Two young ladies take advantage of the recent blackout in Birngham, Michigan, to sell special Dream Cruise blackout t-shirts at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. The cruise is the largest automobile festival in the world. It features 16 miles of vintage vehicles cruising through community fairs.(Photo: Charles V. Tines/Detroit News/Zuma Press

The world became as dark as the basement in Ania Sisco's Detroit, Michigan, home.

"It was as dark as the basement all over," the 9-year-old said. "You couldn't see anything."

Like the rest of the 50 million people in the Northeast and Midwest affected by the blackout, the Siscos went in search of flashlights and candles. In Detroit and Michigan, families in blacked-out areas also had to worry about polluted water. When the lights went off, water treatment plants quick working.

"I was scared," said 8-year-old Laura Friend. "There was all polluted water and I had to brush my teeth."

Although Laura and her 10-year-old sister Libby were in Iowa visiting their grandparents when the blackout happened, they came home to a house without clean water. They were also the only link to the news for their dad, who was left at home with their dog Sullivan.

"We told him that he was out of power because of a power surge," said Libby. "We told him it happened in other states, and that other people had to walk in subways, across the bridge, and how some people got stuck in theme parks."

Libby's father reported back later that he cleaned out the refrigerator by joining a "Cook Your Meat Before It Rots" party in the neighborhood.

"They had a bunch of grills on the front lawn and were grilling their food," said Libby. "That was kind of funny."

For the Sharpe family, the big concern was washing their cars for the annual Dream Cruise. They used the trickle of water from the garden hose to spruce up their 1956 Chevrolet and 1961 Buick for the cruise. The Dream Cruise is the world's largest one-day automotive event. Vintage cars cruise along the main street in Detroit in what has become a festival complete with food booths, games, and activities.

"We still had the Dream Cruise on Saturday," said Evan Sharpe, 13. "We had power for the Dream Cruise, we just didn't have water." One of Evan's older brothers and his father drove the two cars in the automobile parade.

Although the blackout didn't stop his soccer game or the Dream Cruise, Evan said he did miss talking to his friends on the phone, or getting to hang out with them.

"We couldn't really go outside walking around because the traffic lights were all off," he said. And when it got dark, it got very, very dark.

"We had candles set up and we mainly played cards," he said. "We slept in the basement because it was cooler."

Billy Thomas, 11, said he ate ice chips to keep cool. He and his parents watched a battery-powered TV to follow the news.

"I had a little trouble sleeping because it was so hot," he said. "My mom gave me an ice pack to put on my forehead."

After two and a half days without power or clean water, Anna Broon, 11, learned enough to offer some advice for future blackouts.

"You should hunt up some candles, unplug everything, and when the lights come back on, don't use the lights a lot," she said. "If you have water, boil it and put it in a container and put it somewhere to keep cool."