With heavy rain in the forecast over the next couple of days, the city of New Orleans is warning residents about the tenuous state of the drainage system.
"We're in a fragile state regarding power as we operate within our system," said New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board interim General Superintendent Ron Spooner.
Spooner said 96 out of 99 drainage pumps are in service, and they can generate enough power for them all. But he said their ability to generate backup power, if needed, is lacking.
"While we have enough power to power our pumps, we do not have the backup capacity or redundant systems in the event that we do lose a power source," he explained, noting that the half-a-dozen electro-motive diesel generators are now a primary power source.
"We will rely heavily on the EMDs as they our now our front line source of power to operate our drainage system," said Spooner.
