City Of New Orleans Provides Update On Hurricane Zeta Impacts

New Orleans LA

30 October, 2020

3:02 PM

Description

From the City of New Orleans: October 29, 2020 The City of New Orleans today provided an update on the impacts in the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta, which made landfall yesterday evening in Orleans Parish and the Southeastern Louisiana area. City, State and Federal agencies began damage assessments yesterday evening and are continuing to do so throughout this week. Below is a list of agency updates with relevant safety and recovery information. Power Outages As of this afternoon there were approximately 125,000 power outages reported for the New Orleans metro area. Entergy New Orleans is working as efficiently as possible to restore lost power. They are in the process of assessing the scale of the damage and moving quickly to make repairs. Entergy anticipates the majority of restoration will be complete by this weekend. At the peak of outages, 73 sewage stations were without power. Entergy restoration has quickly lowered that number to 37, with additional restorations expected shortly. While the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans is not currently experiencing an overloading of the sewer system here in Orleans Parish, out of an abundance of caution, residents are asked to reduce the amount of wastewater leaving their homes if possible. That means doing a little less laundry and running the dishwasher fewer times. All wastewater is collected at our sewage pump stations throughout the city. The City encourages all residents to stay safe during power outages with the following tips. Stay away from downed power lines and report immediately to Entergy at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749). Do not touch downed trees or power lines as wires may be energized. Treat every intersection with traffic lights out as a four-way stop. Operate generators safely: Operate generators in well ventilated locations outdoors away from all doors, windows and vent openings.Locate generators so that exhaust fumes cannot enter homes through windows, doors or other building openings.Do not refuel generators while they are running.Turn generators off and let them cool before refueling.Generators get extremely hot and will cause severe burns if not handled with caution.Do not store gas or flammable liquids in your home.Never try to power the house with a generator (back feeding); this is an extremely dangerous practice and could overload circuitry and burn down your home. Medical Special Needs The New Orleans Health Department and the Louisiana Department of Health are working with residents who are power dependent for medical reasons. As part of this initiative, the City will be opening three Oxygen Exchange sites across the city, where residents who are on oxygen can swap out an empty tank for a full tank, free of charge. The following locations will open at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning tomorrow, Oct. 30: New Orleans Fire Station 1, 2920 Magazine St.New Orleans Fire Station 27, 2118 Elysian Fields Ave.New Orleans Fire Station 40, 2500 General DeGaulle DriveClick here to read more. This press release was produced by the City of New Orleans. The views expressed are the author's own.