Broken turbines and failed pumps dominated the news in New Orleans this week as residents found out to their horror that the Sewerage and Water Board had lied to them for years about the condition of the pumping system while they suffered more flooding. The Times-Picayune blasted the Board and Mayor Mitch Landrieu yesterday:
Top officials at the Sewerage & Water Board misled New Orleanians about more than the system's pumping capacity during a torrential rain storm Saturday (Aug. 5).Grant will retire on a $175,000 pension.
Executive Director Cedric Grant and his staff hadn't bothered to tell the public that three of five power turbines were out of service -- one since 2012, one since May and one since a heavy rain that flooded some neighborhoods July 22.
Residents had no clue how precarious the situation was until a fire overnight Thursday damaged a fourth turbine. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration said that turbine was the primary source of power for most of the pumps on the east bank of New Orleans, making the city vulnerable to more flooding in a rainstorm.
Sixteen pumps also are out of service, S&WB officials said Thursday. That is up from the 14 pumps the City Council was told Tuesday were out.
This goes beyond miscommunication. The S&WB apparently is in the habit of routinely withholding information that is vital to public safety. Residents have been led to believe that the drainage system is one of the best in the world and that they could count on pumps to drain the city efficiently. That wasn't true....
At first Mr. Grant maintained that all pumps were operational during the flooding. He got testy when questioned by reporters, who were hearing from residents that pumps in some neighborhoods didn't seem to be on.
"I continue to tell the people what this system can do," he said Saturday. "It's pretty amazing in that it can do one inch of rain in the first hour and a half an inch of rain every hour after that. We are dealing with 8 to 10 inches of rain in three hours. It is not going to be able to pump that in an hour."
But that was a false picture of what was happening at pumping stations.
S&WB officials eventually acknowledged that seven pumps were down during the storm, then changed the number to eight. That grew to 14 and now 16. Nine of those were in the flood zone Saturday, and five of them are major drainage pumps.
Joe Becker, general superintendent of the S&WB, admitted during the council hearing that almost half of the pumps for Lakeview were out during the deluge Saturday. Even that number changed during his testimony. He initially told the council that pumping capacity for Lakeview was at 57 percent, but then said it dropped to 52 percent for part of the day because of a lack of power..... Rest of editorial
Heads. Pikes. Walls.
19 comments:
I'm shocked that people are shocked......for decades the levee boards in NO were public troughs to be slopped at....why would you be shocked that the same is going on with this bunch.
you'd need at least a million and a half in savings to equal that pension.
"...for decades the levee boards in NO were public troughs to be slopped at....why would you be shocked that the same is going on with this bunch."
Why do you suggest it stops there, with this particular trough. This happens with every agency, board, commission or public body that has a budget and a trough. All of them don't deal with flood-by-water, but all of them affect our present and future and all of them are lined with leeches attached to the insides of the troughs. Pick one. ANY one.
In New Orleans, crime and corruption are industries.
A government agency that lies, covers its ass and can't manage money? Say it isn't so.
This is why big government doesn't work. There is almost nothing, maybe nothing at all, that your government does exceptionally well and under budget.
Hate it for the residents who live in New Orleans who have to deal with constant corruption, excuses and now flooding.
12:23, lets not throw stones, while we sit in the glass house, that is Mississippi. New Orleans has no monopoly. The magnolia state is drowning in corruption, fraud and crime, even though most of it is setting well above sea level.
The levee boards were reformed after Katrina. No more beauty queens or politicos. Members have to have more relevant backgrounds.
This is all on the City administration the Board.
But hey, who cares about flooding? At least those nasty statues are down, right?
Mitch is a scumbag.
You are really so worried about this, when it has no effect on us. You want to update you blog, let's talk about current events that actually affects us here in the Sip.
Hurry with the 'Like' button!
There is almost no way to get through the G..Damned 'street signs'.
So, if the city an retire Cedric at $175,000 per year and he was in charge of all this mess, how can I get in line for one of those jobs? And by the way, it looks like N.O. didn't lose their tax base like Jackson or is it that the Feds think so much of them they will bail them out?
Move the Saints to high ground and let it all flood.
"You are really so worried about this, when it has no effect on us. You want to update you blog, let's talk about current events that actually affects us here in the Sip."
Hahahha. The "Sip" is done. Specifically Jackson. It's like a third world nation here. The leadership has failed Jackson citizens and it will only get worse. Jackson is a sh*thole. Unlike NOLA, there is ZERO culture here. No sports (unless you count D3 JSU), no concerts (unliess you count Yes and some of the jam-band crap Arden puts in), and zero reason to go downtown unless you want to go to some hipster or thug bar.
At least NOLA still has some charm (although they are losing that at a rapid rate).
The "Sip" as you call it is the worst of the worst. Dumb people, poverty, and filth. It deserves the national repotation it receives.
Never have I lived where so many people have major appliances on their front porch...
this is just one more example of why everyone wants to work for the government. you have no liability for anything and your total incompetence is rewarded with a six figure pension.
10:43 They said they have to pay those good salaries and bennies plus retirement to complete with the private sector. You know, the private sector that is only paid for results. Only in LaLa land does someone earn like this for producing nothing. Amazing really. I have to risk millions to earn that type of money. If I could just run a board with tax receipts and only have to keep equipment running--holy crap would I be all over that. Crap I could live large knowing the eagle is gonna crap a big check out every month for life. Wish I could be a public servant.
I don't know where the words public servant came from. Does anyone know of a single public servant?
You are really so worried about this, when it has no effect on us. You want to update you blog, let's talk about current events that actually affects us here in the Sip.
Why indeed.
KF, does it effect us now that one of the leaders to the whole mess in New Orleans is coming to work for Jackson?
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