story behind story: Blackout

On Thursday, September 8th, 2011, at 3:38 pm, the lights went out.

Zap.

Just like that.

The power outage stretched from south Orange County to as far east as Arizona’s Yuma, digging well south into Mexico. It affected seven million people.

Authorities raced to restore power. People set up block parties. Neighbors met neighbors.

Some of us sought a quiet night.

And a little inspiration.