I was just going through the backlog of e-mail at work. Here are some excerpts from the series of e-mails sent out by the Powers That Be to keep their minions informed throughout the crisis. BTW a lot of the messages were headed with “BlackBerry Users – Please share this message with colleagues whose e-mail is not available.“
| Power Outage Affects Canada and United States – Aug. 14, 2003 5:33 p.m. EDT
A major power outage has affected electrical service in Ontario and the Northeastern United States. Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston, Detroit and Cleveland have all experienced electrical service disruptions. The power outage has not affected key locations, such as Montreal and Chicago. |
| Update on power outage affecting Canada and United States – Aug 14, 2003 7:30 p.m. EDT
A major power outage has interrupted electrical service in Ontario and the Northeastern United States. It is not yet clear when service will be restored. Employees in affected areas are encouraged to make use of battery-operated radios wherever possible to monitor the recommendations of local authorities. Employees in large urban centers could consider delaying their commutes home in order to avoid rush-hour congestion. Given the heat and the lack of air-conditioning, employees should consider drinking water to stay hydrated. |
| Update on Power Outage – Aug 14, 2003 11:30 p.m. EDT
Power is gradually being restored in areas of Ontario and the Northeastern United States effected by the power outage. Employees should continue to monitor the reports of local authorities on the status of transportation facilities and power availability. Employees should plan to treat the workday as business as usual, if power has been restored in their areas. If power has not been restored, then only employees in essential roles should report to work. |
| Update on Power Outage Affecting Canada and the United States – Aug. 15, 2003 10:11 a.m. EDT
Power is being restored in many areas in the region. We will follow the request of public authorities in these areas and provide essential services today. Generally, if there is power in your area, frontline customer-facing employees and support staff for key systems are asked to come to work today. (See below for special directions for staff in Toronto and Ontario). However, in a situation like this, individual circumstances can vary and employees in these roles should use their discretion. Our offices will be closed in Toronto today, in the area bounded by: Lakeshore Boulevard (South), Steeles Avenue (North), Highway 427 (West) and Port Union Road (East) with the exception of the downtown office which will be open on a limited basis. In the rest of Ontario offices will be open on a best effort basis. Employees who require additional information should call their manager. |
| Update on Power Outage Affecting Canada and United States – Aug 15, 2003 4:30 p.m. EDT
For the upcoming weekend, though power is being restored in many areas affected by the outage, employees can expect to experience planned and possibly unplanned brown-outs (short duration black-outs) as part of the restoration process followed by the public utilities. |
| Update on Power Outage Affecting Canada and United States – Aug. 17, 2003 6:30 p.m. EDT
While power has been restored throughout the region, electrical generation and transmission systems are still not operating at full capacity. In order to avoid placing an undue strain on the recently restored power system, Ontario public authorities have requested that businesses focus on essential services and operate at 50 percent capacity tomorrow, Monday Aug. 18. In New York and New Jersey, public authorities have announced that their systems will be operational tomorrow. In order to support the restoration process our business will provide essential services only across the affected area. |
