In the wake of Hurricane Issac, countless homes in New Orleans are without power.
Although not as devastating as Hurricane Katrina several years ago, Issac has damaged areas of New Orleans significantly, leaving approximately 128,000 people without electricity.
The force of the wind is to blame, disrupting overhead power lines and bringing down the grid. The wind was so strong during Issac’s cycle that it actually forced the Mississippi river to flow backwards, so it’s no wonder that thousands of electrical engineers are out working to repair the damage in Issac’s wake.
We will work into the night,” said Charles Rice, CEO of Entergy-New Orleans, who cover one of the areas without power. “We will also work while it’s raining. We don’t anticipate the winds anymore so we’ll be working pretty much non-stop.”
Although the engineers are also working hard to bring power back to homes, priority is being given to areas that rely strongly on constant electricity for caring and essential services such as hospitals, police and fire stations.
Rice also elaborated on how despite better preparations for events such as this being established after Katrina, it’s impossible to stop things like this from occurring altogether.
“But each one of these storms, they’re all different,” Rice said. “Oftentimes there’s not enough preparation that you can do to stop some things from happening.”
He added, “You’re safe from flooding. If you’re in the hurricane protection area, you’re safe from flooding. Protection from winds, nobody can do that. IF you get winds up 30,40, 50, 60mph, things are going to happen. Things are going to blow into the lines. Lines are going to go down. That’s just the reality.”
Home owners are currently sweltering in extreme temperatures. Thanks to power being down, air conditioning can’t be used and this means that most homes are basking in the stifling heat. Coupled with high winds, streets flooded with murky brown water and lots of damage, New Orleans is having a tough time of it at the moment.
