The state already has moved to
install 10
                                     temporary generators throughout the
city
                                     to create more power.

                                     Allowing large businesses,
colleges,
                                     factories and office towers to turn
on their
                                     emergency generators when outages
are
                                     deemed imminent would help reduce
                                     demand on the state's power grid,
                                     according to the regulation, which
takes
                                     effect immediately.

                                     Waiting until the lights go out -
as the
                                     current regulation requires - could
wreak
                                     havoc on the public, it says.

                                     Public safety could be jeopardized,
it says.
                                     Blackouts could lead to mass
looting,
                                     stalled subways and elevators,
vandalism
                                     and "social unrest," such as that
seen
                                     during the 1977 city blackout,
according
                                     to the regulation.

                                     Traffic lights, refrigerators and
building
                                     security systems also would stop
working.

                                     So would air conditioners, leaving
                                     residents at risk - between 50 and
150
                                     heat-related deaths occurred in the
United
                                     States in 1999.

                                     Meanwhile, hospitals would likely
need to
                                     limit their operations to emergency

                                     services, the state warns.

                                     Following the 1999 Washington
Heights
                                     power outage, several hospitals
without
                                     power were forced to transfer
emergency
                                     surgeries.

                                     Environmental groups have expressed

                                     concern that the diesel backup
generators
                                     will be used during nonemergencies,

                                     adding pollution on days when smog
is
                                     already a problem in the city.