The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board says it is staffed up and ready for Tropical Storm Cristobal, but warns there is very little margin for error in the drainage system right now.
"The loss of turbine 5 and one EMD has reduced our power redundancy," the utility said in a series of tweets. "An unforeseen loss of another power source could force us to ration power."
SWB NOLA pledged to be "hyper-vigilant" during the storm about their power situation.
"New Orleans' drainage system can collect and move considerable amounts of water in real time, but it has limits," it said. "It is not designed to keep streets completely free of storm water during a rain event."
Sewerage and Water Board is prepared for Tropical Storm Cristobal. Our emergency operations center is activated and staffed.
— SWB New Orleans (@SWBNewOrleans)
June 7, 2020 Sewerage & Water Board also notified neighbors of its Carrollton plant that the backup generators will be loud.
With the loss of Turbine 5, we will be using our EMDs at the Carrollton station when it rains. They will be loud, but they provide necessary, reliable electricity for our drainage pumps.
— SWB New Orleans (@SWBNewOrleans)
June 7, 2020
