Great Blackout of Rafforsia 2009

On July 12 2009, 5.24 pm ( GMT+8 ), the southern and eastern parts of Rafforsia faced a sudden power outage, affecting every building in these regions.

The cause of the power outage is due to the collapsed Power Avenue Bridge over at the industrial area of Buroh, southwest of Tourist City.


Power Avenue Bridge crossing across the Straits of Samulun during the 2009 Tourisy City Simlympics

Ping An, a cargo ship belonging to China, was travelling eastwards along the Straits of Samulun when it unexpectedly changed it course along the Strait and travel northeast, straight to the bridge column nearer to the mainland. It then made an impact on the bridge column and, as the force was strong, the bridge column collapse, with debris landing onto the cargo ship, forcing the bow of the ship to be partially sunk underwater due to the weight of the debris. The cargo ship was then anchored at that spot. No casualty was reported and a section of the Power Avenue was closed, leaving passengers of the Raffore Spaceport stranded for hours.

The bridge was connected to Jurong Island. As Jurong Island is home to the Jurong Offshore Power Farm with the powerlines hung underneath the bridge connecting to the mainland, power outage took place in the Yellow Sector except on Jurong Island.




The three sectors of the Raforrsia Power Grid: Red, Green and Yellow

As the Jurong Offshore Power Farm is the main source of power for the Yellow Sector, every building of the Yellow Sector suffered from power outage. The Yellow Sector is home of the three major cities of Rafforsia (Raffore City, Tourist City and Changi City) and Rafforsia's only commercial airport, Tourist City International Airport.

Every residential and commercial building had its power cut off. Subway Power Substation automatically shut down, leaving people trapped in the subway trains and stations. Electronic Toll Booths were shut down. Hospitals and polyclinics had its power cut off. Traffic signals and Electronic Roadside Infomation Signs were unable to display anything, causing major traffic congestion and multiple traffic accidents. By 5.46 pm, all back up generators for hospitals and polyclinics, in addition to Tourist City International Airport, all police stations and all fire stations, within the Yellow Sector has been activated.

To make matter worse, all Water and Sanitation Substation within the Yellow Sector has stopped working, causing a majority of the buildings within the Yellow Sector without proper water. The untreated water then flows back into the sea and into the reservoir. By 5.37 pm, the flow of untreated water was stopped, therefore contamination of the reservoir water is minimal. Gas supply within the Yellow Sector has also been cut off.

To avoid a surge in power of the Jurong Offshore Power Farm, every power generators within the farm has been shut down, affecting every building on Jurong Island. As the powerline has been severely damaged, it will take months to restore all the power. Due to this, the temporary Head of State has declared Rafforsia in a State of Emergency by 6 pm. Cargo trading will continue as per normal on unaffected sectors.

By 11.30 pm, buildings are still powerless within the Yellow Sector. The temporary government have been discussing non-stop for a possible situation for the power outages since 8 pm.

The government is requesting for foreign aids for the following items currently:
Handheld torches
Batteries
Power generators
Bottled Water
Ready-to-eat foods
Portable fans (due to warm weather)
Floodlights (to lit the affected roads)

Any other foreign aids are welcomed.

Sarnia is sending the water bottles and the foods. Tongolia is delivering batteries and power generators.

Ahead of the G10 summit in West Novland the government has ordered 3 navy ships to bring 50 tuns of all the aid requested plus extra and 300 solders to aid in safety.

We will send 3 of these ships with all of the above requested aid. Along with 250 soldiers to help out. Each ship can provide as hospital if needed

Heres the ship:

off-topic: Sorry. Real life issues.

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1) Investigations

As the cargo ship, Ping An, was pinned down by the debris, the Police Coast Guard were able to surround the cargo ship in tme to prevent anybody from the ship to escape. When the Police Coast Guard climbed onboard the ship, the captain of the ship appears, together with his crew, all present. Ping An's crew were then detained for investigations. Meanwhile, a group of Crime Investigation Detective (CID) boarded the ship to conduct a check on the ship to find out clues leading to the crash onto the column of Power Avenue Bridge.

From the investigations, the main lead the CID have so far is that the crew present on the bridge reported a malfunction of the rudder of cargo ship.

2) Humanitarian aids

Here are the list of humanitarian aids received or waiting for permission from several nations:
Handheld torches (all approved unless otherwise specified)
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
Indonesia
Australia
Japan
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Malenia
West Novland (50 tons)

Batteries (all approved unless otherwise specified)
PR China
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Tongolia
Malenia
West Novland (50 tons)

Power generators (all approved unless otherwise specified)
United States of America
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Australia
Japan
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Tongolia
Petrova
West Novland (50 tons)

Bottled Water (all approved unless otherwise specified)
Singapore
Japan
South Korea
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Sarnia Islands
Malenia
Lisieux
West Novland (50 tons)

Ready-to-eat foods (all approved unless otherwise specified)
United Nations
Singapore
Thailand
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Sarnia Islands
West Novland (50 tons)

