Greater than every week after Hurricane Ida made landfall within the area, tons of of hundreds of Louisiana properties and companies, and hundreds in Mississippi, remained with out energy as a brand new storm entrance moved in, threatening restoration efforts.
Based on PowerOutage.us, the numbers amounted to 495,384 Louisiana prospects and 4,656 in Mississippi with out energy as of Monday afternoon.
The Nationwide Climate Service issued a flash flood look ahead to southeastern Louisiana early Monday.
Showers and thunderstorms have been anticipated, with the heaviest able to producing three inches of rain, or extra, in a quick time period.
“Soil circumstances are saturated or almost saturated and heavy rainfall might shortly result in flash flooding,” the warning mentioned.
Utility group Entergy mentioned in an organization assertion Monday morning: “Storms may hamper restoration in areas the place circumstances develop into unsafe for our restoration group to proceed its work.”
Entergy additionally reported that 54% or 513,000 of its prospects had already had their energy restored, out of 948,000 complete who misplaced energy throughout Hurricane Ida.
About 902,000 of effected Entergy prospects have been in Louisiana. As of Monday, the corporate mentioned it had restored energy to just about half of these, or 467,000, together with about 66% of these experiencing blackouts in New Orleans. In New Orleans, 69,000 Entergy prospects remained with out energy as of Monday morning.
As Gizmodo lately reported, Entergy has a historical past of protesting insurance policies that may result in larger use of renewable vitality, and investments in photo voltaic and vitality storage methods in Louisiana. In addition to producing electrical energy from clear, renewable sources, such methods typically make the grid extra steady wherever they’re constructed, and can assist present or restore energy within the aftermath of pure disasters.
Entergy wrote that amid the brand new flash flood warnings within the area, “restoration occasions prolong to no later than September 29,” for the toughest hit communities, reminiscent of St. Charles Parish and Terrebonne Parish. That is a full month after Hurricane Ida made landfall.