NEW ORLEANS — This past weekend’s floodwaters have receded, but the problems that contributed to the rising water remain.
City officials said Monday they were surprised — shocked, shocked, I tell you! — by heavy rains and street flooding over the weekend. Rain was forecast on Friday, and the forecast steadily worsened through Saturday morning.
Gee, with that forecast, who knew it might flood? Apparently, not the city’s NOLA Ready emergency texting service. Nor the Sewerage and Water Board.
And especially not the poor folks whose homes and vehicles flooded because they got no advance warning.
What city officials did know is that one of the two turbines that power drainage pumps broke last month.
The other turbine then broke during the storm, causing pumps to fail.
Someday, a new substation will provide reliable power to all drainage pumps, but not until mid-2025.
Or maybe later.
Who knows?
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