Entergy crews and contractors have traveled to the tip of eastern New Orleans, Louisiana, to repair and rebuild our infrastructure in the Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine and Irish Bayou area after Ida’s winds damaged crossarms and knocked poles down into the marsh. Now, instead of replacing the remote facilities in the wetland, crews are building an accessible 81-pole powerline spanning 2.1 miles on dry land.
Accessing equipment in the grassy, wet and debris filled area is not an easy task. Since the powerlines were built many years ago, many of them have sustained through multiple severe storms and floods causing poles to be surrounded by water. If crews attempted to repair facilities in this highly inaccessible area, 262 customers would be without power for months.
However, crews have been able to rebuild our system in a new, more dry location and power restoration estimates for customers who can receive it has been updated to today, Sept. 9.
In 2020, when Hurricane Zeta swept across the undeveloped area leaving poles in the marsh, crews followed the same procedure to restore power. The section of poles that were replaced in 2020 stood strong during Hurricane Ida.
“After a storm like Ida devastates our system, repairing damages to restore power is not always cut and dry. Our crews are working hard to rebuild our systems quickly with residents’ best interest in mind, thus identifying a safe and efficient process to restore power,” said Steven Benyard, Entergy New Orleans regional director of distribution and operations.
Ida caused catastrophic damage to the greater New Orleans area. In addition to the damages in the wetlands, 30,679 poles, 36,469 spans of wire and 5,959 transformers were destroyed throughout southeast Louisiana. As of Sept. 9, we have restored 98% of our customers.
