Several minutes later, the transfer panel synchronizes and automatically transfers the total load of the cable operation to the backup generator. Except for the almost imperceptible blink of the lights, the office staff is unaware of the event. In a few moments, the manager s phone rings and the official notification begins. The emergency response plan is taken down from the bookshelf and an impromptu meeting is called. The phones work, the network is alive and cable telephony devices continue to operate.
People pick up their phones, greeted by that familiar dial tone.
They feel compelled to call a friend or neighbor, just to overcome the feeling of having been cut off from the rest of the world. In an hour or so, the traffic signals suddenly flash back to life. There will be more overtime for city workers as they begin the task of resetting the controls and synchronizing them. Lights come back on in homes and offices as the local time of punishment ends. Cheers and curses leave the lips of people as life begins to return to normal.