New Orleans power failures could pose more dangers than the hurricane itself, aid workers warn
Steps to restore power to more than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi are at least three days away for most, federal energy officials said Tuesday, as regional electric providers struggle to tally the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ida.
But a few pockets have shown signs of a quicker recovery. Entergy, the utility hit hardest by the storm in both states, said Tuesday that it has restored power to 85,000 customers. Company officials told members of the New Orleans City Council that some service could be restored in their city by Wednesday evening, according to Nola.com. They did not provide details.
Entergy said it is still trying to assess damage throughout much of its service area, though that work could be completed in Mississippi by late Tuesday.
“Essential services such as hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments, and water systems are at the head of the restoration list, along with our equipment that supplies electricity to large numbers of customers,” the company said.
Even after authorities assess the damage to the Gulf Coast’s power grid, restoring service to the hardest hit areas could take as much as three weeks, utility company executives warned. Meanwhile new fears are setting in among residents, aid workers and government officials about the storm system’s potential aftershocks.
It’s becoming clear, they say, that Ida’s danger extends well beyond the inundation and scattered debris caused by the Category 4 hurricane — since downgraded to a tropical storm washing over parts of Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. The near-total failure of the region’s energy grid coincides with a sweltering southeastern summer and little respite for residents. Cars and generators will eventually run out of fuel; service stations can’t pump gasoline without electricity. Cellphone batteries will expire. Water treatment systems will buckle without a reliable power system.
Electric utilities reported more than 1 million Louisiana customers without power Tuesday afternoon, of which 793,000 are accounts with the state’s largest provider, Entergy. In Mississippi, 51,000 customers are without service, including 23,000 from Entergy.
Entergy said Monday that 216 substations, 207 transmission lines, and more than 2,000 miles of its transmission lines were out of order in the two states.
“Really what we’re looking at is how you sustain a large population in New Orleans when it’s very hot, very humid and there’s no power or food,” said Nate Mook, chief executive of relief agency World Central Kitchen, which is preparing to serve 50,000 meals a day in New Orleans for weeks on end. “We’re looking at a really difficult situation that is more dangerous than the actual storm impacts. If the energy company isn’t able to get the power back on in a week, imagine.”
Entergy chief executive Deanna Rodriguez warned Monday that residents should be “prepared for the recovery to take some time.” The company dispatched 20,000 workers to southeast Louisiana to assess the damage, though a local union official told The Washington Post that it could take days to fully realize the extent of the work necessary to restore operations.
The Department of Energy said Tuesday that the assessments are expected to take three days.
In the meantime, much of the state has turned to generators for power, officials and residents said. Neighbors are letting one another into their homes to charge cellphones, pick up ice to keep food from spoiling or just get some deep breaths of cool air.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed more than 200 generators to Louisiana and expects to send more, President Biden said Monday. “We’re doing all we can to minimize the amount of time it’s going to take to get power back up for everyone in the region,” he said.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan issued emergency waivers for Louisiana and Mississippi for provisions of the Clean Air Act to shore up fuel supply lines.
“We are facing a period of high temperatures and humidity in the region and people will need shelter and air conditioning,” Rep. Troy A. Carter (D-La.), who represents Orleans and Jefferson parishes, as well as several others along the Mississippi River, said in a statement. “Generators can help fill the gap, especially for the most vulnerable sites like hospitals and nursing homes, but our top priority after search and rescue must be reconnecting Louisiana back to the grid as well as addressing damage to property and businesses.”