New York had never seen anything quite like it: thousands of rush hour commuters forced to abandon their vehicles or make their way home on foot as juice drained from the Big Apple. The blackout quickly brought back memories of September 11th. President George Bush was swift to react. "One thing I think I can say for certain is that this was not a terrorist act," he said. "I have heard reports about a lightening strike at Niagara Falls in New York and federal officials are investigating the veracity of that. We'll find out what caused the blackout." New York itself last suffered a major power cut in 1977. The city was hit particularly hard with looting and violence widespread. Although the cause of this rupture remains unclear, analysts say it was an accident waiting to happen. Deregulation has put the system under massive strain. Companies facing greater competition and pressure for higher profits have been reluctant to invest in new infrastructure despite a 30 percent increase in demand over the last decade alone. The end result is that the US operates with little or no excess capacity. Energy expert Jerry Taylor says it means sooner or later problems will emerge. "It usually doesn't happen because the managers of these various grid systems are all very very adept at balancing supply and demand. But if you throw a curve ball to a guy who's juggling bowling balls and you get him the right way at the right time, it can really cause problems." Until authorities solve the dilemma of how far companies need to cut the fat out of the system to be efficient, critics say Americans might do well to heed environmental warnings to reduce their overall power consumption. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Crosstown 34th Street (center, running up and down) on the west side of New York City's Manhattan Island is nearly empty of the usual midday traffic the day after the city suffered an electrical blackout, August 15, 2003. (Ray Stubblebine/Reuters)