The Great Blackout hit as I and a load of tour group members were waiting out a four-hour layover at JFK to make a connection from Rome to San Francisco.

Had anyone suggested that something as critical as an airport like JFK did not need to be equipped with its own full-up backup power generation station, I would have bitch-slapped him until his head looked like a week-old dishrag, but the fact is, JFK is equipped with a totally ineffective backup system.

When the power went out, we were already through security and in the lounge at the gate, thank God. Many were stuck in dense lines at immigration and security. The backup system apparently covers things like traffic control, and a few lights. A few areas of the terminal I was in (Delta) had dim illumination from the ceiling lights. Some areas had absolutely no emergency illumination at all, including most bathrooms, and an entire gate area that was pitch black after dark. Some colossal asshole apparently figured that the ideal emergency light in a completely darkened area is a brilliant flashing xenon strobe, and this figured prominently in many areas, making travel through certain corridors look like the climactic alien attack scene in a cheap movie.

No computer systems had backup power (!!!). This made it impossible to rebook flights, deal with baggage, make the display boards work, or operate the complex examination systems that drove the security system. Long into the night, runners with sheets of paper and walkie talkies shoved critical flights out the door one by one. Security personnel examined baggage piece by piece manually. Due to high security restrictions that required computers to match baggage to passengers, it was decided that no flight would carry any baggage at all. Tourists heading for cruises and other such temporary destinations were totally screwed. As far as I know, my own baggage is still in New York.

The boarding gates were unpowered, and stairs were set up. The plane fueling systems were unpowered. A few old fuel trucks were brought into action. We had water fountains, but only one Starbucks was selling food. Needless to say, the AC was out, and thankfully, it was already late afternoon and cooling off. Still, the place was oppressive, and I can only imagine what it must have been like in the windowless immigration and customs areas downstairs.

Our scheduled flight to SFO was cancelled, something we only found out much later since it was announced by what amounts to a town crier running around the gates and yelling this fact. I put on about twenty miles of walking and running going from gate to gate trying to find out where flights were being moved--they were moved constantly, and without announcement. A flight at gate 16, part of the wing with no lights at all except the illumination from tarmac lights outside the windows, appeared to be going to the West Coast, although the pilot had no idea what its actual destination was. Eventually, by locating wandering managers we managed to ascertain that yes, this flight was going to Los Angeles, and yes, they would accept passengers from other West Coast destinations.

Our only other option: stay squatting on the floor of a dark terminal and hope to God the power came back. Hotel? Where? The power was out all around the area. Get a car and drive into New York? During a blackout? Not for a thousand dollars. Our luggage was trapped in containers, with no manual way to retrieve it.

We opted for Los Angeles, and hoped we could connect from there. Worst case: stranded in a terminal that at least had electricity.

To our huge relief, the flight was a huge plane that had many excess seats beyond the scheduled LA passengers. With fourteen in our group, we had feared having to decide who to leave in the dark. At about 1 AM, our tickets and paths lit by flashlights and car headlights directed at the boarding area, we boarded one of the last departing planes, and the relief we felt on entering the air-conditioned, well-lit plane was immense.

On reaching LA (about 3 AM Pacific Time), we were told by Delta that the connection option we had was to go on standby(!) for Salt Lake City(!!), and then connect back to SFO at 3:00 PM the following day(!!!). All of us decided to scrap that "option" and make our own ways home. Two families rented cars to drive from LA to the Bay Area. Some, like myself, optioned for a Southwest Airlines trip home at 6:15 AM. Worth the bite in the wallet (not much, as it WAS Southwest Airlines), as I could not visualize driving 600 miles after being awake off and on almost 24 hours already.

I have never been so happy to see my house in my life. After much bitching from the Delta representative in San Jose, who was crabby about my taking Southwest home, my luggage should arrive here eventually as well.

It is incredible that, after the experience of massive blackouts in the past, that we not only are still vulnerable to blackouts, but that critical systems are still completely vulnerable. This was not some podunk airport in North Dakota, this was JFK. There is absolutely no excuse for this.