Power outage disrupts work day in the Back Bay

BOSTON (WHDH) -- When the lights went out in the Back Bay for the second time in two months, residents, workers and tourists immediately braced for the worst on Tuesday.

“And all of a sudden, the lights went out, and we were like, ‘Oh my God, this can’t be happening again,’” said Steve Rubin, Huntington Wine and Spirits owner.

Rubin said his store and surrounding shops lost three days of business during the March blackout.

“Nobody knew what was happening, and all we were worried about was, ‘How much food are we going to be losing, how many days are we going to be closed again?’” Rubin said.

Students at Berklee College of Music milled about on the street when their buildings lost power. Shoppers did the same at Copley Place Mall.

“The power went out, so all the shops started closing their doors and everyone was kind of running around and milling about. I don’t think anybody really knew what to do,” said Rachel Oliver, a tourist.

The Hynes Convention Center, which lost a big convention during the March blackout, was able to get by on generator power on Tuesday.

For restaurants like the Pour House Bar & Grill, they immediately started putting food on ice.

“I don’t really know how this kind of stuff happens but they’re taking care of it and this time was a lot quicker than last time, so they must have figured out what was going on,” said Hillary Branyik, Pour House.

Although the outage disrupted the work days of many, it only last 45 minutes.