Bush Vows Review Into Cause of Blackout
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- President Bush said he will order a review of why so many states were hit by a massive power blackout Thursday and said he suspects the nation's electrical grid will have to be modernized.
"Millions of people's lives are affected," the president said. "I fully understand that their lives will not be normal for the short run."
But he added, "Slowly but surely we're coping with this massive national problem."
The outage spread to states from New York to Michigan and affected major cities in Canada as well.
Once power is restored, Bush said he would order a review of "why the cascade was so significant, why it was able to ripple so significantly throughout our system up East."
Advertisement
AP VIDEO
Bush and advisers are upbeat about economy
Windows | Real
News From the Bush Administration
Bush Gag Is Only Reference to Calif. Race
Bush Vows Review Into Cause of Blackout
Bush:'We're Winning' War on Terrorism
Bush Picks Utah Gov. Leavitt to Head EPA
Bush's Popularity Wanes in Slow Economy
INTERACTIVES
Photos From the Blackout
Areas Affected, and the North American Power Grid
LATEST NEWS
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
Widespread Outages Seen Across Ohio
Canada Officials Blame U.S. for Blackout
Huge Power Blackout Hits Eastern U.S.
Last Major Blackout Was Seven Years Ago
Blackout Postpones Some Sporting Events
Speaking to reporters at a downtown hotel during a two-day California trip, the president said the assessment would determine just what caused the problem and whether the U.S. electrical grid would need to be modernized as a result.
"I happen to think it does," he said. "It's a serious situation."
Still, Bush sought to provide some reassurance to a shaken public.
The first priority, Bush said, is to deal with the consequences of the blackout and "get electricity up and running as quickly as possible."
"I have been working with federal officials to make sure the response to the situation was quick and thorough and I believe it has been," the president said. "We're offering all the help they need to help people cope with this blackout."
Bush pointed to the resumption of some flights at LaGuardia and Newark airports near New York as an example of federal involvement and a sign the situation was beginning to come under control.
Bush credited local and state emergency officials with quickly getting a handle on the problem - and said they have not yet asked much of the federal government
"Not much - because they're well-prepared," he said. "We're better organized today than we were 2 1/2 years ago to deal with an emergency."
Bush also said it "has been remarkable to watch on television" how calmly individuals reacted.
Bush said it wasn't clear yet what caused the initial problem but promised that officials would figure it out once people's immediate needs are met. "One thing I think I can say for certain is that this was not a terrorist act," he said.
Bush was notified about the outage by Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin while he was having lunch with Marines at a military base in southern California. He received updates through the rest of the day from top aides.
Vice President Dick Cheney was on vacation in Jackson, Wyo., during the blackout. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was in Maine, press spokesman Claire Buchan said, but he consulted by telephone with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Officials from the White House and National Security Council later held a video conference call with officials from the departments of Energy, Homeland Security, Treasury, State, the FBI and other agencies, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
The meeting was organized to make sure the federal government was ready to help to meet any request that might arise from state and local governments, he said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
