New Storm Worsens Life for Gulf Coast Residents Still Recovering from Hurricane Ida

People living in New Orleans are getting tired of storm after storm knocking out their electricity. Some say no matter how major or minor the storm, their power company doesn’t seem to do much to keep the lights on.

New Orleans just suffered through Hurricane Francine, and some residents say it doesn’t seem to matter how small a storm is. Criticizing the electrical company Entergy, Rudy Cerone, 71, who lives in the Carrolton neighborhood, said the company “doesn’t seem to take the necessary precautions to harden” the electrical grid.

An Entergy spokesman claims that 40,000 New Orleans residents have had their power restored since September 12, and they expect to add many more to that list by the time this report goes to press on Friday. Overall, 95,000 Louisiana customers are still without electricity, and 6,500 of them are in New Orleans.

Some customers say they’re irritated at getting a notification from Entergy that their power has been restored when it has not.

Entergy said restoring power “takes time,” and the company aims to keep customers updated throughout the process.

State Governor Jeff Landry said the lack of electricity is the major problem in his state. Thankfully, Francine caused no deaths or injuries when it rolled onto land September 11. He said utility crews were already in position before the hurricane made landfall ready to get to areas most vulnerable. To Landry, the speed of service restoration is good, and he thinks that’s because of past efforts to “build grid resilience.”

Francine hit the state with 100 mph winds powered by warm, moist air sucked up from the gulf of Mexico. The storm absolutely dumped water across much of the South, and meteorologists say Arkansas and much of the South can expect heavy rain from its remnants through the weekend; flash flooding is a risk.

Alabama can expect somewhere between another three to six inches of rain, with some spots getting as much as eight inches more. Parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida may get hit with another two to four inches. Residents should also be aware there’s a possibility of tornadoes.