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70,000 Without Power as Rapid City Faces Outage

11/14/2025

30 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The outage leaves nearly 70,000 customers without power in western South Dakota and parts of Wyoming.
It stems from a third-party event on the regional transmission system.
Rapid City officials urge drivers to treat dark intersections as four-way stops.
Black Hills Energy expects full restoration by 10 p.m. on November 13.
Public facilities, including Rapid City Public Library and Pennington County Courthouse, are closed.

History

Historical Context

The New York City blackout on July 13-14, 1977, occurred amid a severe financial crisis and a brutal heat wave, affecting over 4 million residents. The chaos led to over 1,600 fires and 1,000 arrests, highlighting vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure. This event prompted significant investments in power grid reliability and urban safety measures, shaping emergency response strategies in the U.S. for years to come.

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Story summary

The outage leaves nearly 70,000 customers without power in western South Dakota and parts of Wyoming.
It stems from a third-party event on the regional transmission system.
Rapid City officials urge drivers to treat dark intersections as four-way stops.
Black Hills Energy expects full restoration by 10 p.m. on November 13.
Public facilities, including Rapid City Public Library and Pennington County Courthouse, are closed.

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