Louisiana’s first major storm of the year has New Orleans-area utility managers scrambling to prepare for wind and rain that could cause lengthy power outages and trouble for the city’s drainage system.
Entergy, the region’s electricity provider, urged customers in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi to prepare to lose power on Wednesday, when Tropical Storm Francine is expected to strike the central Louisiana coast as a Category 2 hurricane.
“Take the potential of severe weather seriously and stay prepared,” Steven Benyard, vice president of reliability for Entergy in Louisiana, said in a statement. “Now is not the time to let your guard down. Please take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your family and your home.”
Entergy advised customers to assemble emergency kits with flashlights, a battery-powered radio, canned food and enough water for several days. The utility will post updates about outages and estimated restoration times via the Entergy New Orleans Facebook page.
Power line crews and other repair workers were preparing for “long work hours” after the storm passes, Benyard said.
Entergy on Tuesday was unable to estimate the likely scope or length of outages nor could it provide the number of repair workers called to respond to the storm.
The poor health of many trees in the region may cause more outages than usual, according to Entergy. Last year’s record-breaking drought and the recent spread of tree-devouring bark beetles have made it more likely that weakened trees and their limbs will fall on power lines and across roads, slowing and complicating Energy’s response.
Drainage ‘remains robust,’ S&WB says
The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is preparing for rainfall that could test the city’s drainage system, which hasn’t performed well during bouts of heavy rain in recent years. A combination of poorly-maintained catch basins and unreliable pumps and backup generators have contributed to widespread street flooding during rain events of far less severity than a tropical storm or hurricane.
But ahead of Francine, the S&WB struck an optimistic tone.
“Our drainage system remains robust, with 90 out of 99 drainage pumps operational and ready,” S&WB officials said in a statement on Monday.
In preparation for the storm, the S&WB has been lowering canal levels, increasing stormwater storage, and working to reduce standing water on streets. The agency says it has also “enhanced staffing levels” to boost response times.
The S&WB has about 70 megawatts available to run its drainage system. That’s well over the 44 megawatts the system needs during peak demand, according to the agency’s online “Pumping and Power” dashboard.
New Orleans Department of Public Works crews had stepped up efforts to clean out catch basins on Monday and Tuesday, but many thousands haven’t been inspected and may be clogged. As of July, the city had cleaned just over 5,000 of the 72,000 catch basins across New Orleans.
That leaves a large share of catch basin maintenance to residents. The S&WB on Monday urged New Orleanians to check their neighborhood basins and clear them if obstructed by any trash, leaves, grass and other debris.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Sewerage & Water Board crews were clearing catch basins around the city. The New Orleans Department of Public Works was performing catch basin maintenance.