Egypt: Cairo Blackout

This summer is different in Egypt. Repeated power and water cuts have hit different districts every single day over the past few months. And although there wasn't a clear official statement it was commonly understood that the repeated electricity cut was to reduce loads on power stations.

However, today [August 8, 2012] was different. Most of Cairo residents woke up to a major electricity failure that not only affected their houses and offices, but also Cairo's underground metro and the Egyptian Stock Exchange.

Mado shares his story:

@mado_1 النور قطع عليا في المترو ونزلت سعد زغلول ومن سعد زغلول مشيت للتحرير علشان اخد الخط التاني لقيته برضوا مش شغال.

The electricity went off while I was in the underground. I got off in Saad Zaghloul station, and from there I walked to Tahrir Square to take another metro direction, but it wasn't working as well.

He continues:

@mado_1 ركبت من التحرير لشغلي ولما وصلت الشغل لقيت النور قاطع وفضل قاطع لمدة ساعتين ونص ويا دوب لسة راجع

I got on another transportation from Tahrir to my work, and when I went there electricity was still off. It was off for two hours and is just back.

Mostafa Al Naggar, a former Member of Parliament, says:

@alnagar80
قطع الكهرباء عن المترو جريمة قتل عمد ينبغى محاكمة المسئول عنها ، لن يحتمل الشعب مزيدا من العبث والاهمال والعجز بسبب الفشلة العاجزين

Cutting the power off in the underground is murder. Those responsible for such murder should be sent to trial. The people won't tolerate further neglect, tampering and failures.

Maged Abedo asks:

@mAbidou
إزاى مترو الأنفاق ما يكونش فيه مولدات إحتياطية وسيتي ستارز فيه، عجبى

How come there are no electricity generators in the underground, but there is in City Stars (A famous mall in Cairo)?

Hany Hathout exclaims:

@HHathout: Black Out. No electricity all over the city.

Journalist Sarah Carr asks:

@Sarahcarr: Were the electricity cuts in Cairo this widespread and frequent last summer?

And Amr Hassan notes:

@superamr: So much sun. So little electricity. #Cairo

But one resident says the electricity cuts bring much needed peace to Cairo. Patricia Stein comments:

@PsteinND: The moment the electricity cuts in #Cairo its quiet…beautifully quiet. I request longer outages please. Bring people back to reality.

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