Portable fans (all approved unless otherwise specified)
Germany
France
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
West Novland (50 tons)

Floodlights (all approved unless otherwise specified)
United State of America
Ossil
Auvergne
Kenoshan Federation
Perthshire
Malenia
West Novland (50 tons)

Power Platforms
Diesmaran Empire (details on power produced required first)

Peacekeeping Forces (all are on standby unless otherwise specified)
UNAPMOR (United Nations Peacekeeping Mission of Rafforsia)
Diesmaran Empire
COFR
Kenoshan Federation
SimUnion Treaty Organization (SUTO, part of AIN)
West Novland (300 personnels, on duty on Rafforsia through helping the civilians)
Escambia (3 hospital ships and 250 personnels, on duty on Rafforsia through helping the civilians)

Monetary Funds (not really needed, it's returnable when requested)
Malenia (8 372 700 000 Lek)

Humanitarian aids are still welcomed.

Rafforsia is now requesting for new foreign aids on the following items as the cold season is approaching:
Blankets
Portable Electronic Heater
Packeted Powered Drinks of the following: Milo, Hot Chocolate, Horlicks, Ovaltine, Instant Cereal (No Tea of Coffee)
Mobile Shelter for victims of burnt homes

3) Emergencies

As the power outage was during the evening rush hour, people are going back to their homes. However, as most elevators on residential and commercial buildings doesn't have backup generators, thousands of people are trapped in their elevators.

One hour after the power outage, there has been over 3000 emergency calls of elevators not moving. As on 2 am July 13 2009 ( GMT +8 ), only 738 stalled elevators have been rescued by fire fighters, with 471 elevators are undergoing operations on rescuing people in the trapped elevators. By morning (6am), 1362 elevators have been rescued by fire fighters. There is an estimate that another 4271 stalled elevators that contain trapped people that hasn't been rescued by 8pm, July 13.

Another issues is the fire caused by improper usage of candles. By 7 pm, July 13, there has been 15 fires reported in residential apartment homes and 7 from non-apartment residential buildings. Out of the 22 total cases, one of them is a major fire, leading to 3 people dead and 18 in serious conditions.

Other than trapped elevators and fires, there has been cases of looting from stores, break-ins, robbery, molestation and rape. As on 6 pm, July 13, there has been 24 cases of break-ins of stores, 35 break-ins of residential homes, 87 cases of pick-pocketing and roadside robberies, 19 cases of molestation, 8 cases of attempted rape and 2 cases of rape.

The fire department have been working at close to its maximum level.

4) Casualties

Here's the casualty toll:
Deaths: 4 (3 of fire, 1 of heart attack)
Serious Conditions: 12 (8 of third degree burns, 4 of second degree burns)
Minor Conditions: 7 (6 of first degree burns, 1 of bleeding arm due to fall)

5) Power Restoration

Power has so far been restored to Ubin Island (northeastern island of Rafforsia) as its Power Substation is able to run without the Main Power Station suppling power to it. Power has also been restored to the residential towns of Hougang and Ubi. The government is now negotiating with its only power supplier country, Malaysia, to provide more power to the two other main power station so that most area of the Yellow Sector could have power.

Another solution currently under discussion is redirecting power from the other two main power station to the Yellow Sector. However, this will be highly likely to damage the other two main power station if it works at maxium capacity, shortening its lifespan.

With the possible kind donation by the Diesmaran Empire of the Power Platforms, power could be able to be restored at certain areas. However, the Rafforsian temporary government wish to know how much power it could produce.

6) Reconstruction of Power Avenue Bridge

The reconstruction of the bridge is tough as it requires the remaining intact sections of the bridge to be torn down so that a new bridge could be built. However, even with experienced workers, it could take from at least 6 months to 3 years for the bridge to be reconstructed. Undersea powerline cable are also being discussed.

Changi City Power SubStation is now up and running without the Main Power Station feeding power to the SubStation. Changi City and its two neighbouring towns, Pasir Ris and Laguna, have its power restored. However, the SubStation could only run for a maximum of an estimated 25 hours to 34 hours.

By 8pm July 14, fire fighters have rescued 1749 of the 4271 remaining stalled elevators that cotains trapped people. The remaining 2522 stalled elevators have not been visited by fire fighters.

On 8.25pm, July 14 209, GMT +8, an Airbus A380 plane belonging to Raffore International Airlines Flight No. RI 175 overshot the runway and landed into a pond.

Flight RI 165 was flying from Suvarnabhumi Airport of Bangkok, Thailand to Tourist City Airport of Tourist City, Rafforsia. The plane was to land on Runway 360L (note, the COFRtv News July 14 edition reported the wrong runway as Runway 180L of Tourist City Airport doesn't exist). The weather condition was fine with a little prescence of clouds; moonlight was not present. At the same time, every electrical equipment on Tourist City Airport are run by power generators, including the runway lightings. Tourist City was still plunged into darkness at that time so the only light source is the airport itself.

