Combining news reports and comments from American circles and according to the Interim Report presented by the August 14 blackout task force,the process and reasons of the blackout were summed up. It was pointed out that due to some new problems caused by American power deregulation such as the weak coordination and control for long distance power transfers, the possibility of blackouts has been increased. The rapid economic development in eastern China sets high requirement for the development of power system.Therefore the current power system in China should be re-evaluated and re-analyzed regularly while the "breakpoints" within the transmission system should be considered in planning and designing to ensure islands operation in time of emergency.