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A massive outage, which began in Ohio and spilled over, left the entire northeast and parts of Canada without electricity. Millions of city residents lost power for more than a day.

“We didn't know until we were halfway over the Brooklyn Bridge what was going on. It was very scary,” said one New Yorker.

Some made light of the situation.

“I was downtown having a beer, and all the stores started giving away all the beers. It was a party,” said another New Yorker.

However, it was no laughing matter for city officials dealing with traffic, thousands of people walking home and uncounted numbers of others needing rescue from subways and elevators that suddenly stopped dead.

Communication problems hampered some of the rescue efforts.

“During an emergency, everybody picks up their cell phones and starts trying to call people,” said Office of Emergency Management Deputy Commissioner Henry Jackson. “So many of those systems were jammed and it affects our ability to communicate and coordinate.”

Since then, the city has upgraded its communication systems. Even though they don't control the power grid, officials say they are now better equipped to handle that kind of outage.

“OEM is monitoring the city's electrical system 24 hours a day, year-round,” said Jackson. “We deploy something called a ‘power outage response team,’ so that when there is something we send folks out into the communities.”

The city also installed hundreds of back up generators at critical facilities and backup batteries in traffic lights at major intersections allowing them to stay on for four hours during a blackout.

Changes have also been made on the federal level.

“The biggest thing that came out of the 2003 blackout was the energy policy of 2005 that created legislation that made mandatory requirements for operators,” said Ken Klapp of Independent Systems Operator. “And what they did was set up the North American Reliability Corporation that would set these reliability standards and police the utilities. Not only setting the standards, but making sure that people are adhering to them.

But in addition to legislation, some energy experts say it's time to tap other forms of energy.

“I think that the renewable energy is a very important way to go to supplement our reliance on the grid,” said New York University professor Rae Zimmerman.

Some are hoping less reliance will mean fewer blackouts like the unforgettable one of 2003.