Onboard Flight RI 175 were 423 passengers and 57 crews, a total of 480 people onboard.

The aircraft was about to touchdown when, 10 seconds before it suppose to touchdown on the aiming point, the runway lighting shut down by itself, simutaneoously with the airport terminals and the control tower. By the time the aircraft touchdown at Tourist City Airport, it overshot the aiming point by almost 1.3 km. As the runway length is only about 4km, the aircraft landed at almost near to the center of the runway.

As the remaining distance left is short, and due to the inertia of the A380, the plane didn't slow down just in time and it went pass the other end of the runway approximately 15 seconds after touchdown. As the pond is located about 0.5km away from the other end of the runway, the aircraft splashed into the pond. Fortunately, is was floating on the pond and it didn't sink. The aircraft's tyre was badly damaged when it travelled onto the turf.

Every passengers and crews were then safety evacuated, with no major injuries and no death. A couple of passenger reported a sore neck, dizziness and headache, with a few of them sent to Tourist City Hospital to receive outpatient treatment.

According to investigations, the airport's power generators stopped working for about 5 minutes at 8.24 pm and 37 seconds. During this period, Flight RI175 was about to make a touchdown. The other planes on the ground waiting for take off had to delay the take off timing by about 15 minutes while the other plane in the air waiting to land at Tourist City Airport had to be diverted to Pierce Military Airbase. Since the 5 minutes power outage affected all operations at Tourist City Airport and the control tower, all flights from 8.25 pm July 14 to 1.30 am July 15 have been delayed. No flights have been cancelled. Runway 360L has been closed to all aircraft traffic from 8.27 pm July 14 to 10.28 am July 15.

By 8.30 pm, power has been restored to Tourist City Airport and the planes at Pierce Military Airbase then flew to Tourist City Airport.

Investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the 5 minutes power outage and whether pilot eror also have a part to play.

1) Power Avenue Bridge Collision

According to investigations, the cause of why did the cargo ship, Ping An, change its course is due to a malfunction of the ship's main rudder. According to the captain, he wanted the ship to turn left to avoid collision of the barge ship in front of Ping An. However, as the captain tried to steer the ship back to its original route, the cargo ship kept on turning left and travelling towards the northern column of the bridge.

Through investigations on the ship, it appears that there has been a hydraulic system problems with the rudder, causing the rudder to get stuck. However, the cause of the hydraulic system problem is underway, including the maintenance records of the ship.

The captain and its crew are now not charged for any criminal offences. They, however, will remain on Rafforsia for investigations and are not allowed to return back to China for now.

2) Reconstruction of Power Avenue Bridge

The reconstruction of Power Avenue Bridge is expected to begin once investigations are completed.

3) RIA Flight RI 175

Investigations are still going on. No further infomations have been released yet.

4) Power Restoration

With the help of the Diesmaran Empire's kind aid of the Power Platforms, power has been restored within the Yellow Sector in stages. These Power Platforms will be use until the Main Powerline from the Jurong Offshore Power Farm has been fixed.

5) Casualty and Crime

Deaths: 10
Death by household fire: 7
Death by heart attack: 1
Death by suffocation: 1
Death by traffic accident: 1

Serious Conditions: 81
Third Degree burns: 23
Second Degree burns: 46
Broken bones due to fall: 5
Traffic accident: 7

Minor Conditions: 350
First Degree burns: 48
Bleeding Arm due to fall: 3
Difficulty in breathing: 89
Serious asthma attack: 163
Lost of Consiousness: 47

Crime: 209
Roadside theft: 87
Store robbery: 13
House burglary: 11
Molestation: 57
Rape: 23
Indecent Exposure: 18

6) Foreign Aids

As power has been restored, the Rafforian Government have stopped requesting for aids.

Here are the list of aides it received:

Handheld torches
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia
Australia, Japan
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Malenia
West Novland

Batteries
PR China
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Tongolia, Malenia
West Novland

Power generators
United States of America
United Kingdom, Netherlands, France
Australia, Japan
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Tongolia, Petrova
West Novland

Bottled Water
Singapore, Malaysia
Australia, Japan, South Korea
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Sarnia Islands, Malenia, Lisieux
West Novland

Ready-to-eat foods
United Nations
Singapore, Thailand
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Sarnia Islands
West Novland

Portable fans
Germany, France
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
West Novland

Floodlights
United State of America
Ossil, Auvergne, Kenoshan Federation
Perthshire, Malenia
West Novland

Power Platforms
Diesmaran Empire

Peacekeeping Forces
UNAPMOR (United Nations Peacekeeping Mission of Rafforsia)
Diesmaran Empire, COFR, Kenoshan Federation
SimUnion Treaty Organization (SUTO, part of AIN), Escambia
West Novland

Monetary Funds
Malenia (8 372 700 000 Lek)

Blankets
United Nations
Singapore

Portable Electronic Heater
Italy, France

Packted Powered Drinks
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand

Mobile Shelter
United Nations
United States of America
United Kingdom
China