Mayors Office

May 31, 2023 | From City of New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined public health and safety officials to provide an overview of City and partner agencies preparations for the upcoming hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters are predicting near-normal hurricane activity this year, with a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, five to nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA has a 70 percent confidence in these ranges.

"As we prepare ourselves for what experts are calling an anticipated normal hurricane season, we must continue to take every action and every measure necessary to further mitigate any impact on the City of New Orleans," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "The best way to do that is to provide our residents with the most reliable and up-to-date information available and work collectively to protect our residents from the rapidly intensifying storms we are experiencing due to our changing climate. I am very pleased about our continued efforts with our local, state and federal partners, including equipping our NORD recreation centers with backup generators, transitioning our special needs registry to our Smart911 platform and once again utilizing our WeatherSTEM program. We will continue to be intentional and use every tool at our disposal to be as safe and prepared as possible throughout this year's hurricane season."

[ WATCH 2023 HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS PRESS CONFERENCE]

Here is an overview of preparation efforts across several City and partner agencies:

NEW ORLEANS HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS (NOHSEP)

NOHSEP remains committed to coordinating the City's response should a storm come our way. Preparations include:

Residents are encouraged to text NOLAREADY (one word) to 77925 to receive emergency text alerts from the City and to follow NOLA Ready on social media @nolaready.

To view the City's improved weather monitoring capabilities through its network of real-time localized weather reporting, visit weatherwise.nola.gov.

NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT (NOHD)

NOHD has been working closely with NOHSEP to implement the Living Facilities Ordinance for seniors and people with disabilities. As of May 30, 55 of 67 known facilities have submitted their documents to receive an annual certificate.

Additionally, NOHD continues to work closely with the nursing home administrators, Louisiana Department of Health and NOHSEP to ensure that local nursing home facilities are compliant with local and state laws related to emergency preparedness. As of May 30, eight of 13 facilities have submitted their documents to receive an annual operating license. One of eight facilities that have submitted info is in full compliance, and seven are in partial compliance to fix application issues by June 1. NOHD has been in contact with all those facilities that have yet to submit and are working and will proceed with the adjudication process for any facilities that do not reply by the June 1 deadline.

NOHD continues to promote resident use of the Smart911 App, a more inclusive tool with a full range of access and functional needs. Integrated with NOLA Ready alerts and Orleans Parish Communication District's (OPCD) dispatch system, Smart911 will help the City to communicate more efficiently with the most at-risk individuals following a disaster or emergency.

ORLEANS PARISH COMMUNICATION DISTRICT (OPCD)

OPCD is working closely with NOHD and Resilience Force to transition the Special Needs Registry over to Smart911 App and calling all previous enrollees to update their information.

OPCD now owns a FirstNet Deployable, which allows the City to provide cell service to first responders on the network in the case of an extended power outage.

Additionally, OPCD announced a historic infrastructure upgrade for the 9-1-1 call routing system (AT&T ESINet) and the launch of the Carybe APEX IP-Based Phone System, which will allow for much more redundancy and flexibility in our call handling system.

DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (DPW)

DPW is continuing its preparation for the 2023 hurricane season by performing routine maintenance on all equipment to ensure that crews have the resources in place to respond, as well as by coordinating with all contractors on their plans to secure construction sites should a severe weather event occur.

FLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY EAST

The Flood Protection Authority East is ready and confident the system will perform to block storm surge as was demonstrated with Hurricane Ida in 2021. The levees, floodwalls, floodgates and surge barrier have been inspected with their quarterly and annual inspections. The pumps at the outfall closure structures have been inspected, and temporary repairs have been completed.

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (USACE)

USACE is determined to meet their commitment of having the necessary pumping capacity onsite by June 1. Based on the lead time necessary to have temporary pumps installed, coupled with the extended schedule for Pump #1 repairs, USACE has initiated their contingency operational plan for London Avenue in late April. Partnering with the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, USACE is installing approximately 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of temporary pumps along the west side of the station and canal.

USACE is scheduled to have the pumps in place by June 1, with the possibility of further increasing capacity through July. These temporary pumps will increase the station's overall performance to about 200 cfs more than the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans' (SWBNO) capacity for the canal.

SEWERAGE AND WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS (SWBNO)

SWBNO continues to test its equipment and train all staff for the 2023 hurricane season. This includes testing the generators and standard operating procedures at the drainage pumping stations, water treatment facilities and wastewater treatment plants to ensure its operators and equipment are in working order. This training is done throughout the year to prepare not only for hurricanes but all intense weather events.

SWBNO warned that while hurricanes should be monitored, residents should remember that summer rainstorms can pose significant flood threats, too.

When rain intensities are high – over one inch an hour – residents may see localized street flooding. SWBNO's drainage system can handle one inch of rain per hour and a half-inch of rain each hour after that. That means three inches of rainfall in one hour can take up to five hours to drain.

As of May 31, 92 of 99 major drainage pumps are operational. There is one submersible pump out of service at the Old Carrollton Underpass Station; however, there are other two pumps available at this station. All other underpass pumping stations are fully in service. Four out of five electro-motive diesel (EMD) generators, as well as all five frequency changers are available for use. Turbines 5 and 6 are operational and available for use as well. Turbine 4 is expected to return to service by the end of June.

To see SWBNO's pumping and power status, please visit: Pumping and Power Equipment Status - Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (swbno.org)

A map of SWBNO's drainage system is at the bottom of this web page: Stormwater - Drainage System Overview & Map - Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (swbno.org)

ENTERGY NEW ORLEANS

Entergy New Orleans has conducted a two-day storm drill with more than 400 employees from Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana. During the simulated hurricane scenarios, employees responded to two Category 5 hurricanes, one making landfall in Southwest Louisiana and another in Southeast Louisiana. Entergy New Orleans will also conduct a storm drill simulating a direct impact to the metro New Orleans area.

Inspections of the grid and Entergy New Orleans facilities are continuing using infrared cameras and drones to inspect power lines and vegetation management.

Entergy New Orleans encourages customers to also be prepared. Customers can visit www.entergy.com/stormcenter for preparation and safety tips.

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