Lighting Vs. UFOs for the biggest blackout in history!

So, my Dad is an atheist but nevertheless possesses a strong interest in the paranormal. He would often tell stories about the blackout of ’65 and never failed to mention the plethora of UFO reports that surrounded that blackout. He even claims to have seen something in the Boston sky the night of the blackout, a derby shaped object that hovered around the Verizon building (AT&T/New England Telephone at the time) in Bowdoin Square. The following story talks about it too:

Great Northwest Blackout

But in regards to today’s blackout, what I found most interesting (besides the fact that the news channels were still reporting non-stop on the non-story some five to six hours later – there was no looting, no terrorism, no major issues other than the fact that subway cars and elevators were stuck and people were still being evacuated and yet still they never left the story … ugh) was the fact that despite the blackout hitting around 4pm, I never saw a single representative from a power company or heard about a single press release from the power companies through at least 7pm (and I had CNN on in the background all afternoon/evening). We heard from mayors, presidents, governors and Homeland Security heads, all assuring us terrorism was not involved, but we didn't hear from Power Company reps telling us what was, or even giving an update. The power companies were, in my opinion, noticably and oddly quiet. As of this point the only thing I’ve heard regarding a cause for the blackout was potentially a lightening strike. And that was from Canadian power reps.
A lightening strike?

Tens of millions of people lost their power in Northeast North America due to a lightening strike?

Well, some are already question that theory. The Drudge Report has this link (weather chart form Niagara area airport), which shows that the weather around 4pm EST was “A few clouds” and the folks from New York Power Authority have not made any statement regarding the cause.

Now, UFOs may be far-fetched to some, but I would prefer that UFOs be the cause. I can forgive the folks in charge of the energy grid for not preparing against an alien attack, I’m sure it just didn’t come up at any meetings. But I would assume that the power grid for the northeast, the grid that runs NYC, would be able to take a few lighting strikes, and not succumb to the furious electrical storms created by “a few clouds.”