NEW ORLEANS — As the sun beats down on southeastern Louisiana, those without electricity are feeling the burn.
Friday morning, Entergy crews replaced a power pole in Central City near St. Andrew and Freret Streets. Entergy said that the crews finished around 12:15pm, earlier than the predicted scheduled time.
According to Entergy, the work was scheduled and customers were given both a week’s notice and a reminder a few days ahead of time.
“We understand that any power interruption is an inconvenience, especially in this hot weather. However, the goal of a scheduled interruption is to prevent future unplanned interruptions that could last longer, impact more customers and risk the safety of our crews,” an Entergy spokesperson said.
Kelli Stiebing lost power Friday morning. She said for some folks it’s not that simple.
“It makes me feel sad for people around me who don't have transportation to get to cooler places,” Stiebing said, “I live in an area that has a lot of elderly people, and a lot of people don't have transportation to go cool off at somebody's houses.”
The New Orleans Public Library offers a refuge for folks without power or air conditioning.
“We offer air conditioning which is a valuable valuable resource and a valuable commodity for everyone,” Terrell Mims, New Orleans Public Library employee said.
However, the library isn’t open 24/7 and can be a drive for some.
So, when Kenner’s electricity went off early Friday morning, Steibing said she called Entergy several times.
"Went out at 4 o'clock this morning,” Steibing said Entergy told her, "That it's going to be restored at 7:30, 7:30 came. It was going to be 10:30, 10:30 came. It was going to be 12:30, 12:30 came. And now it's going to be 4."
According to Entergy, car hit a pole around 5 a.m.
By the afternoon, Steibing said she was fed up with the wait, so she called us and started delivering ice from her snoball stand to her neighbors.
"I own a snowball stand, I went and got blocks of ice and delivered it to my neighbors, trying to buy them a little extra time so they don't have to worry about going to spend the rest of their money to fill their fridge to feed their kids because I don't think it's fair,” Steibing said, “Especially having no answers as to why we have no power."
Entergy told us someone ran into a pole nearby on Airline Drive, forcing the company to shut off power to replace it.
By the afternoon, it was restored.
“What’s also upsetting is that when it went out, we didn't see an Entergy truck until 5 hours after we had no power,” Steibing said, “So I feel like maybe they could have gotten here a little sooner.”
Stebing’s neighbor, Samuel Johnson, had a similar message.
"If you guys knew what the civilians were going through, you probably would put a little pep to your step,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s daughter spent her third birthday hiding under the shade of a tree as their food spoiled.
"The food has already gone bad,” Johnson said, "We've been up there frustrated. I mean it's been hot all day."
Now, the family is celebrating their little one, and cool air, as the sun goes down Friday evening.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.